Since Rick Barnes took over the Texas Longhorn program in 1998, Kansas and Texas have had some epic battles. The two programs have been at or near the top of the conference and many of those matchups have helped to determine the Big 12 regular season or Big 12 conference tournament champion.
Tonight that rivalry is renewed as #11 Texas enters Allen Fieldhouse to take on the undefeated and #2 ranked Kansas Jayhawks. Texas is fresh off a big win over Texas A&M on Wednesday night and both teams currently sit at 3-0 and the only remaining undefeated teams in the conference.
What that means is that Saturday's winner becomes the early leader in the battle for the Big 12 regular season title. It's a chance to renew a rivalry that has some pretty substantial recent history which Rock Chalk Talk took a look back at on Friday.
Kansas competes with Texas on the court, Kansas competes with Texas on the recruiting trail and Kansas vs Texas has turned into a nice little rivalry on the Big 12 basketball landscape since Rick Barnes and Bill Self have been at their respective positions.
All time Kansas sits 17-6 in the series with a 13-5 edge since the start of Big 12 play. With the game in Allen Fieldhouse the Jayhawks certainly have an advantage as they hold an all time 9-0 recod at home in the series. All that aside, in an article by KUSports.com Bill Self explains why he sees this game as one completely independent of the past and why right now Texas is a very dangerous team.
"Texas is very impressive; they played great against a one-loss team. I really like their talent. They're a terrific team. They are playing awfully well together,"
This is the marquee game for Saturday in the Big 12 conference and one that once again has a big circle around it on the calendar for both sides.