The build up to Saturday's game between Kentucky and Kansas will be all about history. And why not? When talking about the most storied programs in college basketball, the conversation starts with Kentucky and Kansas.
Kentucky has won the most games of any college basketball program (2,343), while Kansas is second (2,340). Kentucky has won eight championships, which is second all-time. Kansas has claimed three titles, which is tied for seventh. Kentucky has been to 17 Final Fours, which is third all-time, while Kansas has appeared in 15 Final Fours, fifth in the history of the game.
There's also synergy between the programs. Legendary UK coach Adolph Rupp played at Kansas under "Phog" Allen, the namesake of KU's Allen Fieldhouse. Among the assistant coaches that Rupp played for at Kansas was James Naismith, the inventor of basketball.
Current UK head coach John Calipari also spent some time in Lawrence. Calipari was an assistant for the Jayhawks under Ted Owens and Larry Brown from 1982-85.
And speaking of Calipari, he would be happy to tell you what all of this history means for Saturday's game – exactly nothing. This game is strictly about the 2022 Cats and Jayhawks.
Kansas is 17-2 on the season and ranked fifth in the country. Senior Ochai Agbaji leads the Jayhawks in scoring at 21.3 points per game. Agbaji has been the Big 12 Player of the Week on three occasions this season, including the last two weeks.
The Jayhawks are riding a five-game winning streak heading into Saturday's contest. Bill Self's team has not lost since falling to Texas Tech in Lubbock on Jan. 8.
Kentucky is coming off an 82-74 overtime win over Mississippi State on Tuesday. The Cats are facing a top-five opponent for the second straight Saturday. UK lost at Auburn 80-71 one week ago. Kentucky hopes to have freshman guard TyTy Washington Jr. back for Saturday's contest. Washington was injured in the first half at Auburn last Saturday and missed Tuesday's game against Mississippi State. Calipari noted that Washington is not the only Cat currently ailing.
"He didn't practice yesterday," Calipari said. "Daimion (Collins) didn't practice yesterday. Jacob (Toppin) didn't practice yesterday. Orlando (Antigua) wasn't at practice yesterday. So, we were down to two and the rent was due."
Whether Washington, Collins and/or Toppin play on Saturday or not, Calipari knows that the game will come down to which team executes better.
"We have to do our stuff better than they do their stuff, because it's really similar," Calipari said. "They take 20 threes a game. They shoot them at a high percentage, especially a couple of the guys that they know to get them off. They do a great job. Bill's always done a great job of creating post areas for people to score so that they get easy baskets. They play really fast. They're running dribble drive. This is the ultimate challenge going to Allen Fieldhouse. They're a top-five team."
Saturday's game will be the latest game in the series between the two. The programs have met 33 times, with Kentucky holding a 23-10 edge. The teams have split eight games during the Calipari tenure at UK. Most recently, Kentucky lost to Kansas 65-62 in the Champions Classic last season.
But Saturday's game is not about history. It's about a pair of teams challenging themselves as the postseason inches closer.
