The second seat of the Big 12 Tournament’s Championship will be decided when the Kansas Jayhawks take on the Houston Cougars in the 8:30 p.m. CT semifinal on Friday at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on ESPN 2. Kansas, the No. 3 seed, (23-9, 12-6 Big 12), pulled away from No. 6 TCU 78-73 in the quarterfinals on Thursday night; No. 2 Houston (27-5, 14-4 Big 12) punched its semifinal ticket with another competitive, hard-fought 73-66 win over No. 10 BYU earlier in Thursday’s quarterfinal slate. Here is a preview, prediction, and the key storylines to get you ready for tipoff tonight.
Kansas vs. Houston Game Odds
Houston enters the contest as a 5.5-point favorite with an over/under of 136.5 points. The Cougars have four consecutive wins entering Friday’s game, but their last loss came against Kansas 69-56 in Lawrence, roughly 45 minutes from the T-Mobile Center in downtown Kansas City, Missouri.
Key Storyline: Raising the Resume
Both Houston and Kansas could benefit greatly from merely making the Big 12 tournament title game when Selection Sunday rolls around later this week. It’s a defensive battle that’ll offer a great preview of each side’s endurance as they enter the NCAA Tournament field. Kansas hung around long enough, and so did Darryn Peterson, playing 37 minutes against TCU, to stomp out the Horned Frogs when it mattered most. But how does Kansas’ guard play stack up against that of Kingston Flemings and Emanuel Sharp in Round 2?
Match Up to Watch: Can Flory Bidunga Double Down on His Big 12 Defensive POY Status?
Kansas star big man Flory Bidguna will go toe-to-toe with Houston’s Chris Cenac Jr. in a rematch that’ll test his Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year title. Bidunga produced 10 rebounds, three blocks, and a steal against TCU, and all while providing 13 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting. The Cougars need a game plan for Bidunga if they’re going to wear down Kansas in the second half.
Prediction: Houston 72, Kansas 65
This one’s tough because it’s mainly about who gets worn down first. Houston is coming off a strong finish against BYU, and Kansas, despite allowing TCU to swipe the lead away multiple times, also netted four different double-figure scorers in advancing to the semis. Still, it feels like Kansas is missing something defensively, even with Bidunga patrolling the boards. The Jayhawks are their best when they’re absolutely crashing the boards and denying Houston any rhythm in traffic; The Cougars average around 36.5 boards per night. Still, Houston shot the ball considerably better than Kansas yesterday, and I don’t think a hardwood court is going to hurt either side’s field goal percentage.
