Kansas basketball will face its next Big 12 Conference test Saturday when it faces Houston at home.

Here are a few things to think about before the No. 9 Jayhawks (17-4, 5-3 in Big 12) go up against the No. 4 Cougars (19-2, 6-2 in Big 12):

Bill Self addresses if Kevin McCullar Jr. will play

Kansas graduate senior guard Kevin McCullar Jr. didn’t play in the Jayhawks’ most recent game, a decisive win Tuesday at home against Oklahoma State. But while Kansas coach Bill Self acknowledged Thursday afternoon it was too soon to tell if McCullar would return, he did seem to hint at McCullar playing. That would give the Jayhawks one of their best players for one of their biggest games to date this season, and someone who hadn't missed a game prior to Tuesday yet this season.

“Like I’ve said all along, I’m — it’s a bone bruise,” Self said about McCullar when speaking with reporters. “So, I’m anticipating him being able to go. But I don’t know to the extent or how much it’ll bother him or anything like that. But we’ll know more after (Thursday).”

There are a couple of reasons this game is important

Kansas can add to its already impressive resume with a win in this matchup. As senior center Hunter Dickinson pointed out Thursday when speaking with reporters, the Jayhawks already have wins against now-No. 5 Tennessee, now-No. 8 Kentucky and now-No. 1 UConn. But this game is also critical when it comes to the Big 12 race.

Going into Saturday’s slate of games, Houston is first in the Big 12 standings. Kansas is both within striking distance and capable of slipping too far back. Add in the Jayhawks are looking to protect home court, and losing against the Cougars would put Self’s squad in a difficult position to come back.

“This would be huge for us to remain in contact,” Self said. “If you don’t get this one, you’re almost — you’re still in it, but the distance and the contact and the schedule and things like that, you’d have to really pull a rabbit out of your hat. So, hopefully if we’re able to take care of business Saturday it puts us back in the mix.”

Houston’s defense is just one thing that stands out, but it’s significant

Dickinson, who transferred in over the summer from Michigan, said he’s watched more games of the teams in the Big 12 so he can familiarize himself with them. From watching Houston, he’s picked up on how dynamic the Cougars’ trio of guards — senior L.J. Cryer, redshirt sophomore Emanuel Sharp and senior Jamal Shead — are and how much Houston will test Kansas’ ability to rebound effectively. But like Self, the highest praise seemed to concern the Cougars’ defense.

Self said Houston is as good as any team in the country defensively, and that it’s been that way for more than just this season. He highlighted how the Cougars play connected and are very good when it comes to ball-screen defense. He highlighted how effective they are at stealing the ball and much more.

“Playing at Iowa State, I think, was a good little test for us and a great — not tune-up game — but I guess, like, I don’t know, like it helped us prepare for this game for sure,” said Dickinson, who recently reached 2,000 career points. “They’re obviously a very good defensive team. I think I see that every other day on Twitter, about how great they on defensively.”

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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: KU basketball: Bill Self on Kevin McCullar Jr.'s status before Houston