AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Longhorns on Monday night became the first Big 12 Conference team to defeat Kansas three consecutive times during the 19-year Bill Self era.
Timmy Allen scored 24 points and Tre Mitchell added 17 as No. 20-ranked UT (18-6, 7-4) knocked off the No. 8-rated Jayhawks (19-4, 8-2) 79-76 in an ESPN Big Monday clash at Frank Erwin Center.
Andrew Jones and Marcus Carr added 10 points apiece for Texas, a program that in former head coach Shaka Smart’s final season as Longhorns coach won in both Allen Fieldhouse and Erwin Center a year ago.
Former Texas Tech coach Chris Beard is in his first season as head coach at his alma mater, Texas.
Jalen Wilson scored 18 points (with 11 rebounds) and David McCormack 16 points for the Jayhawks, who had their seven-game win streak in league play snapped. KU’s only other loss in Big 12 play had been to Texas Tech on Jan. 8 in Lubbock.
The last conference team to beat KU three straight times was Iowa State, which won five straight from KU from 1999-2001.
KU led 72-70 at the last TV timeout following two free throws by Wilson. Braun however missed two free throws at 3:27 and after a foul on the rebound by McCormack, Christian Bishop missed his own front end of a one and one.
McCormack then missed a front end at 3:11. After an Allen bucket McCormack responded with an inside hoop and it was 74-72 KU at 2:10. Following a UT miss, Agbaji tipped in a Wilson miss and KU led by four, 76-72, at 1:04. KU didn’t score again.
Mitchell knocked down a three that banked in at :54.6 after a timeout and KU led by just one, 76-75. After Agbaji failed on a lob try to McCormack that turned into a turnover, Allen hit a jumper at :20.9 and UT led, 77-76 at 18.5 seconds. Harris lost the handle on a floater down low, turned it over and Carr was fouled at 6.8 hitting two free throws and giving UT a three-point lead.
KU called time for one last possession. Bishop fouled Wilson at 2.3 seconds. He missed the front end, then the second end on purpose and the ball caromed in the air, the clock running out and the fans storming the court.
Former UMass forward Mitchell scored 12 points and Jones 10 the first half as Texas led 40-35 at halftime. Wilson had 10 points and six boards in the half for KU. Agbaji had seven points. KU committed 10 turnovers to UT’s three in the half. The Longhorns had 17 points off turnovers; KU none.
It was tied at 35 with :38 left in the half. Jones scored, then after a Bobby Pettiford turnover, Marcus Carr drilled a three to beat the halftime buzzer and Texas led by five at the break. Texas led despite hitting just 1 of 11 threes the first half to KU’s 2 of 7.
KU led by as many as seven (18-11) in the half as did UT (31-24).
Monday’s game concluded KU’s stretch of three league games against ranked teams — a stretch that immediately followed an 18-point home loss to top ten team Kentucky. KU beat then No, 20-ranked Iowa State, 70-61, last Tuesday in Ames; defeated No. 8 Baylor, 80-59, Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse and lost to Texas on Monday.
“I set it up in my mind this would be the end of the first grind (in Big 12 race),” Self said on his pregame radio show Monday. “After this we theoretically give the kids off Tuesday and Wednesday and try to get ready for Oklahoma (Saturday at home) and Oklahoma State (Monday at home).
“After the Kentucky game we said, ‘We’ve got three games to get right.’ You can’t win the league in three games but you certainly can lose it. We haven’t done either yet. The only way to create some separation is to take care of business tonight.”
KU will meet Oklahoma at noon Saturday in Allen Fieldhouse.
