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Kansas basketball: Jayhawks fail to protect the rim, drop home match with #8 Texas Longhorns

By Conner Becker

Jan 2, 2021; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Christian Braun (2) goes up for a shot against Texas Longhorns forward Jericho Sims (20) and guard Andrew Jones (1) during the first half at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 2, 2021; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Christian Braun (2) goes up for a shot against Texas Longhorns forward Jericho Sims (20) and guard Andrew Jones (1) during the first half at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports /
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Defensive struggles and offensive miscues led to a 25 point loss for Kansas basketball this morning. The home loss against #8 Texas surely raised some eyebrows for fans who expected a close Top 10 matchup.

Kansas basketball found its second loss of the season this morning, dropping their home match with #8 Texas at Allen Fieldhouse. If you’re Kansas head coach Bill Self, you’re probably not satisfied with the 84-59 loss on your home court.

The issues stemmed from Kansas’ inability to protect the perimeter, where the Longhorns shot 46%. Accompanying this problem would be the Jayhawk’s struggle to protect the glass, giving up 10 offensive rebounds to Texas throughout the game.

Courtney Ramey goes 3 of 5 from the 3-point line, leading Texas with 18 points on the day. He would be assisted by Jericho Sims, who would have a consistent day at the hoop. Sims would go 5 of 6 on field goals with an impressive 12 total rebounds, pulling a strong portion of the team rebounds stat for the Longhorns.

Defensively, the Jayhawks couldn’t seem to catch a break. Guys like Ramey and Coleman III would beat us down the stretch and simply out-run Kansas. These two would find plenty of space throughout the game.

Mitch Lightfoot found some time on the floor and came up with a couple of defensive blocks, but this wouldn’t be enough pressure to move any momentum in the Jayhawks’ favor.

Kansas was unable to stop the scoring attack from the Longhorns, showing some of the worst defense we’ve seen so far this season. Along with the defensive woes, Kansas would struggle to find much success from the perimeter. Jalen Wilson would find the most production from the 3-point line, going 2 of 6 from the key. Wilson would lead the Jayhawks in scoring with 20 points.

Ochai Agbaji and David McCormack would struggle to find much action at the basket. The duo would combine for a total of 19 points, as well as each of them finding 5 rebounds on the day.

Off the bench, Tyon Grant-Foster and Tristian Enaruna found some time on the floor. The pair would each find 5 points and had some action cleaning up the boards. Enaruna found 5 total rebounds, which is a decent look for the sophomore guard who we’ve seen lightly so far this season.

The home loss marks the second of the season and it will likely have fans questioning what kind of threat Texas is down the road. Aside from Texas concerns, Kansas will need to do something about the inconsistent play on defense. The Jayhawks can’t afford to fall behind that much in the second half, especially in a Top 10 matchup.

Kansas will have to regroup and work out some more issues on the floor as they move forward with their conference schedule. Luckily for head coach Bill Self, his upcoming schedule against TCU and Oklahoma will give the Jayhawks opportunities to get back in a rhythm.

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