Kansas Defense Struggles From Three: 5 Takeaways From Loss to Texas Tech

Final Score: Texas Tech 78, Kansas 73

5. That was a top ten Texas Tech team on the other side.

There’s a reason the Red Raiders came into this as one of the top ten teams in America, and it comes down to one thing - the threes. But more on that in a moment.

Texas Tech had lost two of its previous three in a strangely inconsistent run, but it wasn’t fazed by Phog, it had an answer every time Kansas was got the momentum, and it won in Lawrence for just the second time ever.

4. Texas Tech kept firing away from three

Kansas owned the points on the inside, and it did a good job overall from the field hitting 50% until the final seconds. But it couldn’t match the Red Raiders from three, it chased points a bit too often by cranking it up from the outside, and it didn’t work.

Texas Tech was on from three early, was clutch late, and it didn’t pretend to do much else with 43 going up from the outside and hitting 15.

The Red Raiders are now 15-2 when making ten or more threes, and Kansas - with the second-best three-point defense in the Big 12 - couldn’t stop everything.

3. Kansas couldn’t do anything from three

It was fitting that Zeke Mayo’s shot from three that didn’t matter a few seconds after the final horn went in. That was about all that worked from the outside.

The Jayhawks couldn’t take advantage of a bad Texas Tech D from three. They don’t live from the outside, but against an opponent there's a problem going 4-for-18.

OH MY OOP 🤩#PayHeed x @kj_atx pic.twitter.com/mNIzoFKSqW
— Kansas Men’s Basketball (@KUHoops) March 1, 2025

2. Texas Tech played a better, smarter game

Texas Tech kept its cool in key spots and found its confidence when needed. Healthy, the team showed what it could do when everyone was in place.

The Red Raiders were great on the free throw line, came up with 17 assists, turned it over just eight times, and they didn’t buckle.

Kansas just couldn’t buy - or force - a big break, and now …

1. Uh-oh … Kansas has a ROUGH final two games

Again, it was a tough loss against an elite team. Kansas should always win, and it should always win at home, but dropping this against Texas Tech - as opposed to getting housed at BYU - was forgivable.

Kansas is in the NCAA Tournament. All that matters is what the team is able to do starting in the middle of March, but it’s sputtering and struggling along.

After two wins over Oklahoma State and Colorado, getting right at home was a must, it didn’t happen, and now …

At Houston, Arizona. That’s the finishing kick of the regular season.

It’s a chance to come up with something special going when it matters most - Kansas has the team to do it - but if it drops the last two and goes into the Big 12 Tournament on a 2-4 run …

Just stop the three - Kansas is 12-0 when keeping teams to under 30% from outside - and all will be okay.