In a finish that was the definition of everything that could go wrong did for Kansas, the 12th-ranked Jayhawks fell to No. 7 Houston, 92-86 in double-overtime on Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse.
The Jayhawks had chances to win at both the end of regulation and the first overtime. Those probability charts probably even had KU in the upper-90s at one point or another.
• PHOTO GALLERY from DOUBLE-OT LOSS TO NO. 7 HOUSTON
• HOW KANSAS COLLAPSED VS. HOUSTON
But in the end, the Jayhawks misfired too many times and Houston never laid down, gutting out a big time road win at one of the toughest places to play in all of college basketball.
For a while, Allen Fieldhouse certainly felt like that. The Jayhawks led for more than 31 minutes of the 50-minute game, and led by 7 at halftime and by as many as 9 in the second half. But Houston never blinked and just kept firing.
The loss, which was just the second double-OT loss by Kansas in the history of Allen Fieldhouse (the other came in 1958), wasted a big time shooting day by KU guard Ryaln Griffen, who appeared to win Kansas the game with his red-hot shooting hand in the second half. Griffen hit 5-of-6 from 3-point range and finished with 17 points and 7 rebounds in 31:23 of action.
Next up, KU (14-5 overall, 5-3 Big 12) will take on UCF for the second time this season, welcoming the Knights to Allen Fieldhouse on Tuesday night.
Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
Here’s a look back at some of Saturday’s action against the Cougars.
LIKES
• Pace & purpose early – This was a huge game for Kansas in terms of the conference race, and they played like it. Especially early. The Jayhawks were in attack mode from the jump. And not just one or two of them. All of them. Hunter Dickinson took good looks with purpose and knocked them down while getting on the glass, too. Zeke Mayo was so crafty and determined in everything he did. And the Jayhawks ran when appropriate and made quick, sharp decisions over and over throughout most of the first half. That approach allowed them to lead for 15:40 of the first 20 minutes while only trailing for 1:41. It also led to a 38-31 halftime lead.
• Solid response in 2nd half – After a 17-2 Houston run early in the second half — that could’ve been worse had it not been for missed free throws by the Cougars — the Jayhawks looked like they might be in trouble. But they responded in a big way, with fight and a tough mentality. Guess who they had at the core of that answer… Freshman big man Flory Bidunga. Not only did he deliver another strong game (after a sub-par first half) but he was the man the Jayhawks played to and through during that critical stretch of the second half that allowed Kansas to stay in the game and stave off Houston’s vicious run. For the game, Bidunga finished with 19 points and 7 rebounds before fouling out.
• Crowd + team = good energy early – On Friday, KU coach Bill Self issued a challenge of sorts to the Kansas student section, telling the media that he had not felt the crowd in quite the same manner this season that he had in the past. Clearly, they listened. Allen Fieldhouse — and particularly the student section at the north end — were on fire just before tipoff in this one. And then, the Jayhawks on the floor did their part ot make sure they stayed that way, playing with passion and fire en route to a fast start and a 25-15 lead midway through the first half. The crowd wasn’t perfect and the wall of sound wasn’t constant, but it was one of the better efforts of the season so far.
• Sorry, LJ – Houston guard LJ Cryer, one of the most experienced players in the Big 12 Conference, was held to just 9 points in 48 minutes on 2-of-12 shooting, including 1-for-8 from 3-point range. A lot of the reason for that was the job KU point guard Dajuan Harris Jr. did on him defensively. Harris, who has been around Cryer for nearly his entire career, hounded him in the first half and took Cryer out of the game in a lot of ways. He eventually got going a little in the second half, but it wasn't one of his typical nights. Luckily for him, it didn't have to be. On the other end of the spectrum, Harris finished with 8 points and 12 assists to go with just 1 turnover. Maybe too many of Harris’ shots in conference play so far have just been too close. That wasn’t the issue on Saturday. After making just one triple in his first six conference games (on 16 attempts) and none on Wednesday night at TCU, Harris drained a pair of 3-pointers in the first half alone on Saturday. Both came in rhythm, both were good looks, and both left his hand without hesitation and with a ton of confidence.
DISLIKES
• Late-game execution costs Kansas – The Jayhawks all but had the game won at both the end of regulation and the end of the 2nd overtime. But they failed to close the game out twice. The first time, Zeke Mayo was called for a 5-second violation while trying to inbound the ball after a Houston bucket. The second time, Mayo's inbounds pass intended for Hunter Dickinson was stolen. Both times, Houston responded to the KU gaffes by making a big time play to force extra time.
• Shak’s breakaway miss – I get it, dunks are way cooler than layups. But 2 points in a game like this is big any way you can get it, and KU guard Shak Moore, with the Jayhawks leading by just two early in the second half, gave away 2 points that should’ve been automatic. After comin gup with a loose ball that led to nothing but open court ahead of him, Moore outran three Houston defenders to the rim, but missed the dunk that would’ve finished the play. A couple of possessions later, Houston tied the game at 40, using a 9-0 run around that miss to draw even.
• Couldn't extend it – KU controlled most of this game and consistent built leads of 6-10 points in the first and second half. But the Jayhawks could never push their lead past that point. A lot of the credit for that goes to Houston, a tough out anywhere any time. But Kansas had a handful of mistakes that cost them the chance to extend its lead to a point that would bury the Cougars.
WHAT THE?
• Houston melts down at the FT line – The Cougars had all the momentum in the world and everything going their way to open the 2nd half, using runs of 11-0 and 17-2 to take control of the game. And then they stepped to the free throw line. Instead of adding to their lead and making life even harder on the temporarily shell-shocked Jayhawks inside a quiet Allen Fieldhouse, the Cougars missed free throw after free throw, allowing Kansas time and hope. After making all 4 of its free throw attempts in the first half, Houston, which entered the game as a 74% free throw shooting team (3 makes in every 4 attempts, essentially), missed 8 straight charity shots during the middle portion of the second half. Not only did the free throw line futility keep the Cougars from growing their lead, but it also made it hard to catch Kansas again once the Jayhawks took advantage and reclaimed the lead. Misses happen. But this was a true meltdown. Amazingly enough, the man at the core of that meltdown, Houston forward J’Wan Roberts, hit two HUGE free throws to tie the game and force overtime in the final 20 seconds.
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