Kansas closes out another incredible campaign at Allen Fieldhouse when they host oklahoma in the second half of Big Monday. In completely reverse fortune, the Sooners have to close out the remainder of the season without their superstar. The Jayhawks are looking for their seventh straight victory as they prepare for the NCAA Tournament. Kansas won the earlier meeting this season, 81-70, on January 10th.
Tipoff is set for 9:00 PM Eastern time and it can be seen on ESPN, online at ESPN.com/watch, and on the WatchESPN and ESPN Mobile apps (subscription required).
Oklahoma (10-18, 4-12 Big 12)
As disastrous of a season it's been for the Sooners, things have actually been looking up despite superstar Jordan Woodard getting an injury that ended his career. Since losing him, they've defeated their big rivals, Texas, only lost by four to Oklahoma State, only lost by six to Baylor, and completely walloped Kansas State by 30 points. There's been no quit in this team, and we'll see if that continues in their final few weeks.
One player that shined in the spotlight was junior forward Khadeem Lattin (8 ppg, 6 rpg), who recorded a double-double of 17 points and 10 boards. Sophomore guard Rashard Odomes (10.7 ppg, 4.4 rpg) also had 16 points on an efficient 7-of-9 shooting from the field.
No. 3 Kansas (26-3, 14-2 Big 12)
It was nearly a perfect season at "The Phog," but that was foiled by Iowa State earlier in February. To put it in perspective of how hard it is to win there, the Cyclones are the only team that has beat head coach Bill Self twice in Kansas. Considering OU comes in eight games under .500, and without Woodard, this will be a tall task.
For Kansas, it's all about trying to find some depth in these games before the big dance.
The Jayhawks have skated by with a victory in many games. While they have the clutch gene, they may not have had to cling to so many wins if they had more depth. One player that could get more looks is Dwight Coleby (1.8 ppg), who broke out with 12 points in 13 minutes of action in the win over Texas.
Kansas is favored by 14 points and is 16-11-1 overall against the spread this season.
