AUSTIN - A palpable sense of relief emanated from the Texas Longhorns on Saturday after Kerwin Roach's last-second layup clinched a 65-64 victory over Oklahoma State. Roach, Jericho Sims, Jacob Young and Dylan Osetkowski squeezed together behind the postgame dais and readily answered each question lobbed their way, even those citing recent allegations against teammate Eric Davis.

"It's not really a distraction for us," Roach said.

Texas (17-12, 7-9 Big 12) doesn't have time for distractions right now, even as the school conducts an internal investigation into claims Davis received $1,500 from former ASM Sports agent Christian Dawkins.

A trip to Lawrence, Kan., and a Saturday date with West Virginia await a UT team trying to claw its way into the NCAA Tournament field. It's time for tunnel vision.

Next-man-up mentality

The Jayhawks just clinched a share of their 14th consecutive Big 12 title and held off the Longhorns in Austin back on Dec. 29. The Mountaineers throttled UT late last month. Coach Shaka Smart must devise a plan capable of defeating at least one of these teams, and he'll likely have to do so without Davis and Mo Bamba.

The long-limbed freshman tried to play through a sprained left toe against Oklahoma State but clearly was not himself in 15 first-half minutes. Smart elected to hold Bamba out of the second half, leaving the bulk of his minutes to fellow freshman Jericho Sims.

"I think he was surprised (Saturday) that he didn't feel better than he did," Smart said. "But his attitude was really, really good.

"The thing about Mo, when you look at him, he's so physically impressive, so good in front of you guys, so good in front of people. But he's still a young kid who is building confidence and mental toughness. He tried, but you could tell by the look on his face that he didn't have it."

So in all likelihood, no Bamba and no Davis on senior night in Allen Fieldhouse against a 23-6 Kansas team (12-4 Big 12) that has not lost to Texas at home since Jan. 22, 2011. This will be the final home game for senior leaders Devonte' Graham and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, who combined for 43 points and 10 assists the first time out against Texas.

"This is the year everybody thought we were gonna lose it," Graham told reporters Saturday after the Jayhawks clinched another conference title with a win at Texas Tech. "As a team, we've just been battling, staying positive with each other, going through the grind. And now we've made history."

Any chance of UT's upsetting the Jayhawks likely rests on the ability of Young and Sims to step up in the absence of others.

Young on Saturday turned in arguably the most important performance of his career, scoring 12 points and playing stout defense for 28 minutes.

Right man for the job

Sims, the reserved forward from Minnesota, was extremely aggressive in establishing post position and going up and over whatever defender clung to his back. He finished with 11 points, seven rebounds and two blocks and could have enjoyed a bigger outing had he not missed six of nine free throws.

"I always tell Jericho that he's cold," Roach said. "He's the next Blake Griffin, but he doesn't believe me. He stepped up tonight. And he's going to step up in Mo's place and make some noise, so be ready for it."

Often quiet as a mime, Sims doesn't need to start jawing with opponents or unleashing belligerent roars to get KU's attention. His exceptional athleticism and gradual growth as a source of points should do that just fine.

"Like Jacob, it's my job to come in and provide a spark off the bench," Sims said. "This isn't the first time that Mo has been out. So my coaches, my teammates always push me to step up and fill in that gap."

Those teammates will again call on Sims and Young to provide a lift in the absence of Bamba and Davis. If they can't, that brief sense of relief felt after Saturday's win will again turn to one of desperation.