The Day After: KU did what?!?! to Texas?

photo by: Mike Yoder

From the KU bench from left, Brannen Greene, Carlton Bragg Jr., Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk and Lagerald Vick, greet Devonte' Graham, left and react to a dunk by Jamari Traylor on a pass from Graham in the 2nd-half of a Jayhawk 86-56 win over the Texas Longhorns Monday, Feb. 29, 2016 at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas.

photo by: Mike Yoder

From the KU bench from left, Brannen Greene, Carlton Bragg Jr., Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk and Lagerald Vick, greet Devonte' Graham, left and react to a dunk by Jamari Traylor on a pass from Graham in the 2nd-half of a Jayhawk 86-56 win over the Texas Longhorns Monday, Feb. 29, 2016 at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas.

Take just a minute to recognize one thing about Monday night’s 86-56 blowout of the Texas Longhorns in Austin.

Texas was actually ranked.

Sure, the Longhorns might’ve been playing with a point guard who was dealing with a significant injury — the Isaiah Taylor news could be devastating to UT’s chances in March — but they still fielded a team full of athletes in a building that was jacked up and just saw the ‘Horns knock off No. 3 Oklahoma over the weekend.

And yet the Jayhawks absolutely dismantled them. I mean, this was one of those beatings where even KU fans, players, coaches and professors probably felt a little bad for the Longhorns, who found themselves in an early hole after an impressive onslaught and quickly found out they could do nothing to get out of it.

Add another Top-30 RPI victory to KU’s impressive resume. That makes 11 of them now, nearly half of KU’s victories and by far the most of any team in the country.

Quick takeaway

If your takeaway from this game is something other than gaining the understanding that this team is beyond for real, I’m not sure what game you were watching. The Jayhawks are as hot as any team in college basketball right now, and, perhaps more importantly, as hungry as any team, as well. It would’ve been really easy for them to show up in Austin ready to go through the motions after wrapping up the Big 12 title and dealing with the quick turnaround. But they didn’t. They were ferocious from the start and played that way to the end. If KU can bottle up that kind of intensity and effort and pair it with all that depth and talent, a deep tournament run in a few weeks should be the expectation.

Three reasons to smile

1 – I won’t insult you by pretending to pinpoint three crucial yet subtle elements of this game that speak to KU’s chances at long-term success. Instead, I’ll just give you three of my favorite plays from this game and trust that your recollection of watching them live will do the trick and make you smile. Here goes: How about that alley-oop finish by Jamari Traylor? I’m still in awe of just how high he got and how fast he was flying when he flushed it through the rim. What a finish. What a pass. What a play.

photo by: Mike Yoder

Kansas forward Jamari Traylor (31) swings on the rim after a dunk in the 2nd-half of the Jayhawks 86-56 win over the Longhorns Monday, Feb. 29, 2016 at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas.

2 – Perry Ellis was wildly efficient once again — 20 points on 11 shots in 28 minutes — but my two favorite Ellis buckets were when he drove with a full head of steam — once from the left side and once from the right — and yet still had enough control to pull up when he got close to the paint and finish with a soft touch high off the glass. The guy’s arsenal just keeps expanding every night out. What a talent. Enjoy the next couple of weeks of watching Ellis because I have a feeling you’re all going to miss him more than you realize when he’s gone.

photo by: Mike Yoder

Kansas forward Perry Ellis drives to the basket for two of his 15 first-half points against Texas in a game Monday, Feb. 29, 2016 at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas.

3 – Landen Lucas picked up four blocks in the first few minutes of the game and each one came as a result of perfect positioning and Lucas flashing a little aggression. He may not be your prototypical shot blocker, but if he employs that same strategy the rest of the way, he could be better than you think. A couple of those could’ve been whistled by the refs, but they weren’t and, because of that, Lucas’ confidence, like the Grinch’s heart on Christmas morning in Hooville, grew three sizes Monday night.

Three reasons to sigh

1 – Despite dominating most aspects of Monday’s game, KU actually was dominated in one area — offensive rebounding. Texas, which shot just 19-of-63 from the floor, got nearly half of its misses back, picking up 18 offensive rebounds to just 5 for KU. Granted, KU shot 64 percent from the floor and 26 fewer opportunities to go get an offensive rebound, but still, 18-5 is a pretty decisive margin. Imagine if KU had grabbed half of those offensive boards that the Longhorns got. This one could’ve been a 40-point win.

photo by: Mike Yoder

Kansas forward Cheick Diallo (13) goes up hard against Texas forward Connor Lammert (21) and draws a foul in a Jayhawks win over the Longhorns Monday, Feb. 29, 2016 at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas.

2 – Another area in which KU easily could’ve turned the 30-point blowout into a 40-point win (not that there’s really much difference) was at the free throw line, where Kansas shot just 46 percent (11-of-24) and is now shooting a lower percentage from the line this season than its opponents, 72.7-70.3.

photo by: Mike Yoder

Kansas guard Wayne Selden Jr. (1) goes after a loose ball in the 1st-half of the Jayhawks win over the Longhorns Monday, Feb. 29, 2016 at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas.

3 – It’s nit-picking, but I think we saw again on a couple of occasions Monday night why Carlton Bragg has not logged major minutes this season. He just isn’t quite there physically to play down low. Bragg knows this and the freshman with the bright future has embraced his role and could easily step into a similar role that you’ve seen Perry Ellis play these past couple of seasons (although the two are still pretty different), but he’s going to have to get stronger and add some bulk in the offseason (which he will) if he wants to play major minutes. Bragg, who played 8 minutes in Monday’s blowout, has played double digit minutes just once in the past seven games (12 at K-State).

One for the road

KU’s pasting of Texas in Austin on Monday night…

• Clinched sole possession of the Jayhawks’ 12th-consecutive Big 12 Conference regular-season title, 16th overall Big 12 crown, and an NCAA-leading 59th conference regular-season title.

• Made Kansas 26-4 overall, giving the Jayhawks 25 victories for the 11th-straight season (beginning in 2005-06).

• Made Kansas 26-4, 14-3 in Big 12 play… Kansas has reached 26 wins for the eighth time in the last nine seasons and 14 league victories for the seventh time in the last eight years.

• Extends KU’s NCAA third-best winning streak to 10 games, giving the Jayhawks a streak of 10 or more wins for the second time this season and 14th time in the Bill Self era.

• Improved Self to 378-82 while at Kansas and 585-187 overall.

• Made KU 2,179-835 all-time.

Next up

The Jayhawks will return to Allen Fieldhouse one more time this season for a 3 p.m. Saturday showdown against Iowa State in the home finale and Senior Day for Perry Ellis, Jamari Traylor, Hunter Mickelson and Evan Manning.

— See what people were saying about No. 1-ranked KU’s Big Monday game at Texas during KUsports.com’s live coverage.

More news and notes from KU’s dominant victory at Texas

By the Numbers: Kansas 86, Texas 56