The Kansas basketball team is moving on to Big 12 Conference play with a road matchup with the Texas Longhorns.
Finally! After a long 10-2 non-conference record, the Kansas basketball team starts its defense of their incredible 13 straight conference championships on Friday against the Texas Longhorns.
The Kansas Jayhawks have played pretty well in November and December, minus a brutal two-game streak when they were beaten by two Pac 12 schools, one in the Sprint Center and the other in the “Phog.”
The Longhorns have three losses, but those came against good competition. They took Duke, then number one, to overtime before bowing aside, and they lost close games to Gonzaga and Michigan. They will be fired up and ready to play the Jayhawks!
Silvio de Sousa and Billy Preston will not play against Texas, and most likely not against Texas Tech on Tuesday. The NCAA offices are closed until Tuesday so it will be difficult to get them to clear either player in time.
WATCH: Silvio De Sousa Highlights
KANSAS BASKETBALL LIVE STREAM AND TV INFO
- Who: Texas Longhorns (9-3)
- Where: Frank Erwin Center, Austin, Texas
- Tipoff Time: Friday, December 29, 8:00 p.m. CT
- TV Channel: ESPN2
- Kansas Basketball Live Stream: WatchESPN
The Kansas basketball live stream versus the Texas Longhorns can be seen on WatchESPN if your cable subscription includes ESPN.
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KANSAS BASKETBALL NOTES
One of the crazier stats this season for the Kansas basketball team is they only have 103 made free throws in 12 games. They are shooting a fine 72.5 percent on 142 chances but averaging just 8.5 points a game from the line.
This puts a lot more pressure on the offense in general to score other ways. The Jayhawks just are not as active driving to the rim as in the past, and they settle for three-point shots on a regular basis. They average nearly 26 shots a game from behind the arc.
One thing that might change against conference schools is how teams decide to guard Udoka Azubuike. The big fella is shooting an amazing 77.9 percent from the field. He’s missed on 25 shots in 113 attempts all year. Almost all of his shots come very close to the rim, yet he’s shot only 25 free throws.
Big 12 opponents may have more interior depth than some of the teams Kansas has played so far. They may be willing to foul Azubuike inside rather than let him get dunks and lay-ups. Azubuike is only hitting 40 percent of his charity tosses so conference teams might be more physical with him around the basket and make him beat them from the line.
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KANSAS BASKETBALL TEAM LEADERS
- Points – Lagerald Vick – 17.1 ppg
- Assists – Devonte’ Graham – 7.6 apg
- Rebounds – Azubuike – 8.0 rpg
- Steals – Graham – 2.0 spg
- Blocked Shots – Mitch Lightfoot – 1.7 bpg
The Jayhawks are averaging 87.5 points a game while giving up 65.7 points an outing. This skewed a bit because against six cupcake opponents, KU averaged 101.8 points and only 73.2 points against Power Five teams.
Kansas needs to be better when the defense takes away the three, and they need to be abl to stop athletic, quick guards. If they can consistently do those things, and continue to shoot well, they can win conference championship number 14!
Next: All-Time KU Starting Five
This Kansas basketball team is not as good as it will be. If both Preston and De Sousa get cleared to play in the next week or so, they will be back to a full roster with plenty of depth. The Big 12 is extremely tough this season, with five schools ranked in the top 25. If teams want to break the streak, this may be their best bet to do so!