Texas advances to Big 12 title game with COVID-19 forcing Kansas out

With COVID-19 forcing Kansas out of the Big 12 Tournament, Texas automatically lands a spot in the Big 12 Men’s Basketball Tournament Championship game.

Official platforms for Kansas men’s basketball announced a positive test within the University of Kansas program for COVID-19 on Friday morning and that, as a result, the school had withdrawn from the tournament, effectively canceling their previously-scheduled Friday night semifinal tilt with Texas.

“Obviously we are disappointed and our players are disappointed that they can’t continue to compete for the Big 12 Championship,” Kansas head coach Bill Self said in the school’s official press release. “While we have been fortunate to avoid this throughout the season, there are daily risks with this virus that everybody participating is trying to avoid. We have followed the daily testing and additional protocols that have been setup for us, unfortunately we caught a bad break at the wrong time. I look forward to preparing my team in probably a unique way for next week’s NCAA Tournament.”

Texas will now play in the Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championship to be played Saturday against either Baylor or Oklahoma State.