Kansas vs. Texas: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 Regular Season

In an entertaining ballgame, the No. 11 Kansas Jayhawks knocked off the No. 17 Texas Longhorns in Austin, 75-62, on Saturday afternoon. 

After a competitive first half, the Jayhawks pulled away in the final 20 minutes with excellent energy and extraordinary ball control. Against a tough Texas zone defense filled with shot-blockers, Kansas didn't commit a turnover in the second half and only gave the ball away three times all game.

Jeff Eisenberg of Yahoo Sports adds a caveat to Kansas' accomplishment but still recognizes its immaculate ball-handling in the second half:

Kansas got a great effort from its bench, as many of the non-starters played heavy minutes in the second half.

Freshman Cliff Alexander led a balanced scoring effort. The potential 2015 NBA lottery pick had 15 points and nine rebounds. He did the majority of his damage in the second half when his energy and aggressiveness on the baseline punctuated the dismantling of Texas' pressure and zone defense.

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Brannen Greene offered great support and clutch long-range shooting. He had 14 points off the bench and made four threes in the game.

ESPN's Dan Shulman notes Greene's willingness to take and make big shots:

As The Topeka Capital-Journal's Jesse Newell points out, Greene's long-range accuracy is continuing an encouraging trend for Jayhawks fans. If he keeps performing like he did Saturday, Kansas will be sporting depth that few teams in the nation can match.

Speedy guard Isaiah Taylor had 23 points to lead Texas in a losing effort. 

Prospect Watch

Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress talks about why this game was a must-see for lovers of college hoops and NBA draftniks:

Alexander was as advertised, but not every top prospect delivered.

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Coming into the game, there was a good amount of attention on Texas' Myles Turner. While he had some moments on both ends of the floor, the highly touted freshman fouled out with just over two minutes left in the game. He finished with eight points, eight rebounds and five blocked shots.

Turner is still trying to figure out how to make an impact with his unique skill set. He's a 7-footer with limited athleticism, great timing for blocked shots and a sweet jump shot. At times, he still appears lost on the offensive end.

One of Kansas' top pro prospects also had a relatively quiet game. Freshman Kelly Oubre Jr. sat most of the second half as head coach Bill Self got more from Greene on the wing.

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Oubre Jr. played a nice floor game with eight points and six rebounds, but he missed all four of his shots from three. His energy was a little lacking, and that explains why Greene got the majority of the minutes late.

How It Went Down

The first-half action could have been a promo for passion and energy in college basketball. Several from around the world of college hoops, such as Jeff Goodman of ESPN, shared in the excitement:

Texas jumped out to an early 11-2 lead before the Jayhawks woke up and started knocking down shots. A big three-point basket from Wayne Selden Jr. got Kansas into the flow of the game.

Greene had the hot hand in the first half. His three-point basket with 10:35 remaining in the first half tied the game at 15. The Jayhawks would take the lead shortly after that on a jump shot from Perry Ellis. 

Kansas' great ball control and consistent effort kept it ahead the rest of the half. It took a 32-30 lead into the intermission. 

The Longhorns came out with energy in the second half. Two free throws by Jonathan Holmes gave Texas a one-point lead. The advantage would grow to five points when Turner made a mid-range jumper at the 14:39 mark. 

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The home team looked as if it might be ready to seize control of the game, but the Jayhawks' scrappiness on defense and ball protection keyed a run. Greene burned Texas again from long range. His contested three from the wing capped an 8-0 run that gave Kansas a 47-44 lead.

It would never relinquish the advantage.

Alexander began to do work on the baseline. He was the beneficiary of his team's great decision-making to break down Texas' zone. The freshman from Chicago had 11 second-half points, including three monster slams.

Emily Van Buskirk of SportsWatch.com captured one of them in this tweet:

By now, we should be used to the big freshman throwing it down. Kansas Basketball has Alexander's unique stat line midway through the second half. He'd add another slam late.

It was a great team effort from the Jayhawks, but Alexander keyed the takeover in the final 20 minutes. 

Looking Ahead 

The win sent Kansas to 16-3 overall and 5-1 in the Big 12. Texas takes a tough home loss and falls to 14-5 overall and 3-3 in the conference. When March rolls around and seeding for the NCAA tournament is announced, losses like this one might be the reason Texas isn't seeded as high as it would like to be.

The schedule isn't about to get easier for the Longhorns. In fact, both teams play road games next. Kansas travels to Fort Worth, Texas, to take on the unranked TCU Horned Frogs on Wednesday. Texas hits the road for another tough conference game against the No. 9 Iowa St. Cyclones on Monday.

The Longhorns will have their hands full preventing a two-game losing streak.

Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter. Basketball is awesome.