Kansas to Clash with Colorado in Big 12 Second Round

Thursday, March 5

Kansas City, Mo.

8 p.m. CT

University of Kansas

Colorado

Kansas to Clash with Colorado in Big 12 Second Round

3/5/2026 9:31:00 AM | Women's Basketball

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Kansas Jayhawks will meet the Colorado Buffaloes in the Big 12 Tournament for the first time since 2011 when the teams face off in the second round of the 2026 event on Thursday, March 5, at the T-Mobile Center in downtown Kansas City, Missouri.

Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. CT and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+, with Brenda VanLengen (play-by-play) and Anne O'Neil (analyst) on the call. Fans can also listen on the Jayhawk Radio Network from Learfield, with Steven Davis and David Lawrence calling the action.

Kansas used a historic defensive performance to advance with a 56-35 victory over UCF in the first round of the tournament. In holding the Knights to 35 points, Kansas set a new Big 12 Tournament record for the fewest points allowed in a game. The Jayhawks have now won six of their last eight games over the last month.

An original member of the Big 12 Conference, Kansas is in the Big 12 Tournament for the 29th time. The Jayhawks will now look to win multiple games in the tournament for only the second time, first since advancing to the finals of the 1998 edition. KU is 16-28 all-time in the Big 12 Tournament, including a 1-0 mark in the second round, which was added to the bracket in 2024.

Kansas is 2-2 in the Big 12 Tournament since it was moved to the T-Mobile Center for the 2024 event. The Jayhawks are 3-2 all-time at the T-Mobile Center, where they also claimed an 82-77 victory over Missouri in the Border Showdown on Nov. 15.

Kansas and Colorado are meeting for the 72nd time in a series that dates back to 1979, with Kansas holding a slight 36-35 edge. The two teams met just once from 2011-2025, when CU competed in the PAC-12 Conference. The Buffaloes have won both meetings over KU since returning to the Big 12, including a 69-66 overtime win earlier this season on Feb. 1 in Lawrence.

Kansas finished the regular season by leading the Big 12 in field goal percentage (49.2) and free throw percentage (79.9), while ranking third in three-point percentage (35.1) during conference play. The Jayhawks are on pace to set the school record for free throw shooting for the second time in the past four seasons, and to record the No. 2 field goal percentage in school history.

Jaliya Davis, the 2026 Big 12 Freshman of the Year, recorded her third double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds in her Big 12 Tournament debut. She is now averaging 20.4 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 62.9 percent (161-256) from the field. All three marks lead the Jayhawks, while her field goal percentage in Big 12 play was tops in the conference. Davis set a Power Conference record by ending the regular season with nine consecutive Big 12 Freshman of the Week awards.

Senior forward Lilly Meister and senior guard Elle Evans both scored eight points in KU's first round win over UCF. Meister added seven rebounds and two assists, while Evans knocked down two three-pointers to move up to fifth in school history for a season with 68. Evans is KU's No. 3 scorer this year with 9.2 points per game, followed by Meister with 8.8 points per game.

Junior guard S'Mya Nichols was held to six points in the tournament opener but connected on all four free throws she took. The nation's leader in free throw shooting, Nichols is now 208-246 (84.6%) from the line this year, and she's ranked sixth in Big 12 history with 592 career made free throws.

Up Next
With a win on Thursday, Kansas would advance to face No. 3 seed Baylor in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Women's Basketball Tournament on Friday, March 6, at 8 p.m. CT.