Freshman forward C.J. Giles (left) and sophomore guard Nick Bahe celebrate a three-point shot made during the game against Kansas State on March 2. Coach Bill Self said in a press conference Tuesday that Giles would probably be starting now if he hadn’t been out six weeks earlier this season because of an ankle injury.

The Kansas men’s basketball team will pack up and board the bus to Kansas City, Mo., this afternoon with the goal of winning the Big 12 Conference Tournament.

But the Jayhawks’ first opponent before cutting down the nets at Kemper Arena will be unknown until late tomorrow night. Kansas will face the winner of the Kansas State versus Texas A&M; game, played at 6 tonight in Kemper Arena.

The Jayhawks have defeated both teams this year during the conference season — K-State twice. Kansas defeated both Texas A&M; 65-60 and K-State 72-65 in Allen Fieldhouse. They also topped the Wildcats 74-65 in Manhattan.

Kansas coach Bill Self said he didn’t prefer to play one team over the other, but he said the two teams played different styles of basketball.

Texas A&M; plays zone and forces teams to make shots to beat them, he said. Teams also really have to be able to handle K-State’s pressure, he said.

“Both will be really good for us to play for preparation, but I think both teams match up and could give us problems,” he said.

Self said he liked the idea of not having a lot of time to prepare for the team’s opponent because it would be good preparation for next week’s NCAA Tournament.

The Aggies could be playing for a NCAA Tournament bid, he said.

“A&M; has a ton to play for,” he said. “I think that two wins in the tourney, especially if one of them is against Kansas, would probably get them in the tournament.”

Because of the in-state rivalry, Self said that K-State also would have plenty of motivation.

If the Jayhawks face the Wildcats at 6 p.m. tomorrow, it would be the third time this season the two teams have faced each other. Kansas has beaten a team three times in one season before. Last year, it beat Missouri twice in the regular season and then again in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament.

The Aggies already have one victory against the Wildcats. They beat them 65-51 in College Station, Texas, on Jan. 22.

But Self said the opponent wasn’t important. Playing well and securing a good NCAA Tournament seed was.

“My whole thing is, we better go play well, and if we play well, that will certainly enhance our chances of being a higher seed,” Self said. “But if we don’t play well this weekend, we could certainly be affected by that, considering that we didn’t finish the season as strong as we would like.”

Kansas basketball notes

Freshman C.J. Giles hasn’t seen much court time since injuring his ankle on Jan. 9 against Kentucky. The ankle injury came at an impromptu time, as it has hurt his ability to play his way back into the line-up. Self said Giles would probably be starting if he hadn’t sat out for six weeks with the stress fracture.

“It’s nobody’s fault he got hurt. It’s not his fault. He has come back and he has done everything we’ve asked him to do,” Self said. “But when you are practicing three times a week for an hour and 45 minutes, it’s not like, ‘OK, C.J., we’re going to spend the next 30 minutes getting C.J. ready.’ That is not how it works.”

Self said Giles needed to get more repetition to be effective in the Jayhawks’ offense.

“We’ve talked about that a thousand times,” Self said. “But he is going to be a really good player. He is just the odd man out right now because of health.”

There is a possibility that three ACC teams—North Carolina, Duke and Wake Forest—could receive No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament.

Though he did not disagree with the possibility, Self said he thought it wasn’t likely.

“You look at it, and all three of those teams have done a lot this year,” he said. “I don’t think that will happen. I don’t know if it should. I don’t know if you finish third in the league, if you should get a No. 1 seed.”

The Jayhawks are likely to be seeded in Oklahoma City, Okla., for the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Two years ago, the Jayhawks visited Oklahoma City as a first-round site and brought along a herd of Jayhawks fans.

Last year, they played the first round in Kansas City, Mo., which gave them a home-court advantage.

Self said he would like the Jayhawks to play the first round in Oklahoma City because it would allow the fans to follow them. But he said it wasn’t as big of a deal as playing in Kansas City, Mo., last year.

“From a fans standpoint and a financial standpoint with families, we would like to play in Oklahoma City,” Self said. “We would welcome that and be excited about that.”

Self replaced sophomore guard J.R. Giddens in the starting lineup on Sunday with senior guard Mike Lee. It is likely, though, that both guards will start tomorrow. In the absence of Keith Langford, Self said it was likely that Giddens and Lee would fill in the starting lineup. Junior guard Jeff Hawkins also could see significant minutes.