Print and Go Back ESPN.com: College Basketball Rumors [Print without images]

Wednesday, February 20, 2013
 Redemption for Kansas?
By Luke Lapinski

 If Kansas plans on landing its ninth consecutive Big 12 title this year, tonight's game against Oklahoma State is a vital one. A win would solidify the notion that the Jayhawks are back after their early February swoon and vault them into a tie for first with Kansas State -- a club they've already swept this season.

A loss, however, would make things pretty difficult. Not only would they drop a full game behind the Wildcats, they'd also fall a game behind the Cowboys. What's worse, they'd be 0-2 against Travis Ford's squad in such a scenario. In other words, KU has plenty on the line in tonight's showdown in Stillwater. And, as ESPN's Myron Medcalf points out, Bill Self's group also has some extra motivation given what happened the last time the two teams met. Not only did the defeat at the hands of OSU trigger a three-game slide, it ended the Jayhawks' 33-game home winning streak and concluded with Cowboys freshman Marcus Smart doing a backflip at center court that didn't leave the home team all that happy. Just a few more subplots in what should be a good one tonight.

Myron Medcalf
Two of the top rookies on display
"Beyond the conference title implications, the game also features two of America’s best freshmen. Ben McLemore (16.7 PPG) has soared up the NBA draft boards due to a series of phenomenal performances. Smart (15.0 PPG, 5.8 rpg, 4.5 APG, 2.9 SPG) is a candidate for national player of the year honors."