Kansas men’s basketball gets blown out by Houston in Big 12 Tournament
Kansas men’s basketball lost to Houston 69–47 in the semifinals of the Big 12 tournament on Friday night at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
The Jayhawks finished the game shooting 25% from the field, which is the lowest shooting percentage they’ve had in Big 12 tournament history since shooting 33% against Oklahoma in 2002.
Houston freshman guard Kingston Flemings led all scorers with 21 points, while freshman forward and center Chris Cenac Jr. contributed 17 points for the Cougars, also getting a double-double, snagging 14 rebounds.
Both Flemings and Cenac shot 75% from beyond the arc.
Kansas got out to a slow start, not scoring any points two minutes into the game, and called a timeout with 17:43 left in the first half after Cenac jammed a second-chance dunk.
The Cougars continued their momentum and embarked on a 9–0 run that didn’t end until Kansas freshman guard Darryn Peterson sank a 3-pointer.
After both teams endured scoring droughts of their own, Houston went on a 6–0 run, which ended when Kansas redshirt sophomore guard Elmarko Jackson made a layup.
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Despite their run ending, the Cougars continued adding to their lead, and Cenac banked his third 3-pointer of the game, forcing Kansas to call a timeout with 4:42 left in the first half.
Houston went scoreless for more than three minutes before the end of the first half, while the Jayhawks started an 8–0 run after drawing fouls and forcing turnovers.
Peterson got a steal against Houston redshirt senior guard Emmanuel Sharp and hammered the basketball into the net, prompting Houston to call its first timeout of the game with 1:07 left in the half.
Flemings scored the last points of the first half after knocking down two free throws. Still, the Cougars went nearly five minutes without scoring any field goals, but headed into halftime leading the Jayhawks 33–25.
Kansas’ rustiness continued at the start of the second half as it struggled to make a basket. Houston didn’t come out of halftime slow, as Flemings made a layup, while Sharp launched a 3-pointer, resulting in Kansas calling a timeout with 18:38 left in the game.
The Cougars then mounted an 11–0 run while the Jayhawks didn’t score for over five minutes, while shooting 0–16 from field goals in the first eight minutes of the second half.
Kansas head coach Bill Self put many of the Jayhawks’ reserves into the game as the team was too far behind Houston.
The Cougars made five of their last six field goal attempts, while Kansas went cold, experiencing another scoring drought in the final two minutes of the game.
Peterson was the only player for Kansas to score double figures, tallying 14 points.
The Jayhawks (23–10, 12–6 Big 12) will now wait to see who they play in the NCAA tournament. Selection Sunday is on March 15 and will stream on CBS starting at 5 p.m. CT.
