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Stumble It!The fifth-ranked University of Kansas men's basketball team (30-3, 13-3) will face the No. 6 University of Texas Longhorns (28-5, 13-3) Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. in the championship game of the 2008 Big 12 Tournament.
Kansas and Texas are both in familiar territory as Sunday's showdown will mark the third consecutive championship game that features the two teams. With the previous two championships going in favor of the Jayhawks and this season's only previous meeting resulting in a, 72-69, Longhorn win in Austin, both teams will have revenge on their minds.
To reach the finals, the Jayhawks had to grind out a difficult, 77-71, victory over the Texas A&M University Aggies Saturday afternoon. Brandon Rush had arguably the best game of his career as he shot nine of 13 from the field and put up a career high 28 points to lead the Jayhawks.
On the other side of the bracket, the University of Oklahoma hung tough for one half versus the Longhorns, but unraveled in the second as Texas cruised into the finals, crushing the Sooners 77-49. After going zero for five from behind the arc in the Longhorns win over the Oklahoma State Cowboys on friday, the career 3-point leader for Texas, A.J. Abrams, UT junior, connected on seven of 12 attempts from downtown to score 24 points and lead the Longhorns into the Big 12 finale.
With a semifinal loss in the SEC Tournament by the University of Tennessee on Saturday evening, both Kansas and Texas have a realistic shot at number one seed in the 2008 NCAA tournament. Sunday's game looks to be another classic in one of the Big 12's fastest growing rivalries, with the last three match-ups between the two teams coming down to four points or less.
Tip off is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, MO.
