No. 14 Kansas can be seeking to get again on observe Saturday in opposition to rival Kansas State as each groups shut the common season with a heated in-state showdown. The Jayhawks (21-9, 11-6 Large 12) received the primary assembly 86-62 on Jan. 24 again when issues have been going nicely. Now, as KU prepares to host the Wildcats (12-18, 3-14), it’s struggling by means of a late-season tough patch.
Kansas’ first win over Ok-State got here amid an eight-game successful streak that noticed Kansas surge into the top-10 of the AP ballot. However the Jayhawks have dropped 4 of their previous six video games and are prone to slipping off the No. 4 seed line in CBS Sports activities Bracketology with a loss Saturday.
All 4 of the Jayhawks’ losses since mid-January have come by 10+ factors, underscoring the inconsistency of a workforce that’s proficient sufficient to take care of anybody however unpredictable sufficient to additionally take ugly defeats.
Tuesday’s 70-60 loss at Arizona State was the newest head-scratching end result for KU, particularly because it marked the fourth straight contest during which Darryn Peterson logged 30+ minutes. Even with the star freshman enjoying extra persistently than earlier than, the Jayhawks have not been capable of finding a gentle groove. Maybe enjoying a poor Kansas State workforce would be the antidote Kansas must reset the vibes coming into the Large 12 Match.
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Matt Norlander
Kansas vs. Kansas State: Must know
Darryn Peterson drama: Kansas freshman star Darryn Peterson is lastly ending video games after a season-long saga surrounding his availability. The one downside is that his elevated workload is just not translating to good outcomes for Kansas. Peterson has logged 30-plus minutes in 4 straight video games for the primary time all season, however the Jayhawks are simply 1-3 in these video games. The projected No. 1 general choose within the 2026 NBA Draft is taking pictures simply 32.9% from the ground over these 4 video games. If KU goes to contend for the Large 12 Match title and make a deep NCAA Match run, it wants the most effective model of Peterson.
Large 12 Match seeding: A Kansas victory would safe a double-bye in subsequent week’s Large 12 Match. That will imply opening play on Thursday within the quarterfinals with a three-game path to the event title. KU final received the Large 12 Match in 2022. Coming into the weekend, the CBS Sports activities Bracketology mannequin offers the Jayhawks a 13% likelihood of reducing down the nets in Kansas Metropolis. Arizona (35.1%) and Houston (27%) are the 2 groups the mannequin favors.
Kansas State’s nightmare season: Kansas State discovered a short reprieve from its nightmare of a season on Tuesday with a 65-63 win over West Virginia on Senior Night time. That was a pleasant second for the Wildcats, who fired coach Jerome Tang for trigger in February amid a 10-15 (1-11 Large 12) begin. It has been a horrible season for a proud program, however Ok-State does have the Large 12’s second-leading scorer in PJ Haggerty. The Memphis switch averages 23.3 factors per recreation and spends quite a lot of time on the free-throw line. Kansas can have its palms full with Haggerty.
The place to observe Kansas vs. Kansas State stay
Date: Saturday, March 7 | Time: 2 p.m. ET
Location: Allen Fieldhouse — Lawrence, Kansas
TV: CBS | Dwell stream: CBSSports.com, CBS Sports activities App
Streaming on Paramount+ Premium
Kansas vs. Kansas State prediction, choose
Kansas is coming off a brutal swing by means of Arizona that noticed the Jayhawks go 0-2 with losses by a mixed 33 factors. However do not get fooled into pondering the Jayhawks are unhealthy sufficient to be challenged by Kansas State at residence. KU received the primary assembly by 24 on the street and shouldn’t have any downside matching that margin on Senior Day inside Allen Fieldhouse. That is the best “get proper” spot for Kansas coming into the Large 12 Match, and the Jayhawks ought to roll to an authoritative victory. Choose: Kansas -17
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