The No. 8 Kansas Jayhawks suffered their second loss in three games following an 84-68 defeat to the Cincinnati Bearcats inside Allen Fieldhouse, in what was just Kansas’ second loss at home this season, with the only other defeat coming to No. 5 UConn in a 61-56 loss way back in early December.
While the first half saw both sides trade blows and ended with the Jayhawks heading into the break down 36-34, the second period was a completely different game.
Cincinnati turns up the heat in the second half
In the final 20 minutes, while the Jayhawks were laboring to string together consistent open looks, Wes Miller’s squad was flying on both ends of the court, having scored 48 second-half points, with both Day Day Thomas and Moustapha Thiam finishing the half with 10 and 17 points, respectively.
“The defensive intensity from everybody was lacking,” quoted head coach Bill Self following the Jayhawks’ seventh loss of the season.
In the second period, Cincy finished with a remarkable 51.6% from the field, along with an outstanding 7-18 rate from beyond the arc.
“And sometimes we look at guys to see how effective they are based on their offensive numbers. And I didn't think that we did anything to cause any type of rhythm adjustments or anything like that. That ever made them feel uncomfortable.”
It wasn’t just an on-fire offense that punished the Jayhawks, but also a stifling defense
Kansas’ sparkplug, Melvin Council Jr., finished with just seven points on a 3-13 mark from the field. While Council’s field goal rates are often deceiving of just how much impact he has, the senior struggled to make his typical weaving drives to a paint that was largely filled up by Thiam, who finished with a career-high 28 points.
Things do not get any easier for the Jayhawks as they must host the dangerous No. 2 Houston Cougars. Houston allows just 61.6 points per game, the lowest in the nation.
Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT with streaming available on ESPN.
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