LAWRENCE — Kansas basketball will be a part of another top-10 game Saturday inside Allen Fieldhouse, when the No. 3 Jayhawks face the No. 9 Oklahoma Sooners in a Big 12 Conference matchup.

Here are a few things to think about before Kansas (13-2, 1-1 in Big 12) tips off against Oklahoma (13-2, 1-1 in Big 12):

Johnny Furphy will start in Elmarko Jackson’s place

Kansas freshman guard Johnny Furphy hasn’t started since the team’s Maui Invitational opener in November against Chaminade, but that drought will end Saturday against Oklahoma. Jayhawks coach Bill Self said Friday that Furphy is going to start. Furphy will take the place of freshman guard Elmarko Jackson, who has started all 15 games Kansas has played so far this season.

Self explained that Furphy has been playing more consistent as of late, and that it could be good for Jackson to come off the bench and see what’s going on during the game before Jackson enters. From Self’s perspective, it’s about trying something different. Self still wants Jackson to bring the energy, aggressiveness and athleticism that he would look for from Jackson in a starting role.

Hunter Dickinson shares his perspective on his knee issue

Self had said after the UCF loss earlier this week that senior center Hunter Dickinson was dealing with a knee issue. Both Self and Dickinson said Friday that it originated during the TCU win that came the game before that. Dickinson said he bumped knees with another player and that it’s been pretty sore since. However, both he and Self downplayed how much it will affect him moving forward.

“It does hurt a lot, I’m not going to lie, but I feel like I’m pretty resilient,” said Dickinson, who added he was 100% in practice Friday. “I’m definitely going to play through it. I think what limited me the most (against UCF) is probably the fouls. I’ve just got to be smarter out there, especially when I get one, to make sure I don’t get that second one because I can’t put my team in that position.”

Hunter Dickinson defends Dajuan Harris Jr.

There’s more responsibility on redshirt senior guard Dajuan Harris Jr. to initiate offense this season, compared to the past. And that means there’s been more scrutiny on Harris this season when he hasn’t been scoring or has been turning the ball over more frequently. But Dickinson defended Harris on Friday.

Dickinson said there’s a lot of pressure on Harris, and that sometimes it’s unfair because people are expecting things from Harris that aren’t what make Harris so talented. Dickinson explained Harris is great because he facilities for teammates and tries to make teammates better. Dickinson noted Harris has shown he can score.

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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: Kansas basketball coach Bill Self says Johnny Furphy will start vs. OU