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No. 3 seed Arizona (20-11) vs. No. 6 seed Kansas (21-11) | Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals | T-Mobile Center, Kansas City | 8:30 p.m. Thursday | ESPN | 1290-AM

PROBABLE STARTERS

ARIZONA

G Jaden Bradley (6-3 junior)

G Caleb Love (6-4 senior)

F Anthony Dell’Orso (6-6 junior)

F Henri Veesaar (7-0 sophomore)

C Tobe Awaka (6-8 junior)

KANSAS

G Dajuan Harris (6-2 senior)

G Zeke Mayo (6-4 senior)

F Rylan Griffen (6-6 junior)

F KJ Adams (6-7 senior)

C Hunter Dickinson (7-2 senior)

How they match up

How they got here: Arizona went 14-6 in the Big 12 to finish in a third-place tie with BYU but earned the No. 3 seed because they beat second-place Texas Tech and BYU did not. Kansas went 11-9 to finish in sixth place. 

This season: Kansas beat Arizona 83-76 on March 8 at Allen Fieldhouse in the teams’ only matchup. Center Hunter Dickinson led the Jayhawks with 33 points and 10 rebounds while guard Zeke Mayo hit 5 of 7 3-pointers.

Series history: Kansas leads 9-4 in what was one of college basketball’s top rivalries in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Before this season, Kansas and Arizona hadn’t played since the Jayhawks beat the eventual Elite Eight-bound Wildcats 87-79 in the 2010-11 Las Vegas Invitational.

What’s new with the Jayhawks: After diving well below their preseason expectations, the Jayhawks have won four of their past six games, including their Senior Day game against Arizona. But despite crushing UCF by 51 points in early January, Kansas needed overtime to beat the Knights 98-94 in a second-round game Wednesday.

The Jayhawks couldn't stop UCF guard Jordan Ivy-Curry, whose efforts put the game in overtime and nearly cost them. Dickinson had 24 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Jayhawks, after collecting 33 points and 10 rebounds against Arizona. Also having hit one 3-pointer against UA, Dickinson added another three 3 against the Knights.

After going 1 for 10 from 3-point range combined in Kansas’ three games before facing UA, Kansas guard Zeke Mayo hit 5 of 7 from 3 against both UA and UCF. The Jayhawks also received a career-high 19 points on 7-for-11 shooting against UCF from Wisconsin transfer A.J. Storr, who had played only single-digit minutes in KU’s previous four games.

Key players

Kansas – Hunter Dickinson

How do the Wildcats handle the Jayhawks’ skilled 7-2 big man this time after he damaged them inside, from midrange and even hit a 3 on March 8? UA center Tobe Awaka gives up 6 inches and 7-foot power forward Henri Veesaar gives up 30 pounds. There is no easy answer

Arizona – Trey Townsend

Struggling for much of the Big 12 season, and losing his starting role to Veesaar, Townsend also has risen up in bigger matchups: He played well against Kentucky and N.C. State in the NCAA Tournament last season and against Wisconsin, West Virginia (in the Bahamas) and Kansas on March 8.

Sidelines

Back-pocket plan

While officially uncertain whether the Wildcats would be facing Kansas or UCF until late Wednesday night, Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd and his staff were still scheming behind the scenes about what to do with Dickinson if the Jayhawks beat the Knights.

Maybe there won't be much change, but there were thoughts, at least.

“You’re always thinking about that stuff,� Lloyd said before the Jayhawks advanced to face Arizona with a win Wednesday. “You’re a coach — you're always thinking, you're always evaluating what you did and what you could do better, and a lot of times it comes down to doing what you do better.

“Sometimes the easiest way to get better is to get back to your foundation and tighten that up a little bit.�

After Kansas’ game Wednesday, Dickinson said he expected the Wildcats to double team him, since they did late in the Jayhawks’ 83-76 win over UA on March 8.

New identity

After failing to live up to its No. 1 preseason ranking, the Jayhawks may have found a different way to do things.

“I feel like we've come to terms with the fact that we aren't ranked No. 1 in the country anymore,� Dickinson said. “We’re a team that's got to embrace that underdog role, really try to get gritty and grimy out there, try to play with some hard play, with some passion play, play for our coach and really try to get after it.�

Confidence helps, too.

“We definitely feel like we can compete with anybody in the country when we’re playing up to our standards on both ends of the floor,� Mayo said. “It’s not just the offensive end. You’ve got to figure a way to buckle down on the defensive end.�

The mental game

After posting screenshots of vitriolic messages toward him after Kansas lost to Texas Tech on March 1, Mayo went 3 for 6 overall from the field at Houston on March 3 – then hit 5 of 7 3s in each of Kansas’ past two games.

“I definitely put that behind me,� Mayo said. “That was just something to kind of raise awareness of mental health for athletes who might be going through the same thing. After that, I saw a couple of athletes post, as well, so it’s important. But I put that behind me.�

While Mayo and the athletes he spoke of can change their reaction to the postings, Dickinson indicated they can't change the postings themselves.

“It's not gonna get any better,� Dickinson said. “Those type of people, they're not going to go away. Especially if they bet on you, they're going to let you know if you lose.�

Numbers game

7: Arizona wins in eight Pac-12 Tournament games under fourth-year coach Tommy Lloyd.

50: Kansas wins in 64 alltime games in the Big 12 Tournament.

192: Combined points Kansas and UCF scored in their overtime game Wednesday, the most in Big 12 Tournament history.

— Bruce Pascoe