Kansas basketball: Self-inflicted wounds cost Jayhawks win at Texas
By Dillon Davis
The No. 10-ranked Kansas Jayhawks went into their game against the No. 20-ranked Texas Longhorns in front of an unusually raucous crowd on Monday night, with a chance to all but seize control of another Big 12 Championship.
The Longhorns were the last team on a brutal stretch of the schedule for Kansas as they faced five ranked teams in 14 days. The Jayhawks came in with a two-game conference lead, and a win against Texas – paired with a lighter stretch of the schedule coming up – would have made it very difficult for any team to catch them.
But due to some unforced blunders, particularly towards the end of the game, the Jayhawks fell short 79-76 – keeping the Big 12 title race alive and well.
Turnovers and free throws
Kansas struggled with turnovers once again, as they finished the game with 15 turnovers, while Texas had just seven.
The Longhorns do deserve some credit – they are ranked as the No. 1 scoring defense in the country after all. But many of the turnovers were unforced errors on KU’s part.
Bobby Pettiford came in late towards the end of the first half and lost the ball out of his hands with five seconds to go. That turnover led to a buzzer-beating 3-point shot on the other end by Texas guard Marcus Carr.
At the end of the second half with Kansas leading 76-75, Ochai Agbaji mishandled what looked like a lob pass to David McCormack as it hit the rim and Texas rebounded. It was Agbaji’s third turnover of the game. Then Texas forward Timmy Allen – who had a season-high 24 points – made a jumper that put the Longhorns up 77-76.
On the last possession for Kansas, Dajuan Harris simply lost control of the ball trying to drive for a layup, Texas grabbed it, and would go on to win from there.
Turnovers on the road against good defensive teams unfortunately appears to be a recurring theme for the Jayhawks this season.
In a loss against Texas Tech (No. 12-ranked scoring defense) in Lubbock on Jan. 8, the Jayhawks surrendered 17 turnovers. In a nine-point win at Iowa State (No. 20-ranked scoring defense) on Feb. 1, the Jayhawks had 22 turnovers.
Free throws were also a problem again for KU as they finished 15-23 (65%) from the line.
Christian Braun – who averages over 80% from the free throw line this year – missed two big free throws with about three minutes remaining. David McCormack missed one shortly thereafter and Jalen Wilson missed two free throws with a few seconds left.
Bill Self on the postgame radio show...
— Sam Lance (@slancehoops) February 8, 2022
"We gave that one away. We may not have deserved to win, but if we didn't, they didn't either. We helped them." #KUbball
Heading into March
The Jayhawks are going to be in games like this when the NCAA Tournament rolls around, and they need to demonstrate the poise they were lacking against Texas in order to come out on top.
Whoever the point guard is, whether it’s Harris or Joseph Yesefu or Remy Martin, they need to take care of the ball – especially down the stretch. This Kansas team isn’t good enough to overcome a high-turnover game against the type of teams they’ll face in the Sweet 16 or Elite Eight.
They also can’t afford to go 65% from the free throw line and miss five free throws in the final three minutes and expect to win.
The good news is that unforced turnovers and missed free throws are things the team can easily correct and control. They have a month to do it before the most crucial part of the season begins.