KU Jayhawks gear for return game against Texas: ‘They beat us pretty bad last time’
Revenge might be on the minds of Kansas’ basketball players when they take the court against Texas on Tuesday night at Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas.
“They beat us pretty bad last time,” KU guard Christian Braun said of the No. 14-ranked Longhorns, who handed No. 17 KU a historic 84-59 loss on Jan. 2 at Allen Fieldhouse. The 25-point setback tied a 91-66 clunker to Missouri in February 1989 for KU’s worst loss in Allen, which opened in 1955.
“It was a big lesson for us. We learned if we come out flat that’s what can happen,” Braun added of that earlier loss to Texas, which snapped KU’s eight-game winning streak. “It was at home so it was even harder. This is a big one for us that we’ve got to get. We’re going to focus on this one. We have to lock in defensively. If we lock in defensively, I think we can get it done for sure.”
The game will tip at 8 p.m. and air on ESPN.
Texas point guard Matt Coleman knew immediately after the initial meeting the Jayhawks would be eager for the rematch in Austin.
“We will see them again. They are going to remember this,” Coleman said after the first game in a video call with reporters.
“We are going to have to always be at a level willing to compete and play our best,” Coleman added after scoring 13 points, dishing six assists and grabbing six rebounds in the lopsided victory, Texas’ second win in Lawrence against 16 defeats.
Eight weeks after the rout, the red-hot Jayhawks (17-7, 11-5 Big 12) enter on a five-game win streak. Texas has lost four of six games.
KU junior power forward David McCormack scored eight points (0-for-4 from field; 8-of-8 from line) and grabbed five rebounds in 14 minutes during the first meeting in Lawrence, while backup big Mitch Lightfoot had no points and no boards in 14 minutes.
Texas starting power forward Jericho Sims scored 11 points and grabbed 12 boards, while starting forward Greg Brown had five points and five boards and reserve big man Kai Jones 12 points and five boards.
“I would think there’s to be extra motivation for everybody on our team, not just David,” said KU coach Bill Self. “I don’t think we played very well collectively as a group. I don’t think we coached worth a flip. We didn’t do anything to help them (KU players).
“We know they’ll come ready to play. We should be ready to play too. We should really look forward to this game and certainly have thought about this game since they left out of our building very happy last time,” Self added.
KU did not have reserve combo guard Bryce Thompson in that first meeting.
He was out with a cracked vertebrae in his back that kept him sidelined three games. He’s played in the last three games after missing seven contests with a broken index finger in his right (shooting) hand.
“He’s getting better all the tine. His glove (worn the last three games for protection) has come off his hand. He practiced without his glove for the first time yesterday, says he feels good. I do think he’s very important to us,” Self said of Thompson, who has combined for 14 points and five assists against one turnover the past three games, all wins.
“I think he’ll continue to get more and more confident and get better as we finish the season.” Self added of Thompson, a player Self noted is “happy and playing with joy that he’s out there.”
KU will return home to take on Baylor at 7 p.m. Saturday, at Allen Fieldhouse. After that, there’s a long wait for the Big 12 Tournament, which starts March 10 at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City.
Self reiterated Monday there’s a chance the Jayhawks may add a game to the schedule against a yet-to-be-determined opponent. He said in a “perfect world” that game would be held Thursday, March 4.
“Nothing’s been decided yet, even though we need to get on it. To do that we have to get on it immediately,” Self said of playing a game to replace the Tarleton State contest called off in December because of COVID-19 protocols in Tarleton’s program. Self indicated last week that the Jayhawks have found teams willing to play and pass COVID-19 testing protocols prior to such a game at Allen Fieldhouse.
This story was originally published February 22, 2021 at 3:06 PM with the headline "KU Jayhawks gear for return game against Texas: ‘They beat us pretty bad last time’."
