Can KU remain undefeated at home? Texas looms as the next test for Jayhawks in Allen

Two games out of first place and one out of second in the Big 12 Conference men’s basketball race, Kansas “has no margin for error” in its final three home games of the 2023-24 season, coach Bill Self maintains.

“I think in our situation, holding serve at home Is really important,” Self said at a news conference Thursday held in advance of Saturday’s KU-Texas contest. Tipoff is 5 p.m., at Allen Fieldhouse where the No. 9-ranked Jayhawks (20-6) are 6-0 compared to 2-5 on the road.

Houston leads the pack at 10-3 followed closely by Iowa State (9-4). KU, Baylor and Texas Tech are 8-5. Next it’s BYU and TCU at 7-6, Texas and Oklahoma at 6-7 and Cincinnati and Kansas State at 5-8. UCF, Oklahoma State and West Virginia are 4-9.

The Jayhawks have remaining hone games against Texas, BYU (Tuesday) and K-State (March 5) and road contests against Baylor (March 2) and Houston (March 9).

“I’m not looking at it the way maybe some are looking at it,” Self said, noting he’s sticking with the age-old “one game at a time” mantra.

“We can’t control what other people do. Whatever happens, happens. As long as we take care of our business we’ve got a chance to have a really good year in our league. Whether that means having a chance to play for anything of the highest stakes against Houston, that remains to be seen. We better go 4-0 if we are going to do that.

“The best way to win them all is to win the first one. If you don’t win the first one, it eliminates all those desires. We are just worried about Texas. I’m not worried about anything beyond that,” Self added.

The unranked Longhorns (17-9), who are coming off Monday’s 62-56 home win over Kansas State, are 3-3 in league road outings.

Texas, which hits 7.4 3s per game, averages 75.7 points a game while allowing 67.9 points per outing.

Dylan Disu, a 6-foot-9, 225-pound senior forward from Pflugerville, Texas, averages a team-leading 17.1 points and 5.1 rebounds with 20 blocked shots and 24 steals in 17 games. Disu is capable of scoring inside and out. He’s made 33 of 60 3s for 55%.Overall he’s a 50.2% shooter.

“He makes quite a few of the ones he shoots,” Self said of the 3s. “We’ve got to come up with some way to stay connected and still yet do a good job on ball-screen defense. It’s not the first time we’ve had to deal with that, but certainly Disu … this year he is shooting it probably about as well as any big that I can remember shooting it over a course of a season. He’s a handful.”

Senior Max Abmas, a 6-foot-0 transfer from Oral Roberts, averages 16.9 points and 4.4 rebounds. He’s cashed 73 of 195 3s for 37.4% with 114 assists to 61 turnovers. Tyrese Hunter, a 6-0 junior formerly at Iowa State, averages 11.0 points and 4.3 rebounds with 107 assists to 71 turnovers. A third guard, 6-3 Chendall Weaver formerly of UT Arlington, averages 5.2 points per contest.

“Texas’ guards … they are good,” Self said. “I am a big fan of Tyrese. We tried hard to get him when he left Ames. Abmas to me is one of the best scoring guards we’ll face all year long. The one guy that makes their team (go) as much as anybody is Weaver. He is a high-energy dude. He can make a lot of plays in a lot of different ways that impact games.”

Disu is joined on the frontcourt by 6-8 Dillon Mitchell, who averages 10.5 points and 8.5 boards.

“Texas is a dangerous team,” Self said of the Longhorns, who have won two of their last three games but are 3-4 in their last seven contests. “Their record is not what they thought it’d be at this stage. They are explosive, as athletic a team as we’ll play this year. They’ve got real guys.

“We have to handle pressure, guard the ball and do a good job on a couple of their players, not let them have big nights. They’ve got some guys who can get 25 if you let them get comfortable.”