Darryn Peterson and the 3-seed Kansas Jayhawks are matched up with the 6-seed TCU Horned Frogs in the quarterfinal round (8:30 p.m. CT) of the Big 12 men’s basketball tournament on Thursday in Kansas City, Missouri, on ESPN 2. The Horned Frogs (22-10, 11-7 Big 12) got around 14-seed Oklahoma State to reach the opposite end of the Jayhawks’ (22-9, 12-6 Big 12) double-bye on Thursday. Kansas enters the contest coming off a 104-85 win over in-state rival Kansas State, and closing the regular season 1-3 with consecutive losses at Arizona and Arizona State to begin March. Here is a prediction, preview and key storylines to get you ready for tipoff tonight.
TCU vs. Kansas Game Odds
Kansas opened as a 5-point favorite with an over/under of 141.5 points. As we get within an hour to go until tip off, the line actually shifted away from Kansas, who is now a 4.5-point favorite in some books, with many holding at 5, while the over/under has moved up dramatically to 146.0 total points.
Key Storyline: Strength vs. Momentum
While Bill Self and Kansas bring the talent, TCU is playing at a high level behind frontcourt leader David Punch (14.0 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 2.1 apg); Punch dropped 26 points for the Horned Frogs against Oklahoma State on Wednesday. Peterson and Kansas are seemingly back at full strength, but struggled to finish the season on some of the new year’s previous highs. Last time around, Peterson produced a KU career-high 32 points and 44.4% from the floor.
Match Up to Watch: Who Has Flory?
While Kansas brings a full complement of capable shooters, TCU will be hard-pressed with Flory Bidunga in the paint. Punch and Xavier Edmonds will need to slow down the 6-foot-10, 235-pound sophomore if they want to advance; Bidunga was just 1 of 5 against Arizona and 6 of 14 against Arizona State – two Kansas losses decided by double figures. Take out the big man, and they’ll be forced to beat you beyond the arc, where the Jayhawks are just 35.4% overall.
Prediction: Kansas 76, TCU 71
Anymore, the question becomes “how helpful is the league tournament?” Yes, there are past years where an early exit might’ve helped a Bill Self team prep for the national tournament, but, frankly, this Kansas team is still in the business of proving they belong in the upper echelons of the tourney field. Thursday’s game is an excellent opportunity to get back on track, and you’ll have a local Kansas-friendly crowd in the building to help with the task at hand. TCU is slated as a 9-seed vs. No. 8 Miami in the latest Bracketology projection, and has every reason to bring their A-game to the league tournament this week.
