LAWRENCE — There’ll be added motivation for Jamari McDowell on Saturday, when Kansas basketball faces Houston in a Big 12 Conference road matchup.

For one, McDowell is from the Houston, Texas, area. Before college, he played at Manvel High School in Manvel, Texas. So, when his Jayhawks tip off against the Cougars inside the Fertitta Center — he’ll be close to home.

Secondly, McDowell said he never received an offer from Houston to play for the Cougars. While he talked to Houston some, he explained, the interest in him didn’t rise to that and it’s something he’ll always remember. However much he can use that as fuel, the former 247Sports Composite four-star prospect has a lot of people who will be interested in how he plays.

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“Obviously I’m from there, but it’s not — it’s like a 30-minute drive from my house, so yeah a lot of people, a lot of friends, family, they have been contacting me. Like, ‘Hey … tickets?’” said McDowell, who noted he has four at the moment. “I’m like, ‘I don’t know.’ So — but yeah, it’ll be a cool experience.”

But that is not the only storyline that centers on the upcoming matchup between No. 15 Kansas (22-8, 10-7 in Big 12) and No. 1 Houston (27-3, 14-3 in Big 12). Even though the Jayhawks are no longer challenging the Cougars for the Big 12 regular season crown, KU did win the game earlier this season in Lawrence.

Here are a few more things to think about ahead of this intriguing rematch.

Here’s the latest on the availability of Kevin McCullar Jr., Parker Braun

Kansas guard Kevin McCullar Jr. tweaked the injury he’s been dealing with again earlier this week, when the Jayhawks beat Kansas State. Kansas graduate senior forward Parker Braun was limited with his own injury. And Jayhawks coach Bill Self updated their statuses Thursday.

Regarding McCullar, Self said he didn’t know if his graduate senior would practice Thursday and that he hoped for Friday. It may be too soon for Self to decide if they’ll rest McCullar, who's missed five of KU's last 10 games, during the upcoming Big 12 tournament, which is next week. But the Jayhawks coach has thought a lot about doing so.

Self said he thought Braun was doing better. Even if Houston doesn’t have its full compliment of big-men available, 6-10, 235-pound Braun is an important player to have available.

“The way they rebound the ball, any type of height, any type of size, I think would be beneficial — especially since it’ll be a physical game,” Self said. “And even with guys not getting into foul trouble, it’s going to be a game that it’d be hard for (senior center Hunter Dickinson) to play 40 minutes.”

Jamari McDowell speaks to his team’s confidence

McDowell understands it’s late in the season to be saying something like this, but he thinks Kansas’ confidence is getting there. He believes, if something is going to happen, this is the perfect time for it to come together.

Kansas’ win earlier this week against Kansas State wasn’t just a rivalry victory, but a chance to end a two-game losing streak. That was the first time this season the Jayhawks have lost back-to-back games. Now, if they beat the Cougars, they’ll head into the Big 12 tournament on a two-game winning streak.

Kansas has an opportunity against Houston

The future isn’t completely in Kansas’ control in this regard, but the Jayhawks have the opportunity to help themselves with Big 12 and NCAA tournament seeding with a win against Houston. Kansas can also see where it stands before postseason play begins, with a matchup against a national title favorite. So, it’s a chance to further the Jayhawks’ momentum.

Self described the Cougars as a talented, well-coached, athletic and tough team. He said they have unbelievable perimeter play and big guys who can protect the paint and rebound. Houston senior guards Jamal Shead and L.J. Cryer are just two names to know.

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Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Will Kansas' Kevin McCullar Jr., Parker Braun play against Houston?