Kansas center Hunter Dickinson (1) brings his teammates in for a quick huddle as the Jayhawks prepare to shoot free throws with just seconds remaining during overtime on Wednesday, March 12, 2025 at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. Photo by Nick Krug

Kansas City, Mo. — For the second time in under a week, the Kansas Jayhawks will face the Arizona Wildcats.

The Jayhawks’ 98-94 overtime win over UCF in the second round of the Big 12 tournament on Wednesday brought them a date with the No. 3 seed Wildcats, whom the Jayhawks beat 83-76 in the regular-season finale at Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday.

This time, the Wildcats will have had four days of rest. The Jayhawks will be coming off an overtime game in which four players played 36 or more minutes, including a team-high 40 for KJ Adams. That, however, isn’t a challenge, according to guard David Coit.

“(There is) no challenge,” Coit said. “This is what you live for.”

Fresh legs or not, the Jayhawks are looking forward to the opportunity on Thursday. It’s a chance to beat a good team who is looking to get revenge after the loss, which was Arizona’s last game.

“It’ll be a challenge because they’re very familiar with you,” center Hunter Dickinson said. “It’ll be a good chess match. They’re a little fresher than us, but I’d argue we’re a little more comfortable and have some confidence.”

Dickinson said the team’s extra game against UCF can be somewhat of an advantage, given the offensive success a few Jayhawks had in the game. They’ll have a good rhythm and momentum, especially offensively, after having played a 48-minute game.

“I think (an extra game) can be great for guys like AJ (Storr), guys like Zeke (Mayo) who had really good games and saw the ball go through the hoop,” Dickinson said. “Hopefully they’ll be able to carry that confidence going into tomorrow.”

Storr finished the game with 19 points, which is a season high. Storr hadn’t finished a game scoring in double digits since TCU on Jan. 22, and Wednesday was only the seventh time this season he finished in double digits.

Dickinson himself was able to gain some confidence after a tough first half. He started 1-for-5 from the field but finished with 23 points after shooting 8-for-13 in the second half and overtime. He hit three 3s for the first time since a game against UConn in December 2023.

Defense will be where the biggest challenges arise. The Jayhawks went from having to guard the conference’s leading scorer Keyshawn Hall on Wednesday to a first-team all-conference guard in Caleb Love on Thursday. Coit said the Jayhawks will rise to the challenge as Love and the Wildcats enter the game with rest and a chip on their shoulder from the loss last week.

“He’s a high-level guard, a high-level talent who has been around college basketball,” Coit said. “We’ve got to do what we do against any guy who is good. We’ve got to come ready to play. We’ve got to know our scout, know his tendencies and play hard as hell.”

Sleep and fluids were the common answer among Jayhawks for how to prepare for a game less than 24 hours after one. Senior guard Dajuan Harris Jr. said the team will focus on themselves ahead of the Arizona game, and coach Bill Self said the team will prioritize rest tomorrow. Self said the team will probably “just walk over stuff in the ballroom” rather than have a shootaround.

“But certainly it’ll be a man’s game tomorrow,” Self said. “We need to show some character and toughness to be able to bounce back after four guys played 35-plus minutes.”

“It’ll be tough, but it’s college basketball — we get paid to do this now,” Dickinson said. “It’s our job, so we have to be prepared to do it.”