LAWRENCE, Kan. _ Kansas basketball coach Bill Self says he's not planning on speaking with his players about the Big 12 regular season race prior to Saturday's showdown against Baylor.
"No. I don't have to do that. They know," Self said Thursday at a news conference held in advance of an 11 a.m. clash between the No. 3-ranked Jayhawks (23-3, 12-1) and No. 1-ranked Bears (24-1, 13-0) in Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas.
Baylor leads KU by one game in the conference standings with five to play.
"I'm not coaching it like the league race. I'm coaching it like an opportunity to play a terrific team on a big stage away from home. The league race isn't something I'm going to emphasize," Self said. "They (players) may talk about it themselves. We also know this, if you go down two games with four left ... even if we were fortunate enough to run the table I don't see them (Bears) losing twice. We know this is a big game concerning the league. I don't have to talk about that."
The Jayhawks, who last season had their string of 14th consecutive Big 12 regular season titles snapped by co-champs Kansas State and Texas Tech, will play Oklahoma State on Monday night in Allen Fieldhouse, then travel to Kansas State on Feb. 29, play TCU on KU's Senior Night on March 4 and close on March 7 at Texas Tech.
Baylor, which has won 23 straight games since a loss to Washington, will play host to Kansas State on Tuesday, then travel to TCU on Feb. 29, play Texas Tech at home on March 2, then close on March 7 at West Virginia.
"A lot is on the line this game," KU sophomore point guard Devon Dotson said Thursday. "We are going to prepare like it is another game. We can't let emotion get the best of us. We've got to play our game. I feel we are hungry in the locker room and competitive. We want to win."
