Kansas City, Mo. — The Kansas Jayhawks were unable to defend their crown in the Big 12 tournament.
With no Kevin McCullar Jr., and without head coach Bill Self, the short-handed Jayhawks finally ran out of gas during their third game in as many days when they suffered a 76-56 loss to the Texas Longhorns in the championship game at T-Mobile Center.
It marks KU’s (27-7) second loss in a week against Texas (26-8) heading into the NCAA Tournament.
As if the final score didn’t tell enough of the story, this game featured much of the same formula as KU’s previous signature losses.
Jalen Wilson was the lone source of offense, leading the team with 24 points on 9-of-19 shooting. Dajuan Harris Jr. wasn’t aggressive enough and finished with six points on seven shots. Gradey Dick failed to knock down a 3-pointer on five attempts.
Most of all, the Jayhawks looked stagnant on the defensive end. Without McCullar, their short rotation had no answer for the Texas backcourt trio of Sir’Jabari Rice, Tyrese Hunter, and Marcus Carr.
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Box score: Texas 76, Kansas 56
Photo Gallery: Kansas basketball vs. Texas
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The Longhorns led by double digits for much of the second half, and punctuated the game with an emphatic alley-oop in transition with 4:33 left to play. As a result, the Longhorns had the honors of cutting down the nets inside T-Mobile Center after the game.
Both teams will turn their attention to Selection Sunday, where they will find out their fate in the NCAA Tournament. Kansas is expected to be a No. 1 seed, while Texas is likely a No. 2 seed for this year’s Big Dance.
