Place Your Bets: Kansas at Oklahoma (Feb. 23)

No. 15 Kansas (22-5, 11-1) at No. 2 Oklahoma (25-2, 11-1)

Mon. Feb. 23 at 9:00 P.M. EST

Spread: Off the board due to Blake Griffin's injury status. He is listed as doubtful.

Backcourt Advantage: Even

Oklahoma's supporting cast got a chance to step out of Blake Griffin's shadow on Saturday night during their 73-68 loss to Texas. Griffin left the game with four minutes to play in the first half after suffering a mild concussion. He scored just two points with three rebounds after playing only 11 minutes in the first half.

Freshman guard Willie Warren (15.4 PPG) has emerged as Oklahoma's leading scorer in the backcourt. Along with senior Austin Johnson (8.7 PPG, 4.4 APG) and junior Tony Crocker (10.2 PPG), the Sooners' offense barely missed a beat in the second half without Griffin on the floor.

Kansas junior Sherron Collins (18.0 PPG, 5.0 APG) is his team's leading scorer on the outside. It will be important for him to not only lead the Jayhawks' transition attack, but also work for inside shots in their halfcourt sets, especially if Griffin is unable to play.

Without Griffin, the Sooners will be tempted to push the tempo, but that would play right into the Jayhawks' style. Oklahoma's guards must be selective in transition. They will probably find points easier to come by in the halfcourt by moving the ball around and creating open looks without trying to force the ball inside.

Frontcourt Advantage: Kansas (without Griffin), or Even (if Griffin plays)

Without Blake Griffin in the lineup, the Sooners will have trouble matching up against the Jayhawks inside. Blake's older brother, senior Taylor Griffin (8.9 PPG, 5.9 RPG), will have to step up along with junior forward Ryan Wright (2.2 PPG, 2.2 RPG), who played a season-high 20 minutes on Saturday.

Kansas sophomore Cole Aldrich (15.0 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 2.5 BPG) will look to exploit the short-handed Sooners inside. He will be the best frontcourt player on the court and the Jayhawks will try to run their halfcourt offense through him.

Momentum: Even

Kansas and Oklahoma are currently tied for first place in the Big 12. By winning their last three games, the Jayhawks have now put themselves in position to take over sole possession of first place with a win.

Despite dropping its first game in conference, Oklahoma is a more confident team after taking Texas to the wire without its star Blake Griffin on the court.

The Sooners undoubtedly missed him, but they showed great toughness and learned that they can still play well without him. That game should prove to be very valuable for this team both in the short-term and especially in the postseason.

Shaun's Pick: Oklahoma