Jayhawks thwart Longhorns’ comeback
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Texas interim coach Rodney Terry has spent enough time in this league to know 20-time Big 12 champion Kansas is never truly vulnerable.
The Jayhawks slip from time to time, just like every program. But they’re usually back on their feet, dusted off and ready to rumble before another team can capitalize.
One glance up at Allen Fieldhouse’s rafters, lined with championship banners, is a good enough reality check for anyone who needs it. But Terry, a Texas assistant from 2002-11 before returning in 2021, didn’t need to take a peek at all that KU glory dangling overhead to know what awaited at Allen Fieldhouse.
“Kansas is never reeling,” Terry said. “They got a Hall of Fame coach, always prepares his guys to play at a high level. I’ve never not known a time where the Big 12 didn’t go through Kansas. It’s still a really good team.”
No. 9 Kansas made Terry sound prophetic Monday night, leading wire-to-wire in an 88-80 win over No. 5 Texas in front of a sellout crowd of 16,300. The loss cut the Longhorns’ conference lead over No. 11 Iowa State to half a game and served as reminder that the Jayhawks, who’d dropped four of their previous five Big 12 games, aren’t content to float around the middle of the league standings.
“Man, another night in the Big 12,” Terry said. “Give coach (Bill) Self a ton of credit. We knew we were going to get their best game tonight coming off a tough loss to Iowa State, especially from their supporting cast.”
Texas (19-5, 7-4 Big 12) did everything in its power to shut down Kansas leading scorer Jalen Wilson, who’d posted at least 20 points in six straight games heading into ESPN’s “Big Monday” game. That part of the plan, at least, worked just fine.
With sturdy forward Timmy Allen hounding him and timely help from a rotation of teammates, Wilson finished with a season-low two points on 1-for-7 shooting with four fouls in 27 minutes.
Somehow, Kansas (19-4, 8-3) was just fine.
At times it looked like a Jayhawk layup drill inside the Phog. Guards Gradey Dick (21 points), Dajuan Harris (17 points), Kevin McCullar Jr. (16) and Joseph Yesufu (14) went downhill all game, knifing through the lane against soft coverage for easy finishes.
The Jayhawks finished with 50 points in the paint, 40 coming off layups or dunks.
“Give them credit,” Terry said. “They had a mentality where they were gonna attack downhill. They got to the basket and scored. We didn’t play the type of defense that we’ve been playing over the last couple games. But we’ll live another day, man.”
Texas did improve after a turnover-filled start.
Allen (18 points) and guard Marcus Carr (29) scrounged together five late points just before halftime to slice a 12-point lead down to a more manageable seven at the break. And those two helped lead a strong second-half salvo, converting a few steals into the sort of easy fast break points that helps teams dig themselves out of deep holes.
But every time Texas pulled close, Kansas pushed it back.
After a Carr jumper cut the Jayhawks’ lead to two, Dick hit a couple free throws and Harris converted two straight steals into fast break layups with some wizardry off the backboard. And when Texas got its deficit back to four with 8:23 remaining, Kansas charged right back to the rim for consecutive layups to double its cushion.
“It’s about playing hard and playing smart,” Allen said. “That’s something we try to hang our hat on. Thy were getting a lot of layups, really easy shots. And that’s just not Texas basketball, that’s not Texas defense.”
Just like Kansas, Texas has proved adept at picking itself up off the mat. These Longhorns had already pulled off three double-digit comebacks wins this season, including Saturday’s rally against No. 7 Kansas State in Manhattan, and had its eyes on making it a quartet.
Texas got the stop it needed to potentially make that happen. In fact, it got two.
After Harris recovered his own missed jumper and Kansas reset, Yesufu missed a 3. Texas forward Dillon Mitchell slapped the rebound out – to KU forward KJ Adams Jr. The possession ended with Dick drilling a corner 3 to give the Jayhawks a nine-point lead that briefly swelled to 12.
Carr tried willing Texas to victory down the stretch, scoring 14 points over the final four minutes. But the Longhorns couldn’t string together the stops they needed with Kansas shooting 52 percent and hitting 17 of 21 free throws in the second half.
Aftterward, Carr said he wasn’t content with going 1-1 on this hellacious road trip. The good news, if one would call it that, is that a rematch awaits March 4 at the Moody Center. And that regular-season finale will likely have some massive implications for both programs.
“That’s the beauty of the Big 12,” Carr said. “You play everybody twice. So no matter if you win or lose (the first one), there’s always another challenge down the road.”