Thirteen-plus hours in a car, random snow flurries, a trip to an airport 2347132 miles outside the city, and a 30-minute adventure to the most ghetto McDonald’s ever resulted in a 3 A.M. hotel check-in. That means I’m going straight to bed in order to be ready for the 11 A.M. tip instead of taking the time to write you a comprehensive look at the Jayhaws.

Suffice it to say that they are good. All five starters are excellent, and they have McD’s All-Americans coming in off the freakin bench. (For those unfamiliar with Kansas’ all-star lineup, that would be Darrell “Slim Shady” Arthur and Sherron Collins.) Their big men are going to give us fits, so we need another big game from Damion James, and we need Connor Atchley to bring back the improved play we saw flashes of earlier this season.

Texas is playing for a second-straight co-championship, while Kansas is hoping to win the league outright after having their own consecutive pair of shared titles. It’s not going to be easy, considering Texas A&M is the only Big 12 South team to ever win in Allen Fieldhouse. But this Texas team is hotter than its been all season, and another victory over a top ten team in just four days can cement the Horns as a legitimate threat for a deep tournament run. Don’t hold your breath for the upset, but also don’t be surprised when Texas shows that they can hang with a supremely talented ballclub.

For much more detail, please check out the excellent game preview that the folks at Burnt Orange Nation put together. It will get you much better prepared for the big match-up than my sleep-deprived, gloss-over attempt ever could.