Allen Fieldhouse – Lawrence, KS
Tip-off: Saturday, 5:00 p.m. ET
Line: N/A

Texas looks to end its recent struggles with a win on the road over No. 8 Kansas Saturday.

Texas lost 71-64 at West Virginia on Tuesday and the team has now lost three straight games and seven of its past 10. The Longhorns turned the ball over 17 times against the Mountaineers and this team will need to stop making careless mistakes, as they are now on the NCAA tournament bubble after starting the season off very well. No. 8 Kansas, meanwhile, is coming off of a 70-63 loss at Kansas State on Monday and the Jayhawks have now lost two of their past three games. Kansas has also lost three straight games ATS and will need to shoot the ball better against Texas, as the team shot 15.4% from behind the arc in the loss to Kansas State. The Jayhawks and Longhorns met on Jan. 24, when Kansas won 75-62 as a 4-point road underdog. The Jayhawks have dominated this head-to-head series recently, going 8-2 SU but just 5-5 ATS in their past 10 meetings. Texas has only won once SU in its 11 trips to Allen Fieldhouse, so it will really need to dig deep if it’s going to pick up a victory in what is a must-win game for the team. While the Longhorns are just 4-6 SU on the road this season, they are 7-3 ATS in those games. They are, however, 4-6 SU and ATS when coming off of a SU loss. Kansas, meanwhile, is 13-0 SU and 8-4 ATS at home this season. The Jayhawks are also 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS when coming off of a SU loss this season as well. Kansas is not dealing with any injuries in this game, but Texas could be without F Jonathan Holmes (Disciplinary) after his ejection last game.

Can Texas turn things around with a road win over Kansas on Saturday? For the latest college basketball picks, check out The Platinum Sheet for all the StatFox Experts selections every week throughout the entire 2013-14 season. The experts have been heating up since Feb. 6, combining for a 65% ATS mark (46-25) in college basketball Best Bets. StatFox Gary is a strong 60% ATS (29-19) since Dec. 23 to improve to 60% ATS (47-31) for the season. StatFox Brian is a robust 86% ATS (12-2) in Best Bets since Feb. 6 to put him at 59% ATS (45-31-1) this season, while StatFox Zach is on a 59% ATS (23-16) Best Bets run since Jan. 1 and has a 56% ATS mark (43-34) this season. StatFox Scott is a lofty 60% ATS (28-19-1) in Best Bets since Dec. 23, and StatFox Dave is a whopping 69% ATS (9-4) since Feb. 6.

Texas started this season with a 10-1 record, but everything has gone way downhill since then. This Longhorns team was once a near-lock to earn a good seed in the NCAA tournament and now it still needs to win a game or two in order to even make the tournament. Texas is not a great team offensively, averaging 68.7 PPG (150th in NCAA) on 44.1% shooting (143rd in NCAA). Where the team is solid though is on the defensive end, allowing just 60.5 PPG (40th in NCAA) thanks to 7.4 BPG (1st in NCAA). The Longhorns also rebound the ball very well, grabbing 40.3 RPG (4th in NCAA). G Isaiah Taylor (13.4 PPG, 4.4 APG, 3.5 RPG) is one of the most important players for this Texas team. Taylor is as good as any point guard in the nation, but he’s been struggling with his shot (40% FG, 29% 3PT). Taylor is also averaging 4.0 turnovers per game over the past two contests and that is something that must change. Texas needs its leader to take care of the basketball and knock down some timely jumpers against Kansas. He had 23 points and five rebounds the last time these teams played and if he can come through with that type of performance again then his team should have a good shot of pulling off a big upset. With F Jonathan Holmes (10.5 PPG, 6.3 RPG) potentially missing this game for disciplinary reasons, F Myles Turner (11.2 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 2.6 BPG) could see a huge increase in minutes. He was in foul trouble against the Mountaineers and played just 24 minutes, but he had three straight games with 10+ rebounds before meeting West Virginia. Turner is a good shooter and has excellent timing as a shot-blocker. He’ll need to come up big with Holmes likely missing this one. C Cameron Ridley (8.2 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 1.6 BPG) will also need to have a big game in this one. With Holmes out, Ridley will need to be big on the glass and he’s averaging just 3.0 PPG and 6.0 RPG over the past two contests. His dip in production is a big reason this team is struggling to pull out wins. G Demarcus Holland (7.0 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 2.5 APG) had a big game against West Virginia, finishing with 14 points in 29 minutes. He is an outstanding outside shooter (48% 3PT) and could provide a major offensive spark in this one.

Kansas is an extremely well balanced team, averaging 71.8 PPG (68th in NCAA) on 44.7% shooting (107th in NCAA) and allowing just 64.6 PPG (128th in NCAA). This team rebounds well (38.0 RPG, 30th in NCAA) and also knows how to share the ball on offense (14.1 APG, 78th in NCAA). F Perry Ellis (14.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG) is Kansas’ best player and he’s been on a tear lately, averaging 23.5 PPG, 8.0 RPG and 2.0 SPG over the past two contests. The last time Ellis faced Texas, the forward had 14 points, five rebounds and three assists in 33 minutes. The Longhorns could be shorthanded inside with Holmes likely to miss this game, so Ellis will need to go at the basket aggressively on Saturday. F Cliff Alexander (7.1 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 1.3 BPG) could also get a chance to play some extended minutes in this one. Alexander has played just 11 minutes or less in three straight contests, but he was a monster against Texas in their last meeting. In 27 minutes, Alexander finished the game with 15 points, nine rebounds and two assists. This could very well be a good matchup for the tough, first-year player and Bill Self may opt to give him another chance. G Frank Mason III (12.1 PPG, 4.3 APG, 3.6 RPG, 1.4 SPG) was lousy against Kansas State, finishing with just four points (1-for-8 FG, 0-for-2 3PT) in 29 minutes. He had averaged 16.0 PPG in his previous two games and must find his stroke against a very good Texas defense. G Wayne Selden Jr. (9.6 PPG, 3.0 APG, 2.7 RPG) is averaging just 5.3 PPG over the past three games. Selden Jr. is usually a very reliable scorer for this Kansas team, but he has gotten away from his strength of driving to the basket. The Jayhawks need him to attack the rim and not settle for jumpers against Texas or they could end up being upset at home.