No. 5 Houston’s hopes of earning a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament or even a good spot in the Big 12 tournament have been dashed.
The Cougars gave up an early lead Monday night but simply couldn’t keep up with No. 14 Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks’ dominant 69-56 victory was the program’s 41st straight home victory under coach Bill Self on ESPN’s “Big Monday.” It was their third win over a top-five opponent, following last week’s stunning double-digit loss to Cincinnati.
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Houston has now lost three straight games, all to the Big 12’s top teams. Houston lost to Iowa State by three points earlier last week and then couldn’t catch Arizona State on Saturday. This is the first time since January 2017 that the program has suffered three straight losses.
Houston takes off. The Cougars started the game on an 11-3 run and almost completely shut down the Kansas defense. The Jayhawks were just 2-13 through the first 10 minutes of the game and held the lead with just seven quick free throws.
Finally, Trey White tied the Jayhawks with 90 seconds left in the game. He drained a 3-pointer from the wing, just his third from beyond the arc all night, to help the Jayhawks go on a 7-0 run. Kansas ended the half on an 11-0 run and led by four points at the break. Peterson hit a floater at the buzzer and scored eight points in the first half.
This situation also continued into the second stage. Kansas took off, going on a long 13-0 run over nearly six minutes to put the game away. That gave Kansas a 14-point lead, the Cougars’ largest deficit of the season.
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After White hit an open three-pointer from the corner, the lead soon reached 18 points. That sent Allen Fieldhouse into a frenzy, and it was enough to help the Jayhawks win.
White hit three three-pointers, scored 23 points and grabbed 5 rebounds to help Kansas win. Darryn Peterson scored 14 points and Bryson Tiller had 11 points and 10 rebounds. Peterson also performed normally throughout the game, playing a total of 30 minutes. The projected lottery pick was heavily criticized after missing several games due to various injuries, and he asked to play early in a win over Oklahoma State due to cramps.
Kansas is currently 21-7 on the season. The Jayhawks have won just two of their past four games, losing by 16 points at home to Cincinnati on Saturday and blowing out Iowa State by nearly 20 points. But Monday’s win, especially with Peterson seemingly back on track, sets the stage for a statement opportunity Saturday in Arizona that could completely change the Big 12 rivalry.
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Kingston Flemings led Houston with 16 points, although he scored just 6 on 18 shooting and was the only Cougars player to score in double figures. The Cougars shot 5-for-24 from 3-point range and went to the free throw line just nine times compared to Kansas’ 20 attempts.
Thankfully, the toughest part of Houston’s schedule is over. The Cougars will finish the regular season against Colorado, Baylor and Oklahoma State, and they should be able to handle all of those challenges and get back in shape before the conference tournament in Kansas City.
As bad as this loss was, Houston is undoubtedly still a team capable of making a run in the NCAA Tournament. It just needs to resolve this issue as soon as possible. And the top seed in the tournament is almost certainly no longer possible.
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This article will be updated soon with more information.
