INDIANAPOLIS – The third seeded Kansas Jayhawks fell to the six seeded USC Trojans, 85-51, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament inside Hinkle Fieldhouse on Monday Night.
The loss ends Kansas’ season at 21-9 (12-6 Big 12), while USC improves to 24-7 (12-3 Pac-12) and advances the Trojans to the Sweet Sixteen, where they will play seventh seed Oregon.
Kansas finishes its season with 21 wins, marking the 32nd consecutive season with 21 or more wins, dating back to 1989-90. KU won nine of its last 11 games in 2020-21. The Jayhawks finished second in the Big 12 regular season with a 12-6 record, amassing 12 league wins for the 21st consecutive season and 10 or more conference victories for an NCAA record 27 years.
USC relied upon forward Isaiah Mobley, who scored a team-high 17 points. USC’s Isaiah White (13 pts), Tahj Eaddy (12 pts), Chevez Goodwin (10 pts) and Evan Mobley (10 pts) also scored in double figures.
Kansas was led by senior Marcus Garrett, who scored a team-high 15 points on 6-of-15 from the field.
Kansas fell behind early and was unable to gain leverage after falling behind 12-3 at the 12:44 mark of the first half. Going into the half, Kansas faced its largest deficit of the season of 19 points, trailing 40-21.
In the second half, every time Kansas would make a run, USC answered. Down the stretch, the Trojans were able to keep Kansas at a distance. USC shot 57% (32-of-56) from the field and 61% (11-of-18) from beyond the arc.
KU leads the all-time series with TCU 19-2, which includes a 60-46 victory in Fort Worth in this season’s first meeting. The Jayhawks are 8-0 against TCU in Lawrence and 7-0 in Allen Fieldhouse.
