Pursuing a 15th straight Big 12 title, the Kansas Jayhawks returned to Allen Fieldhouse where they would face off with the Texas Longhorns. The Jayhawks, thanks to clutch plays and heroics from an unlikely player, were able to escape with an 80-78 victory, bringing their overall record to 15-2.
Kansas got off to a hot start, racing out to an 8-0 lead after consecutive three-pointers from freshman guard Quentin Grimes and senior guard LaGerald Vick. The Longhorns quickly shut down the Jayhawks’ momentum however, after a dunk from forward Dylan Osetkowski.
For the majority of the first half, Kansas would hit a big shot and then the Longhorns would immediately respond with a big shot of their own. Texas refused to allow the Jayhawks to get out to a big lead and eventually, the Longhorns were able to grab the lead, eventually leading to their two-point lead at the half.
Despite leading at the half in Allen Fieldhouse, the big story was not about the Longhorns and instead was about a Kansas Jayhawk, sophomore guard Marcus Garrett more specifically.
Star forward Dedric Lawson, a junior transfer from Memphis, struggled throughout the first half, getting into foul trouble, thus Kansas needed scoring from another area. Vick was shooting very well, but it was Garrett who stole the show.
Garrett has struggled offensively throughout the year, but at the half, Garrett had 17 points, which at that point was a career high. Garrett went on to finish the game with 20 points.
The second half started much like the first, back to back three-pointers from the Jayhawks got them out to a four-point lead.
Kansas eventually stretched its lead out to 10 but was unable to stretch out any more from that point as the Longhorns continuously responded every time the Jayhawks scored.
It seemed as if Kansas had taken the game over and would simply coast to a victory, but Texas refused to go down quietly. Senior guard Kerwin Roach III hit a three, but then Lawson immediately responded with a layup.
Suddenly however, Texas guard Jase Febres, who only had three points in the game, began to feel himself, hitting three straight three-pointers for the Longhorns. Febres’ heroics tied up the game at 73 and Kansas coach Bill Self was forced to call a timeout.
Lawson, who through the first 30 minutes of action only had four points, became the go-to guy for Kansas as he scored nine points in the final 5:01 of action, including a clutch free throw to give Kansas a two-possession lead with less than 15 seconds left on the clock.
Texas coach Shaka Smart decided to ice Lawson on his free throws and the decision paid off as Lawson missed his second free throw. The Longhorns got the rebound and ran up the court, leading to a three-pointer from guard Courtney Ramey.
Ramey’s three brought the Longhorns within one and then on the ensuing inbound, the Jayhawks gave the ball to the worst free throw shooter on the floor, Marcus Garrett.
Garrett went 1-of-2 at the line, giving the Longhorns the opportunity to win the game. Kansas’ stout defense however forced the Longhorns to chuck up a shot at the buzzer, which clanked off the back of the rim.
Kansas will return to action on Jan. 19th when it travels to Morgantown, West Virginia to square off with the West Virginia Mountaineers. Tipoff is set for 1 P.M.