Clint Chapman had 15 points and blocked four shots, but it was not enough as Texas (12-7,2-4) fell to the number seven Jayhawks(16-3,6-0) 69-66 at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin. With the loss, Texas has now lost three straight conference games for the first time since the 2008-2009 season and is no longer undefeated at home. Texas also missed its chance to get a marquee win that would have helped their case for the NCAA Tournament which they are in serious danger of missing for the first time under Rick Barnes.

Chapman collected nine rebounds in the loss, and played a very productive 34 minutes including a 7-of-7 performance from the foul line. Chapman continues to be the second most valuable player on the team and one that needs to stay on the court as much as possible.

J’Covan Brown put up another 24 points but struggled shooting only 7-of-26 from the field. He did however hit 7-of-7 from the free throw line, which extended his consecutive made free throw streak to 28 in a row, only seven shy of tying Texas’ all time record. Brown also made plenty of big shots including a three pointer that put the ‘Horns up 64-60 their biggest lead of the game.

After having double-doubles in his previous two games, Myck Kabongo scored only three points, committed three turnovers and fouled out in only 25 minutes of play. Sheldon McClellan played well early in the matchup hitting three three-pointers in the first half. However, McClellan scored two points in the second half, both of which from the foul line. Barnes reluctantly played Jaylen Bond who was fantastic off the bench with six points on 3-of-3 shooting and four rebounds in 13 minutes. Julien Lewis’ shooting woes continue, Jonathan Holmes struggled against Thomas Robinson, and Alexis Wangmene picked up a technical and scored zero points. Despite Wangmene’s offense blunders, he played well on the defensive side of the ball against Thomas Robinson.

Tyshawn Taylor led the Jayhawks with 22 points and four assists. He was aided by Thomas Robinson who scored 17 and collected nine rebounds as well as Jeff Whitey who scored 12 points and collected six boards respectively. Texas did a better job defending behind the arc in the first half allowing 4-of-9 , as opposed to allowing over 50% in the other three conference losses. As expected, Kansas dominated Texas in the paint 32-20, and Kansas shot over 60% from the field in the first half. Yet, the Texas defense settled down in the second half which helped them get back in the game. Texas set a new team high in free throw percentage going 16-of-17 for 94% shooting, and shot 8-of-19 from the behind the arc for 42%, one of their best performances of the season.

Game Grade: B

Once again, the ‘Horns showed they have the talent to play with anyone in the conference, but not the ability to beat them. The Longhorns struggled out of the gate and fell behind 22-7 with 8:34 in the first half. However, Texas was able to string together a run of their own to cut the deficit to 28-25 thanks to McClellan’s three three-pointers. Then, the Texas offense went back into hibernation, and let Kansas go on an 11-2 run to take a 39-27 lead into the half.

The Jayhawks extended the lead back to 15, 44-29 but Texas was relentless and made a run to get back into the game. Texas took its first lead 59-58 with less than six minutes to go in the game and looked like it was pulling away when it lead 64-60. Their comeback was aided by the near sell out crow, a testament to the fact that the fans come depending on how good the visiting team is, not to support the ‘Horns. Unfortunately the ‘Horns were unable to finish thank to Barnes’ total ineptitude on the offensive side of the ball.

In the department of moral victories, Texas is now a perfect 3-0 in their last three games, but 0-3 where it really matters. To Barnes, it seems that the most important principle is that his team continues to learn.

“There’s more to it than just winning games” said Barnes at the 2011 Basketball Awards Banquet.

A large part of this blame comes down to experience and how this team was not mentally ready to beat a top 10 team.

If this game was not a must win, the revenge game hosting Iowa State definitely is. If Texas loses that one, they will be 0-4 in a tough stretch. Despite all the losses, it is clear that this team is rapidly improving. The only question being, when will they finally be able to close out and win a game? All three of the losses so far have come down to execution, as Texas’ struggles late on offense have led to breakdowns in their defense. Barnes will need to change his coaching style soon and learn how to win close games against top tier opponents late, something he has not been able to do since D.J. Augustin was on campus. If he does this soon, this team will have a chance to make the Tournament and potentially do some damage. If not, it’s the NIT for the ‘Horns.