This one was always going to go one of two ways.
Either the Jayhawks would go down to Houston, still licking their wounds from a tough loss to Texas Tech on Saturday, and get blown out the way they did last season.
Or the Jayhawks were going to regroup, respond and play a tough game against the nation’s No. 3 team.
It was the latter that came true, but the Jayhawks still couldn’t hide from a handful of the issues that have plagued them all season in a 65-59 loss.
Twenty turnovers. To just six by Houston. And a 12-rebound edge on the offensive glass, where KU has struggled all season.
The combination of those two shortcomings led to Houston taking 26 more shots than Kansas on Monday night, which proved to be just enough for the cold-shooting Cougars to grind out a few more points than the scrappy Jayhawks.
Hunter Dickinson led KU with 17 points and 12 boards. KJ Adams added 15 points, including a 9-of-10 clip at the free throw line. And Diggy Coit knocked in four 3-pointers on his way to 14 points in nearly 30 minutes.
File this one away as the latest in the category of games in which KU showed flashes of what it could be but struggled to be that with enough consistency to win.
On and on it goes.
Houston now becomes just the third team in Bill Self’s 22 seasons at Kansas to sweep the Jayhawks in the regular season series.
The Cougars (26-4, 18-1) also picked up their 18th Big 12 Conference win, which sets a new record.
Next up, the Jayhawks (19-11 overall, 10-9 Big 12) will head back home for the regular season finale, on Senior Day, against No. 24 Arizona on ESPN. Tipoff is slated for 3:30 p.m.
Here’s a look back at some of the highlights from Monday’s Big Monday battle at Houston.
LIKES
• 2nd half response – Early in the second half, the Cougars built a 7-point lead and the game had the feel of one that could quickly get away from the Jayhawks. It didn’t, though, as Kansas responded to a 34-27 deficit with a 12-2 run that actually gave the Jayhawks a 39-36 lead. KU couldn’t close the deal from there, but they were in it all the way to the end. I know KU fans don’t love hearing that playing a team close is something to celebrate, but this wasn’t just any team. This was a Final Four/national title contender. And, as you know, this is also not your typical Kansas team or season.
• Hunter shows up – The energy the big fella opened the game with was terrific. He attacked with a purpose, followed his own misses, battled for rebounds and had a bounce to him that hasn’t always been there this season. It has, however, been present during the past couple of weeks, criticism and all. Dickinson also made some really, really good passes to teammates for shots, both within the flow of the offense and through patience and poise while being doubled and trapped. Like it or not, the Jayhawks are going to play through Dickinson and they’re going to need him to play big and deliver if they’re going to have any hope of making any kind of run. Dickinson finished the night with 17 points and 12 rebounds, but also 7 turnovers.
• Cryer’s 4th foul – It was a hustle play by both LJ Cryer and Zeke Mayo that probably could’ve just been called KU’s ball after Cryer dove and knocked it out of bounds, but it turned out to be Cryer’s 4th foul, with 11:59 to play, after he was ruled to have dove onto Mayo while the KU guard was trying to save the ball. Cryer, as he usually does, was cookin’ KU throughout this game. So, needless to say, having him on the bench instead of the floor was a big boost for the Jayhawks. More than that, you could see the frustration on Cryer’s face after he picked up that fourth foul.
• Style and pace – Not everyone loves when the refs let guys play, but they sure did in the first half of this one. And that led to a lot of up-and-down action and players on both sides playing through contact, for better or worse. Again, not everyone likes that style, but it allows for players to play and for the officials to largely stay out of it.
DISLIKES
• Passmore over Storr AND Griffen – This isn’t a knock on the freshman or the move by Self to play him. It’s a knock on the two transfers, AJ Storr & Rylan Griffen, for forcing Self to do so. This wasn’t just a buy a few minutes here and there kind of deal. Passmore was out there late in the game in place of both Griffen and Storr while the Jayhawks were very much still in it and trying to find a way to eek out the win. We’ll see if this continues moving forward. If it does, we might look back at this one as the night when Self threw up the white flag and said he’s done trying to give Storr chances. TBD.
• Still trailing at halftime – The Jayhawks played a terrific first half from a toughness and competitiveness perspective and their effort forced Houston into 27% shooting for most of the half and 31% by the break. Sounds good, right? Not entirely. Even with that being the case, the Jayhawks still trailed by 3 at the break and would’ve been down even more if not for a circus-like shot by Zeke Mayo — his first bucket of the game — at the halftime buzzer. You’ll take the grind-it-out effort and defensive intensity. But if it’s going to work so well and limit one of the nation’s top teams to such poor shooting, you’d like to at least have a lead to show for it.
• Offensive glass woes (again) – The difference between getting beat on the offensive boards the way they did tonight and the way they did at Colorado is that this one was expected. It’s a real strength of Houston’s to get on the glass and out-physical their opponents. And the Cougars did that to the Jayhawks plenty in this one, especially in the first half, when they out-rebounded Kansas 23-19 overall, including 11-2 on the offensive boards. For the game, Houston finished with a 37-34 overall rebounding edge, including 17-5 on the offensive boards. That’s not good enough against just about anybody. And it really isn’t going to help you try to upset the nation’s No. 3 team on its home floor.
WHAT THE?
• First-shot defense doesn’t prevail – We could sum this one up in a single sentence. Houston shot 35% on the night and won. What?!?!?!? KU’s first-shot defense was tremendous in this one and the Jayhawks really guarded and grinded. But those offensive rebounds and empty possessions killed them. This one could sting for a while, too. What a lift it would’ve/could’ve been for this reeling team if it could have picked up a massive, late-season road win over one of the nation’s best teams. There’s no telling what could’ve come from that in the days and weeks ahead. Instead, despite the admirable effort, this team will head home with a loss for the 7th time in its last 12 games, dating back to Jan. 25.
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