Texas @ Kansas preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 18, 2020 ) Kansas 66, Texas 57

Third-ranked Kansas managed to avoid the upset bug that was going around college basketball on Saturday, and hopes to keep the heat on first-place and top-ranked Baylor in the Big 12 when it hosts Texas on Monday night. Nine of the Coaches Poll's top 25 teams fell Saturday - eight to unranked opponents - while the Jayhawks fended off an upset bid by Texas Tech.

Sophomore guard Devon Dotson scored 21 points during the 78-75 triumph, helping Kansas survive another lackluster game by senior center Udoka Azubuike. "We need to regroup tomorrow and we have to get (Azubuike), I don’t know what is going on there, but we have to get him going and hope like heck that we come out and we play with great energy on Monday," coach Bill Self told reporters of his big man, who has a total of 11 points in 44 minutes over the last two games. The Longhorns have climed into the middle of the pack in the Big 12 with consecutive wins over TCU and Iowa State. Three players scored 14 points in Saturday's 72-68 victory against the Cyclones as Texas hit the 70-point mark for just the second time in its eight conference games.

TIME: 9 p.m. ET. TV: ESPN

ABOUT TEXAS (14-7, 4-4 Big 12): Sophomore guard Courtney Ramey was one of the three 14-point scorers in Saturday's win, and all of his came in the second half to help the Longhorns survive. "We've had some close games we weren't able to grab a hold of," coach Shaka Smart told reporters. "Courtney had a phenomenal second half." Ramey averages 10.5 points per game, tied for second on the team behind junior guard Matt Coleman III (12.3) while junior forward Jericho Sims hauls in a team-high eight rebounds per contest and had a career-high 20 points in a 66-57 loss to Kansas at home Jan. 18.

ABOUT KANSAS (18-3, 7-1): Sophomore forward David McCormack picked up some of the slack when Azubuike struggled Saturday, recording six points, six rebounds and three blocks in 19 minutes off the bench in his return from a two-game suspension for his role in the recent brawl with Kansas State. "He gave us great minutes," Dotson told reporters of McCormack. "When he was in he made some key plays that got the crowd into it. He did some really great things out there tonight. I feel like he's a big reason we won this game today." Dotson leads the team in scoring (18.2) after hitting the 20-point mark for the fourth time in Big 12 play, including a 21-point effort in the earlier win at Texas.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Longhorns freshman G Donovan Williams tied his career high with 13 points while making 3-of-5 from 3-point range in Saturday's win.

2. Jayhawks senior G Isaiah Moss averages 8.2 points, but has at least 12 in four of his last seven games.

3. Kansas has won 12 of the last 13 meetings.

PREDICTION: Kansas 72, Texas 61