No. 8 Kansas (19-4; 8-1) was on the verge of taking a giant step towards capturing another Big 12 regular-season championship at Texas on Monday night. The Jayhawks, up by four points late in the game, suffered a last-second defeat to the Longhorns, 79-76 in Austin.

For Kansas, a win against Texas would have, without question, put Bill Self’s squad in the driver’s seat in the race for the regular-season championship. Still, with eight regular-season games remaining on the schedule, Kansas finds itself atop the Big 12 standings with postseason play approaching.

Looking to win its 20th win for a 33rd consecutive season, Kansas returns home to face Oklahoma (14-10; 4-7) on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. CT on CBS. During the game, Kansas will honor the 50-year reunion of the 1971 Final Four Team. Former coach Ted Owens, along with six players and other staff, will be in attendance to participate in the weekend festivities.

This weekend, no doubt, begins a key stretch for Kansas in its quest to not only capture the Big 12 regular-season championship but also position itself for a deep run throughout the month of March.

In all, Kansas plays host to Oklahoma on Saturday, Oklahoma State on Monday, travels to West Virginia on February 19 and then returns home to face Kansas State on February 22.

Looking to string some wins together in the coming weeks, the first step in the process begins at home against Oklahoma on Saturday.

The series between Kansas and Oklahoma dates back to 1920 when both schools were members of the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association and Kansas leads, 153-69. KU has won 11 of the last 14 meetings and, since 2006, the Jayhawks have won 24 of the last 29 matchups against the Sooners. Kansas is 78-16 against Oklahoma in Lawrence meetings and 51-7 in Allen Fieldhouse.

When Kansas and Oklahoma first met on January 18, the Jayhawks emerged victorious over the Sooners, 67-64. Jalen Wilson led the way with 16 points and eight rebounds, while Christian Braun added 15 points and Ochai Agbaji chipped in 10 points.

Tied at 62-62 late in the game, Braun drilled a three for Kansas with 13 seconds left in the game, which turned out to be the game-winner for Self’s squad. With seven seconds left on the clock, Jordan Goldwire was fouled and hit both free-throws, but on the following trip down the court and with time running off the clock, Braun was fouled with five seconds left in the game.

Braun converted both makes and a three-point attempt by Oklahoma as the final buzzer sounded came up short.

Kansas, since defeating Oklahoma, has a record of 4-2, while the Sooners, during that same stretch, are 2-4.

Despite its struggles recently, Oklahoma got the signature when it was looking for in defeating No. 9 Texas Tech, 70-55 on Wednesday night.

“I watched it,” said Kansas head coach Bill Self on Friday afternoon. “They played really well. It was a close game then they distanced themselves big time the last five minutes. They played really well and they attacked (Texas) Tech beautifully.

“They did a great job of skipping the ball and doing some things that took advantage of the way Tech loads up one side,” he added. “They really did nice job.”

A big key for Oklahoma on Wednesday night was the overall performance of Umoja Gibson, the 6-foot-1, 169-pound guard from Waco, Texas. Gibson, in 36 minutes of action, scored 30 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field, including 8-of-11 from behind the arc, and 4-of-5 from the free-throw line.

Self, on Friday afternoon, was asked about the performance of Umoja Gibson on Wednesday night.

“I’ve only seen him when we’ve played him, but he’s definitely better,” said Self. “I thought he was a specialist when we first tried to guard him and I don’t see him specialist now. I see him being more a complete player so to speak. He’s driving the ball better and certainly; he doesn’t need any time to get it off and he can play off his shot fake as well as anybody. He’s a dangerous shooter.”

The first time Kansas and Oklahoma met in Norman; Self had full access to his roster. However, that simply won’t be the case this time around. Remy Martin is still out of action with a bruised knee and, earlier today, Self indicated that Zach Clemence returned to practice, full speed on Thursday, but didn’t state whether he’d play or not against the Sooners.

Self also provided the latest update on David McCormack, the 6-foot-10, 250-pound forward from Norfolk, Va.

“Dave has done well,” said Self. “I think he’s done ok. I think Dave has done well and he’s not quite at 100 percent, but he’s not gonna let that stop him from playing. I think Dave has done well. He took a pretty hard fall against Texas on his knee. But he’s has responded well to that and everything. I anticipate him being one hundred percent.

“I do think Dave has played better the last several games,” he added. “Going back to post Kentucky, I would say he’s been a good player for us and one in which we needed him to be able to have a chance to win. I thought Dave was one of our better performers in Austin.”

Up Next

Kansas concludes its two-game homestand when it hosts Oklahoma State on ESPN Big Monday, Feb. 14, at 8 p.m. CT. Kansas will be wearing retro uniforms celebrating the 100-year anniversary of the 1922 Helms Foundation National Championship.