How to Watch No. 8 Kansas Men's Basketball vs. Cincinnati, Vitals, Injury Report and Betting Line
Date: Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026
Tipoff: Noon CST
Location: Allen Fieldhouse (Lawrence, Kansas)
TV: CBS
Betting Line: Kansas -9.5 (FanDuel)
Vitals
No. 8 Kansas returns to Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday afternoon looking to keep pace in the Big 12 race when it hosts Cincinnati in a key late-season matchup.
Tipoff is set for 12 p.m. CT on CBS. Ian Eagle and Bill Raftery will have the call. The game can also be heard on the Jayhawk Radio Network with Brian Hanni.
Kansas (20-6, 10-3 Big 12) is coming off a road win at Oklahoma State and has positioned itself in the thick of the conference title chase. The Jayhawks have leaned on freshman guard Darryn Peterson, who leads the team with 20.0 points per game and is shooting 43.1% from 3-point range. Center Flory Bidunga adds 14.5 points and 9.2 rebounds per contest, while Melvin Council Jr. contributes 13.8 points and 5.2 assists.
Cincinnati (14-12, 6-7) enters with momentum of its own after winning three straight conference games over UCF, Kansas State and Utah. The Bearcats have been defined by defense, ranking among the top defensive units nationally, while their offense has been inconsistent.
Forward Baba Miller leads Cincinnati with 13.7 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. Guards Jizzle James and Day Day Thomas, along with center Moustapha Thiam, give the Bearcats a balanced scoring attack, each averaging around 11 points.
The all-time series is tied 5-5, though Kansas has won the last two meetings. Cincinnati has never won inside Allen Fieldhouse.
With a top-two showdown against Houston looming Monday, Kansas will aim to handle business at home first. KenPom projects a 73-61 Jayhawks victory, but Cincinnati’s defense could present a challenge in what shapes up as a physical Big 12 clash.
Quotables:
Q: Talk about Cincinnati’s size and athleticism.
Bill Self: Their defensive efficiency is around 11th nationally. They can guard. They’re long up front and quick in the backcourt. They’re better than their record shows. You’re not going to score easy against them. You’ll have to run good stuff.
Q: You guys are right in the thick of the race. Do you have to remind your guys to focus one game at a time with some big matchups coming up?
Self: Oh yeah. Yeah. The biggest game is the next game. At this point in the season, if you make a mistake, there may not be ample time to recover from it. We don’t have much margin for error, and our guys know that. We’ll talk about the biggest game on our schedule, which is Cincinnati. We’re not going to mention anything past that.
Projected Starting Lineups
Kansas Jayhawks
Flory Bidunga
Tre White
Melvin Council Jr.
Bryson Tiller
Darryn Peterson
Cincinnati Bearcats
Jizzle James
Moustapha Thiam
Baba Miller
Jalen Celestine
Day Day Thomas
Injury Report:
