Kansas Falls at Texas Tech, Guaranteed at Least a Share of Fifth-Straight Big 12 Title
March 4, 2009
LUBBOCK, Texas – It seemed like a lid was on the basket as the University of Kansas men’s basketball team shot a season-low 33.3 percent from the floor and fell 84-65 to Texas Tech Wednesday night in front of 9,883 fans at United Spirit Arena. The elated fans stormed the court after the game.
Kansas dropped to 24-6 overall and 13-2 in the Big 12 while Texas Tech improved to 13-17 overall and 3-12 in the league.
On a night where nothing else went well, Kansas can rest easy that it is guaranteed at least a tie for its fifth straight Big 12 Conference regular season title. Missouri defeated Oklahoma, 73-64, giving both MU and OU three league losses heading into the final weekend – while Kansas has just two losses.
The Big 12 title is KU’s ninth in the 13-year history of the league, and KU’s nation-leading 52nd crown all-time.
Kansas, which is already assured the No. 1 seed after all the tiebreakers, could still win the league outright with a win over Texas Saturday.
In Texas Tech’s senior night game, senior Jake Voskuil led all scorers with a career-high 35 points including hitting 9-of-14 three pointers. Kansas was led by Sherron Collins with 11 points on just 3-of-19 shooting. Marcus Morris had 11 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Tyshawn Taylor also finished with 11 points.
The Red Raiders controlled the first half from the outset with an early lead of 7-1 that swelled to double digits (15-5) by the 14:37 mark. Using a barrage of 3-pointers, led by Voskuil who made four of them, Texas Tech went on to lead by as many as 18 with the score 39-21 with 4:33 on the first half clock.
Texas Tech did not score the rest of the period as KU went on a 7-0 run to end the half and Kansas trailed 39-28 at intermission.
Despite the impressive first half shooting, Texas Tech kept Kansas in the contest by putting the Jayhawks at the free throw line 14 times where KU converted 10. From the field, Kansas shot just 32 percent (8-of-25) and was outrebounded 21-15 in the first stanza.
Kansas opened the second half by extending the defense full-court and continued to chip into the Red Raider lead scoring the first six points of the second half. Texas Tech ended its scoring drought at the 17:30 mark as KU had held TTU scoreless a total of seven minutes.
However, the Jayhawks could not complete the comeback and never got closer than two the rest of the way.
Kansas wraps up the regular season Saturday when it hosts Texas on Senior Day in Allen Fieldhouse. Seniors Matt Kleinmann and Brennan Bechard will be recognized as the Jayhawks and Longhorns square off at 3 p.m. on CBS.
