The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
.png&width=60&height=60&type=webp)
Kansas
No. 9/7 Men's Basketball defeats No. 3/3 Kansas, 75-59
03.04.2023 | Men's Basketball
Rice (23) and Hunter (20) both top the 20-point mark to lead the Longhorns to impressive home win on Senior Day.
AUSTIN, Texas — Graduate guard Sir'Jabari Rice recorded a game-high 23 points and sophomore guard Tyrese Hunter added 20 points to pace No. 9/7 Texas (23-8, 12-6 Big 12) to a 75-59 victory over No. 3/3 Kansas (25-6, 13-5 Big 12) on Saturday afternoon in Moody Center. With the victory on Senior Day, the Longhorns secured the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Championship.
Texas improved to 6-0 against AP Top 25 opponents in games at Moody Center this season, including an impressive 3-0 mark against AP Top 10 opponents with victories against No. 2 Gonzaga, No. 3 Kansas and No. 7 Creighton. UT played before a sellout crowd in all 17 games in Moody Center this year and posted a 16-1 mark in those 17 contests.
Rice topped the 20-point mark for the fifth time in the last 11 games. He converted a career-high 9-of-14 field goals and 3-of-3 free throws while adding a team-high seven rebounds in 27 minutes. Hunter reached double figures in scoring for the fourth consecutive game and hit 3-of-7 from three-point range and tied a career high by knocking down 9-of-10 free throws in 33 minutes.
The Longhorns held Kansas to 59 points on 36.2-percent (21-58) field goal shooting, including a 31.8-percent mark (7-22) from three-point range, on the afternoon. Texas posted 19 assists on 25 made field goals against just seven turnovers.
A K.J. Adams jumper gave the Jayhawks a 2-0 lead at the 19:47 mark, before Texas responded with nine-straight points to build a 9-2 advantage after a Marcus Carr three-point play with 15:26 left. A pair of Jalen Wilson free throws trimmed the margin to 11-9 at the 11:29 mark, but the Longhorns answered with a 10-3 spurt over the next four minutes to take a 21-12 lead following a Timmy Allen three-point play with 7:47 remaining.
The Longhorns increased their cushion to as much as 12 points (28-16) after a Hunter three-pointer at the 3:41 mark, before a Joseph Yesufu three-pointer with five seconds left cut the deficit to 32-24 at the break. Texas held the Jayhawks to 30.0-percent (9-30) field goal shooting, including a 3-of-12 (.250) mark from three-point range, and recorded 11 assists on 11 made field goals in the opening 20 minutes.
The Longhorns scored the first five points of the second half to take a 39-24 lead following a pair of Hunter free throws with 17:38 remaining. Kansas trimmed the margin to 55-47 after a Gradey Dick three-pointer at the 7:46 mark, before Texas responded with six-straight points to build a 61-47 cushion following a pair of Hunter free throws with 5:11 left. The lead increased to 68-52 after a Rice jumper at the 3:30 mark and reached 17 points (75-58) following a Hunter three-pointer with 1:02 remaining.
Texas will open play in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship with a quarterfinal-round contest against either No. 7 seed Oklahoma State or No. 10 seed Oklahoma on Thursday, March 9 at 6 p.m. Central. UT earned its best seed at the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship since the Longhorns were a No. 2 seed in the 2011 tourney.
Texas' quarterfinal game will be televised nationally by either ESPN or ESPN2. Oklahoma State and Oklahoma will meet in a first-round contest on Wednesday, March 8 at 8:30 p.m. Central. All games at the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship will be played at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo.
Texas Basketball Postgame Notes
#9/7 Texas 75, #3/3 Kansas 59
March 4, 2023
Moody Center (Austin, Texas)
Attendance: 11,313
Team Notes
- UT improved to 16-7 under the leadership of Interim Head Coach Rodney Terry this season.
- Texas played before a sellout crowd in all 17 games in Moody Center this year. The Longhorns posted a 16-1 mark in those 17 contests.
- Texas moved to 6-0 against AP Top 25 opponents in games at Moody Center this season, including a 3-0 mark against AP Top 10 opponents (defeated No. 2 Gonzaga, No. 3 Kansas and No. 7 Creighton).
- The Longhorns improved to 11-8 in Quad 1 games this season. The 11 Quad 1 wins are tied for the second-most nationally (Kansas is 15-6, Baylor is 11-9).
- Since the Big 12 moved to an 18-game schedule starting in the 2011-12 season, Texas won 12 games in league play for the first time (12-6 mark).
- Texas earned a No. 2 seed in the upcoming Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship. This marks the highest seed for the Longhorns at the league's postseason tourney since the 2010-11 season.
- UT concluded the regular season with 23 victories. This marks the most regular-season wins by the Longhorns since the 2010-11 season (25-6).
- Texas improved to 5-3 this year against AP Top 11 opponents.
- The Longhorns improved to 7-6 this season against AP Top 25 opponents. The seven wins against AP Top 25 are tied for the second-most in program history. UT went 8-5 against AP Top 25 teams in 2003-04, 7-4 in 2005-06 and 7-6 in 2020-21.
- Thirteen (13) of UT's 23 wins have been by at least 10 points this season.
- Texas has now won four of the last six meetings against Kansas, including three-straight home wins in Austin against the Jayhawks.
- UT held the Jayhawks to 59 points on 36.2-percent (21-58) field goal shooting, including a 31.8-percent mark (7-22) from three-point range, on the afternoon.
- The Longhorns registered a 17-4 advantage in fast-break points and a 32-8 margin in bench scoring during the win.
- Texas posted 19 assists (on 25 made field goals) against just seven turnovers on the day.
- UT limited Kansas to 24 points on 30.0-percent (9-30) field goal shooting, including a 3-of-12 (.250) mark from three-point range, in the opening 20 minutes while building a 32-24 halftime advantage.
- The Longhorns registered a 12-2 margin in fast-break points in the first half.
- Texas recorded 11 assists on 11 made field goals against just four turnovers in the opening 20 minutes.
- The Longhorns converted 51.9-percent (14-27) from the field and 12-of-15 (.800) free throws in the second half.
- Recorded a team-high six assists without a turnover
- Posted a team-best plus-minus total of plus-18 in 36 minutes
- Topped the 20-point mark (20 points) for the third time this year (31 games) and sixth time in his career (66 games)
- Reached double figures in scoring for the 17th time this season and 37th time in his career
- Reached double figures in scoring for the fourth consecutive contest
- Tied his collegiate high in free throws made (9-10), also had 9 vs. Alabama State (Nov. 16, 2021) when he played at Iowa State
- Topped the 20-point mark (23 points) for the fifth time this year (31 games), all coming in the last 11 contests, and 17th time in his career (142 games)
- Set his collegiate career high in field goals made (9-14)
- Added a team-best seven rebounds in 27 minutes
- Reached double figures in scoring for the 20th time this season and 78th time in his career
