12 March 2023
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KSNT)- The Jayhawks can’t seem to get by Texas.
The Longhorns beat Kansas for the second-straight time on Saturday in the Big 12 tournament championship. KU is now 9-2 in its last eleven games, with both those losses coming against UT.
Texas beat Kansas 75-59 in Austin last weekend. KU did beat Texas in Lawrence, 88-80 on Feb. 6.
This time, it was a 76-56 victory for the ‘Horns. KU falls to 27-7 on the season, but will likely still receive a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. The question now is whether or not the ‘Hawks will still get the top overall seed in the tournament.
The game started evenly matched, but it was the final five minutes of the first half when things started to go south for KU. Texas closed the half on a 11-5 run to take a 39-33 lead into the midway point.
Texas carried that momentum into the second half. A 14-8 run out of the break pushed the UT lead to 12. Kansas struggled to respond. The Longhorns kept the Jayhawks behind by ten or more the entire rest of the game. The UT lead was extended to 20 in the final four minutes as hope of a Big 12 tournament title dwindled then disappeared for KU.
The loss came without Bill Self, who did not coach in the Big 12 tournament due to medical issues. The team does expect to have Self back in the NCAA tournament.
KU was also without starting forward Kevin McCullar Jr., who is battling back spasms and played only in the first half of KU’s semifinal win against Iowa State.
The University of Kansas Health System offered an update on Coach Self on Thursday.
The Selection Show starts at 5 p.m. on Sunday, March 12.