No. 9 Kansas hammered Texas in their tenth season defeat
In need of a significant victory to bolster their credentials as March approaches, the Texas Longhorns instead suffered a resounding defeat at the hands of the No. 9 Kansas Jayhawks in what could potentially be their last road game at Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday. Despite the absence of starting guard Kevin McCullar Jr., the Big 12’s current leading scorer, Kansas dominated with all five starters scoring in double figures, led by Hunter Dickinson who tallied a game-high 20 points. The final score stood at 86-67 in favor of Kansas (21-6, 9-5).
The Longhorns (17-10, 6-8 Big 12) were led by Dillon Mitchell and Tyrese Hunter, each contributing 12 points, while Ithiel Horton added 10 points off the bench. Notably, Dylan Disu and Max Abmas, Texas’ top scorers, struggled, combining for just 13 points on 5 of 14 shooting from the field. Despite shooting 41.9 percent from the floor, Texas found themselves trailing by as many as 24 points in a game that presented a significant opportunity for a quality win, particularly in the absence of McCullar for Kansas.
Although Texas initially took a 13-12 lead with three early three-pointers, they struggled defensively, particularly in the interior, allowing Kansas to dominate in the paint. This trend persisted throughout the game, with Kansas ultimately outscoring Texas by a significant margin in the paint and attempting only eight three-pointers. Kansas capitalized on a 12-0 run to establish a commanding 45-25 lead at halftime, while Texas struggled offensively, shooting just 26.5 percent from the field and committing seven turnovers in the first half.
Despite Texas’ efforts to reduce the deficit to as few as 13 points in the second half, Kansas continued to exploit defensive lapses, consistently finding easy scoring opportunities in the paint. Although Kansas experienced turnovers early in the second half, Texas failed to capitalize on these opportunities, preventing any meaningful comeback attempt from materializing.
