Place Your Bets: Texas at Kansas (Mar. 7)

Texas (20-9, 9-6) at No. 9 Kansas (24-6, 13-2)

Sat. Mar. 7 at 4:00 p.m. EST

Spread: Kansas -8.0

Backcourt Advantage: Even

This will be a great showdown between A.J. Abrams (16.9 PPG) of Texas and Sherron Collins (18.2 PPG, 4.9 APG) of Kansas. These teams matchup very well and both are in need of the win.

Kansas has already locked up a share of the Big 12 regular season title, but will need to beat Texas for sole possession of first place, a remarkable feat for a team that was supposed to be in rebuilding mode this season.

Texas, on the other hand, was a preseason favorite to win the Big 12, but their season has been a disappointment. They are hoping to put it all together to make a run in the Big 12 tournament and earn a better seed in the big dance. They are currently tied for fourth in the Big 12 with Oklahoma State, but are in danger of falling as low as seventh with a loss.

Frontcourt Advantage: Kansas

Sophomore Center Cole Aldrich (14.9 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 2.5 BPG) will have his hands full inside against Dexter Pittman (9.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG). Pittman has been improving all season and should be able to slow down Aldrich, who has been dominant this year for the Jayhawks, but Aldrich should still be able to make a bigger impact with his defense.

Look for the Jayhawks to do most of their scoring from the outside, while Aldrich will force the Longhorns away from the basket on the defensive end.

Momentum: Even

The Longhorns are 0-8 all-time in Allen Fieldhouse and could have a hard time pulling off an upset against a team that's coming off its worst loss of the season, an 84-65 debacle against Texas Tech.

The Jayhawks were sloppy, and Coach Bill Self will use it as a reminder that they must continue to play hard no matter who their opponent is, a crucial lesson for the young Jayhawks as they head into the Big 12 and NCAA tournaments.

Perhaps the Jayhawks, who were unranked earlier in the season, let their highest ranking of the season get to their heads.

Kansas should keep their 19-game conference home winning streak going, but Texas should be able to stay close. I'll take the points in this one.

Shaun's Pick: Texas +8.0