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The Shaka Smart era of Texas basketball reached a new high on Saturday when the No.8 Longhorns broke a nine-game losing streak against Kansas by sending the No.3 Jayhawks 84-59 with a dominant offensive performance at Allen Fieldhouse. Texas hit 8 of 13 3-pointers in the second half while ending Kansas’ eight-game winning streak and proving that it belongs in the conversation for the Big 12 title.
Jalen Wilson led Kansas with 20 points, scoring 14 of them in the second half. But his team’s poor defense hampered Wilson’s efforts to bring the Jayhawks back. The Longhorns hit six straight 3-pointers to start the second half and had no trouble attacking the basket as they gave Kansas (8-2, 2-1 Big 12) their worst loss to home under Bill Self.
Courtney Ramey led the way for Texas (8-1, 2-0) with 18 points, and fellow guards Andrew Jones and Matt Coleman III contributed 14 and 13 respectively. The Longhorns also looked better on the inside. while senior forward Jericho Sims posted a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Kansas shot just 30.8 percent from the field and made just 3 of 23 3-pointers.
Longhorn Breakthrough
Texas were already enjoying their best ranking in Smart’s six years in office, and the Longhorns will only climb higher after such a dominant win over a top five opponent. Unlike Smart’s previous teams, which all finished outside the Top 25 APs, this team has some resistance. The back line of Ramey, Coleman and Jones provide Texas with the veteran guard play that is so often essential to playoff success. With the Sims and five-star first-year forward Greg Brown in the front court, the Longhorns also carry a lot of weight.
Critics will note that last season’s team of a similar formation also made it to the top 25 and started 9-1 before battling for a 9-9 record in the league. But this iteration of the Longhorns is a year wiser and seems light years more comfortable offensively. Sailing the Big 12 will bring adversity, as quality enemies like No.9 West Virginia, No.13 Texas Tech, and No.2 Baylor await. But that team proved on Saturday they have the chops to withstand the grind and emerge as a contender in March.
Act of disappearance
Ochai Agbaji and Marcus Garrett pulled off a second-half demise act for Kansas, leaving Wilson as the only starter to make offensive contributions in a lifeless comeback effort. After scoring 11 points on 5 of 9 shots in the first half, Agbaji missed his five shot attempts in the second half. Garrett missed all three of his second-half shooting attempts. In total, KU’s four starters plus Wilson combined to make a single shot from the field in the final 20 minutes of the game.
Of particular concern was the lack of production from Kansas’ big men on Saturday. While the Jayhawks have struggled all season to extract meaningful contributions from their post players, the problem was especially noticeable against Texas. Starting center David McCormack finished with eight points and five rebounds. But his eight points came on the free throw line. Self played it for just four minutes in the second half, opting instead to go with red-shirted senior Mitch Lightfoot in the post. But Lightfoot’s only notable contributions were a pair of blocks as he didn’t attempt to shoot and wasn’t credited with any rebounds.
Shorthanded Showdown
Texas announced Saturday morning that junior forward Gerald Liddell is planning to transfer. The former top 50 prospect has averaged 11.4 minutes per game in 11 appearances this season. The Longhorns were also unreservedly Kamaka Hepa and Royce Hamm. Absences limited the rotation to eight players. But Texas stepped out of trouble and got 23 points from their trio of bench players, including 12 from sophomore Kai Jones.
Kansas was also not at full power. Five-star goalie Bryce Thompson did not play due to a back injury. Thompson averaged 5.4 points in 17.4 minutes per game.
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