In a match up of two Big 12 teams ranked in the Top 12 in the country, No. 12 Kansas hosted No. 7 Houston in a slugfest at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas on Saturday night.
Houston entered the game a perfect 7-0 in Big 12 play and 15-3 overall, while Kansas was looking to not lose any more ground in league play coming in at 5-2 in the conference and 14-4 overall. Winning in Allen Fieldhouse is no easy task, even though Kansas already had lost one Big 12 game at home this year (the opener vs. West Virginia).
And with these two teams squaring off, it was the Houston winning the game in double overtime 92-86. Here are the five biggest takeaways.
More Milos Please
KU had itself up by six points, 66-60, with 90 seconds to go. But then Milos Uzan’s back-to-back jumpers, and J’Wan Roberts’ clutch free throws, combined with sloppy Kansas offensive possessions, forced the game to overtime.
In overtime, it was Uzan who found Emanuel Sharp for a three-pointer in the final 10 seconds that cut KU’s lead to 79-76. And then, with KU trying to inbound in the final seconds, Uzan had the key steal that led to a Mylik Wilson three-pointer to tie the game at 79 and miraculously force a second overtime in Lawrence.
The Oklahoma transfer finished with his best, and most clutch game, in a Cougars uniform: 17 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists, including hitting 2-4 three pointers.
Houston’s Second Half Push… or KU’s Blown Leads?
The Cougars trailed the Jayhawks at halftime 38-31. But as Fran Fraschilla noted on the broadcast, the first three minutes of the second half can change a game. And that’s exactly what happened.
Houston started the second half with a 17-4 run to take a 48-42 lead at the 12:00 mark of the second half.
KU did respond with a 16-4 run of its own, but it was Houston’s start to the second half that brought them back into this game at a raucous Allen Fieldhouse.
And in this game, Kansas led by six points with 90 seconds to play, and then six seconds with 15 seconds left in overtime. To lose the game with those leads will definitely keep Bill Self up tonight.
Houston’s Impressive Big 12 Transition
We talk a lot about how programs have struggled in football and basketball in transitioning to the Big 12, but not Houston basketball.
Houston has now won 12 Big 12 regular season basketball games in a row dating back to last season, which is tied for the 2nd longest streak in Big 12 history.
Kelvin Sampson has built a beast of a program that can compete with the best in the country. Some thought Houston might have a tough time coming from the AAC. But Houston won the Big 12 regular season title last season, and they’re in position to do it again in Year 2.
Bright Spot Bidunga
A bright spot for the Jayhawks came with Flory Bidunga‘s career game, which included 19 points and 7 rebounds for the freshman. Bidunga had key plays to slow down Houston’s run in the second half, including this late bucket.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough. But the freshman had that kind of confidence-building game that can definitely play a role in KU getting to where it wants to get come March Madness.
Big 12 Standings Impact
The win guarantees that the Cougars enter next week in first place in the Big 12 at a perfect 8-0, one game ahead of Iowa State and Arizona, who are both 7-1.
Houston still has to play both those teams during a week-long stretch where they will travel to Arizona for a Saturday, February 15th meeting, stay out west to play Arizona State on Monday, and then come home to take on Iowa State on Saturday, February 22nd.
As for the Jayhawks, there’s still plenty of basketball to play this season, but at 5-3 in Big 12 play, Kansas is now three games back of first place Houston, and has three other teams in front of them in the standings: Iowa State, Arizona and Texas Tech.
And with the Jayhawks losing a second game at Allen Fieldhouse in the last 30 days, is it time to wonder, “Is Kansas Basketball losing its mystique?”
