Kansas battles Houston in the Big 12 semifinals. Catch tipoff, lineups, and betting odds for this crucial matchup.
How to Watch No. 14 Kansas Men's Basketball vs. Houston in Big 12 Tournament Semifinals: Vitals, Betting Line, Starting Lineups and Injury Report
Date
Friday, March 13, 2026
Tipoff
8:30 p.m. CT
Location
T-Mobile Center — Kansas City, Missouri
TV
ESPN
Announcers
Dan Shulman (play-by-play), Jay Bilas (analyst), Kris Budden (sideline)
Radio
Jayhawk Radio Network — Brian Hanni (play-by-play), Greg Gurley (analyst)
Betting Line
Kansas +5.5
Who?
No. 2 Seed Houston (27-5, 14-4) vs. No. 3 Seed Kansas (23-9, 12-6)
Vitals
Kansas returns to the court Friday night looking to reach the Big 12 Tournament championship game as the Jayhawks face No. 2 seed Houston in the semifinals at the T-Mobile Center.
The Jayhawks (23-9) advanced with a 78-73 win over TCU in Thursday’s quarterfinal round, while Houston (27-5) defeated BYU 73-66 to move into the semifinal matchup.
Friday’s game will mark the second meeting between the teams this season. Kansas won the first matchup 69-56 in Allen Fieldhouse on Feb. 23 behind 23 points from Tre White and 14 from freshman guard Darryn Peterson.
Kansas enters the matchup as one of the nation’s top defensive teams. The Jayhawks lead the Big 12 in field-goal percentage defense (38.7%) and three-point defense (30.2%) while also ranking sixth nationally in blocked shots with 5.8 per game.
Sophomore center Flory Bidunga has been the anchor of that defense. The Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year averages 13.8 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game while leading the conference with 87 total blocks. Bidunga is also shooting 65.1% from the field, the best mark in the Big 12.
Offensively, Kansas is led by freshman guard Darryn Peterson, who averages 20.0 points per game and has scored 20 or more points in 10 games this season. Peterson is coming off a 24-point performance in the win over TCU and has averaged 25.5 points in his last two games.
Senior guard Tre White adds 14.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, while Big 12 Newcomer of the Year Melvin Council Jr. provides playmaking with a team-high 165 assists.
Kansas has historically thrived in the conference tournament, winning 15 league tournament titles and advancing to the semifinals 22 times in the Big 12 era.
A win Friday would send Kansas to the Big 12 Tournament championship game for the 16th time in conference history and the 24th time overall.
Starting Lineups:
Kansas Jayhawks
Darryn Peterson
Melvin Council Jr.
Tre White
Bryson Tiller
Flory Bidunga
Houston Cougars
Kingston Flemings
Milos Uzan
Emanuel Sharp
Joseph Tugler
Chris Cenac
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