Texas Basketball: 5 reasons Longhorns upset Kansas Jayhawks
2. Kansas proved to be vulnerable
One of the most shocking losses in Big 12 play so far came on Jan. 5 when Iowa State pulled off the home upset of Kansas by a 17-point margin. Iowa State looked good during its non-conference slate, but it didn’t show anything near being capable of pulling off such a decisive upset over a top 10 ranked team in the nation like the Jayhawks.
That loss to Iowa State put Kansas in a position to have to contend with a tough duo that also includes Texas Tech to claim yet another consecutive Big 12 regular season title in 2018-19. Iowa State and Texas Tech are two teams that fit among the 15 best in the country, but Kansas isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
What the Horns need to do with the juicy opportunity that is presented with a somewhat vulnerable Kansas team is gaining the biggest marquee victory of the regular season so far. Texas will run into very few opportunities that are bigger than this one on the national stage for a boost to the NCAA Tournament resume.
Moreover, what Iowa State did so well to limit this talented Kansas offense to just 60 points was completely shut down the secondary scoring options. Beyond standouts Dedric Lawson and Quentin Grimes, Kansas didn’t get a single player scoring in double digits and the bench only posted six points. Texas can have a clear plan of attack based of what Iowa State was able to do in its upset of Kansas.