Kansas Suffers First Big 12 Loss to No. 8 Texas, 84-59

By KU Athletics Release January 2, 2021

LAWRENCE, Kan. – No. 3 Kansas suffered its first Big 12 loss of the season to No. 8 Texas, 84-59, despite 20 points from redshirt freshman Jalen Wilson inside Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday. The Jayhawks fall to 8-2 on the year and 2-1 in conference play.

Defense kept the game competitive in the first half. Senior Marcus Garrett tallied three steals in the first 20 minutes and senior Mitch Lightfoot logged two blocks.

The Longhorns gave up 16 turnovers in the game, which resulted in 14 Kansas points. The Jayhawks added 14 more second-chance points on 14 offensive boards.

But the Jayhawks struggled from beyond the arc and Texas pulled away in the second half.

STAT OF THE GAME
14 – Jalen Wilson scored 14 points in the second half on 5-of-8 shooting with two 3-pointers. He finished the game with 20 points and seven rebounds.

NOTES

  • Made Kansas 8-2 for the first time since an 8-2 mark in the 2017-18 season.
  • Made Kansas 5-1 in Allen Fieldhouse this season, 807-115 all-time in the venue, including 269-15 under head coach Bill Self.
  • Kansas was led in scoring by Jalen Wilson with 20 points. He and Ochai Agbaji (11 points) were the only double-figure scorers for Kansas.
  • Today’s game was Wilson’s third-career game with 20+ points, while marking his eighth game in double figures this season.
  • The 25-point defeat is the largest margin of defeat at Allen Fieldhouse in the Bill Self era and largest since 1989.
  • Kansas forced 16 Texas turnovers, tying a season high previously set twice, most recently against Texas Tech.
  • This is the first time that Texas has won in Lawrence since 2011, when they won 63-74.
  • Marcus Garrett surpassed 150 career steals on Saturday, recording three steals to increase his career total to 151 steals. He entered Saturday’s game with 148 career steals.
  • With his two blocks on Saturday, Mitch Lightfoot now has 107 in his career. He is tied with Drew Gooden at 18th on the Kansas career blocks list.
  • Texas’ 36 defensive rebounds were the most in a regulation game against Kansas since December 17, 1994, when Indiana pulled down 36. It is the most by any team since Oklahoma grabbed 41 defensive rebounds on January 4, 2016 in 3OT.
  • Texas set Jayhawk opponent season highs for 3-point field goal percentage (46.2%) free throw percentage (85.7%), defensive rebounds (36) and total rebounds (46). Texas also tied opponent season high in turnovers (16).

UP NEXT
Kansas will hit the road for the second time in its Big 12 Conference slate, as the Jayhawks take on TCU on Tuesday, January 5 in Fort Worth, Texas. Tip-off is slated for 9 p.m., on ESPN.