Kansas Basketball can now forget their comeback win on Saturday night. With the conference championship back in their control, all eyes turn to O.U.
It was some weekend for not only the team, but for the fans of Kansas Basketball as well. The Jayhawks came from behind to steal a win behind an even more impressive performance by the raucous fans in Allen Fieldhouse. Hours later that same fan base would watch the Baylor Bears beat Texas Tech to bring Kansas back into a first place tie with the Red Raiders.
On Big Monday the Jayhawks face the free-falling Oklahoma Sooners, who are due for a huge win. Bill Self has never been swept in a conference series, and if that continues this season, they will record their record 14th straight conference championship. With that at stake, it makes each remaining game a must win.
Must-wins are so cliché
I absolutely hate the term must-win. Unless you are playing something with a single elimination, the term is factually false. When it comes to winning the 14th, it is absolutely necessary that Kansas wins each game remaining to obtain that feat.
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This week, the state of Oklahoma can either be really good to Kansas, or really bad. If Kansas beats Oklahoma and the Red Raiders lose in Stillwater on Wednesday, the Jayhawks could actually go to Lubbock this weekend with the conference lead. It is still extremely unbelievable to be typing those words at this moment. The opposite of that scenario could happen has well however.
For the remainder of the season, must-wins will be a common phrase.
Up first…
The last time these two teams met, Bill Self got caught napping and found himself out-coached by Lon Kruger. The tactic of fouling Udoka Azubuike intentionally down the stretch kept the Jayhawks from having an offense for the final three minutes.
Udoka should be the story line of the game, especially after his last performance. It will be interesting to see if the Sooners play Udoka the same, especially near the end of the game. Will Self take him out, or give him a chance to knock down his free throws? Udoka made 7-10 on Saturday.
Trae Young of course will steal the show, as he always does. Despite media suggesting he’s hit a wall, his numbers are still the most impressive we have seen for many years. Young simply has had no help in recent weeks. When Young does get help, the Sooners usually win.
The crowd at Allen should give Young a nice welcome to Lawrence, as Kansas almost snagged him from Norman, Oklahoma. Sarcasm at its finest folks. The Jayhawks lost by five earlier in the season at Norman, due to the glitch in Bill Self’s coaching. Kansas has a perfect opportunity to keep the momentum going from Saturday night. A win against Oklahoma would send a hot Jayhawks team to the state of Texas on Saturday that could determine the championship.
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There is also the chance that Kansas could win at least a share of the championship by the end of the week. If Kansas wins both, and the Red Raiders lose to Oklahoma State as well, Kansas would be up two games with two remaining. Food for thought, and an article for later in the week if Kansas takes care of business at home.