A Cold Shooting Night Ends Kansas' Regular Season with a 75-59 Loss
With the Big 12 title clinched, it looked as if Kansas was trying to enter the Big 12 Tournament next week having used up all of its misses. That resorted in a 75-59 loss to second-place Texas in the regular-season finale in Austin.
After KJ Adams sunk a floater on the first possession of the game, it got ugly in a hurry. Adams missed the first of what felt like seven or eight at the rim in the first half. Dajuan Harris missed a runner. Meanwhile, Texas was taking advantage of KU’s sloppiness and was attacking the basket. A Marcus Carr and-one made it 9-2 Texas as KU missed its next six shots before Harris finished a drive.
Harris then drained a three to cut the Longhorns’ lead to two, but it wouldn’t get better from there. Kansas started 1-5 from three and 4-18 from the field as Texas seemed to get every loose ball and drew fouls while finishing at the rim. Soon it was 21-12 Texas midway through the half.
Jalen Wilson got going from there. He hit a long two, got to the rim, and then broke an 0-17 stretch from three by burying one to make it 28-21 Texas. UT answered with a 4-0 run but after a dismal first half, Joseph Yesufu redeemed himself and hit a big three in the last five seconds to put Kansas down just eight at halftime.
Kansas shot just 30% from the field in the first half (9-30) and 3-12 from three while turning it over six times. Wilson had 11 and Harris chipped in five, but no other Jayhawk had more than three at halftime. Gradey Dick continued to struggle, missing his only shot from the field.
Texas opened the second half scoring to stretch the lead to 10 and KU’s offense looked as rough as it did in the first half. Texas stretched the lead to 15 just 2:30 minutes into the half as KU missed its first three shots from the field. Zach Clemence made his game debut and scored KU’s first points of the half with 17 minutes left.
Wilson hit a three to cut the Texas lead to 44-34 for his 16th point of the night. But he was getting no help from his teammates. Harris has been aggressive but is just 2-10 from the field with 11 minutes to go in the game. Then Adams gets the layup after a timeout and KU had the lead to single digits.
Adams with a strong take and an and-one on Timmy Allen to bring Kansas within seven with 10:01 left. Texas immediately answered with a Christian Bishop take on McCullar and then McCullar was called for a questionable charge call. As soon as Texas brought it back to 10, Dick hit his first three and first field goal in two games. But Texas kept answering on the other end.
Dick got hot, hitting his second three in a row with 7:30 left but Kansas couldn’t string multiple baskets in a row. Foul calls got Texas’ lead back up to 14 before Wilson buried another three. But it was too much to overcome.
Kansas ended the game shooting just 36% from the field and 32% from three. Wilson had 23 points and 10 rebounds and was the only Jayhawk to score in double figures. Adams finished with nine, McCullar with eight and six, and Harris with five points, five assists, seven assists, and three steals.
Kansas will now head to Kansas City as the top seed in the Big 12 Tournament next week.
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