Tennessee @ Kansas preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 23, 2018 ) Tennessee 81, Kansas 87

Most coaches subscribe to some form of a 24-hour rule when it comes to their team celebrating wins or compartmentalizing losses, but Kansas is unlikely to forget how its last game ended anytime soon. Perhaps somewhat fortuitously after an ugly melee in the final moments of Tuesday's victory against Kansas State, the third-ranked Jayhawks step out of conference play Saturday when they host Tennessee as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge.

Kansas was attempting to run out the clock of its eventual 81-60 win against the Wildcats when Silvio De Sousa reacted to a strip near mid-court by Kansas State's DaJuan Gordon by blocking his shot and standing over him after Gordon fell to the floor, inciting a brawl that resulted in punches being thrown from both sides and a total of four players getting suspended. "I am disappointed and embarrassed by what transpired because there is no place for that type of behavior in any competition," Jayhawks coach Bill Self said in a statement Wednesday. While Kansas was picking up its third straight victory in a game that captured national attention Tuesday, the Volunteers also won their third in a row with much less fanfare following a 73-48 rout of Ole Miss. This contest will feature two of the country's top 15 scoring defenses, as Tennessee is holding opponents to an SEC-low 59 points per game (seventh in Division I) while Kansas ranks second in the Big 12 at 60.6 (15th).

TIME: 4 p.m. ET. TV: ESPN

ABOUT TENNESSEE (12-6): John Fulkerson (11.5 points, 5.7 rebounds) erupted for 16 first-half points en route to a career-high 18-point effort and tied another personal best with 10 boards to post his third career double-double Tuesday. “I was just a little hungry (before the game), so I had a little bowl of Lucky Charms. … That’s the first time I’d ever done that. … I think I might be onto something. Next game, I will eat the Lucky Charms, and we’ll see if I have the same outcome," Fulkerson said. Junior swingman Yves Pons (10.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, SEC-best 2.7 blocks) rejected three shots to extend his streak of recording at least one block to 18 games - matching the longest run by a Tennessee player since C.J. Black in 1998.

ABOUT KANSAS (15-3): The Big 12 handed down a 12-game suspension for De Sousa and a two-game ban for fellow sophomore reserve forward David McCormack, leaving the Jayhawks little size behind 7-0 center Udoka Azubuike (12.9 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.4 blocks), who posted his seventh double-double this season with 10 points and 14 boards Tuesday. Freshman Christian Braun (4.6 points) was the story of the game for Kansas prior to the ugly ending, setting career highs with six 3-pointers and 20 points. Devon Dotson (Big 12-best 18.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.3 steals) continued to show no ill effects from the hip pointer injury that caused him to miss a game last week, tallying 18 points, five boards, three assists and three steals versus the Wildcats.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Azubuike is one of three Division I players averaging a double-double (12.7 points, 11.0 rebounds) and at least three blocks (3.5) in conference games - and the only one from a major conference.

2. Tuesday's victory was Rick Barnes' 100th coaching win at Tennessee.

3. Saturday will mark the 300th consecutive sellout in Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks are 284-15 at home during the streak.

PREDICTION: Kansas 66, Tennessee 57