The Kansas Jayhawks will play their first game of the 2011 Big 12 tournament on Thursday against the Oklahoma State Cowboys. The game tips off at 11:30 a.m. and there are sure to be plenty of Jayhawk fans in the house to cheer on the tournament's No. 1 seed. Here's the full Big 12 tournament bracket.
There's not a whole lot to say about this game other than Kansas is clearly the top team in the conference and, on paper, should have no trouble with Oklahoma State.
The Jayhawks are a 14.5 point favorite which sounds about right. The last time these two teams played Kansas won, 92-65. Marcus and Markieff Morris combined for over 40 points and 12 rebounds while OSU's Marshall Moses had 27 points. Those are the obvious players each team needs to watch out for.
Kansas, though, is so deep that even if the Morris twins struggle, they can still cruise. Guys like Travis Releford and Josh Selby would start on most Big 12 teams but are role players for KU. The Jayhawks bench is one of their biggest assets.
I'm predicting a KU victory here and I don't think it'll be close. The Jayhawks should take advantage of an Oklahoma State that played a rough game against Nebraska 24 hours before.
Check out Rock Chalk Talk and Cowboys Ride For Free for more on the game.