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

If the Big 12 isn't the most talented conference in college basketball, it well could be the deepest—or the most exciting. Chaotic results and upstart squads have been a big part of the Big 12 this season, and not even the fortress that is Allen Fieldhouse could keep out the mayhem.

This time, chaos came in the form of the Texas Longhorns, on a three-game skid and losers of seven of their last 10. Led by point guard Isaiah Taylor, Texas engaged No. 8 Kansas in a competitive, back-and-forth affair, only to see the Jayhawks hold on to a thin late lead and come away with a 69-64 victory.

Perry Ellis was the main source of inspiration for Kansas on Saturday, notching 28 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks. He was the only workable option for much of the game, but the team did get solid late efforts from Frank Mason III and Kelly Oubre Jr., who finished with 12 and 15 points, respectively.

Orlin Wagner/Associated Press

After the game, Bill Self said, "We rode Perry as hard as we've ever ridden him and he played great. He's playing as well as anybody in the country right now," per The Associated Press (via ESPN).

Taylor finished with 17 points, eight assists and six rebounds in a fantastic all-around effort. Freshman forward Myles Turner popped up for 10 points and five blocks off the bench, while Demarcus Holland went 3-of-5 from beyond the arc and chipped in 15 points, well above his 7.0 average this season.

Aside from Ellis, Kansas had trouble scoring and rebounding inside consistently, likely missing the contributions of freshman Cliff Alexander, who was held out of the game due to eligibility issues, per ESPN College Basketball:

"

THIS JUST IN: Kansas Freshman Cliff Alexander won't play vs. Texas due to an NCAA issue, the school has announced. pic.twitter.com/9Kp0VOkVh8

— ESPN College BBall (@ESPNCBB) February 28, 2015"

ESPN Stats & Info relayed his importance to the squad:

Texas jumped out to an 8-5 lead after roughly five minutes, doing excellent work on the boards and throwing off Kansas' timing on defense. While it seemed the Jayhawks were missing Alexander's inside presence early on, they got a boost from a strong start by Oubre.

ESPN producer Jay Levy caught him making an excellent block on Texas' Cameron Ridley early on in the contest:

KUSports.com noted this game had the makings of a defensive battle early on:

Kansas got a spark courtesy of back-to-back thunderous dunks from Landen Lucas and Ellis to take a 9-8 lead. The jams certainly had the makings of momentum-builders, but Texas held tough and took a 12-11 lead into the second official TV timeout. 

Texas' poor shooting—it started 5-of-15—was mitigated by an early slew of three three-pointers. Holland was an early bright spot with five quick points off the bench in the first nine minutes.

Needing a dependable option on offense, the Jayhawks' attack soon evolved into the Perry Ellis Show. After notching his first points of the game on the alley-oop jam, Ellis would go on to score Kansas' next eight points, the last six coming on free throws, before taking a seat on the bench with his team up 17-15 near the 10-minute mark of the first half.

Kansas Basketball noted his early impact:

The Jayhawks would get a bit sloppy on defense at that point, allowing the 6'11" Turner to draw fouls and dominate inside with Alexander absent and Ellis on the bench. An easy Turner dunk would give Texas a 24-21 lead and force a timeout from a visibly upset Bill Self.

Stefan Scrafield of The Dallas Morning News noted the no-look assist from Taylor wasn't half bad, either:

Anytime Kansas appeared to come up with a momentum-swinging play in the first half, the Longhorns would stymie the attack and keep the game close. Prince Ibeh made his presence felt inside with two first-half blocks, while Turner and Ridley acquitted themselves well down low. The Longhorns totaled seven swats in the first half, making life difficult for every Kansas player other than Ellis. 

Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star pointed out Ellis has essentially been a lone soldier in the Kansas frontcourt lately:

Despite the excellence in the paint, no Texas player was better in the first half than Taylor, who dazzled on both ends, securing loose rebounds, driving for layups and making lightning-quick passes off the dribble.

SB Nation's Andy Hutchins wondered why more guards don't emulate Taylor's playing style:

He would finish the first half with seven points, five rebounds and five assists. 

The game's box score might have been an eyesore if both teams hadn't done so well from the charity stripe. Texas made 10 of 15 free throws in the first half, while Kansas hit 11 of its 13 attempts.

A back-and-forth first 20 minutes got a worthy exclamation point as Holland hit a bouncing, buzzer-beating three-pointer to give Texas a surprise 34-31 lead heading into the locker room. Kansas was 0-of-5 from downtown in the first half, further accentuating its need to get more production in the paint.

ESPN's Joe Lunardi took time to explain what a win would mean for Texas' NCAA tournament hopes, via ESPN College Basketball:

"

Texas leads No. 8 Kansas 34-31 at half. What would a win mean for the Longhorns? @ESPNLunardi explains #Bracketology: pic.twitter.com/9Bv5B3hTFy

— ESPN College BBall (@ESPNCBB) February 28, 2015"

Texas came out ice cold in the second half, missing its first seven shots from the floor. It was hardly the start it wanted, but Jayhawks mitigated the poor shooting with their still-sputtering offense.

Kansas' Wayne Selden Jr. recovered from a listless first half to score his team's first five points in the latter half, but his improved efforts weren't enough to put the Jayhawks in control. 

Orlin Wagner/Associated Press

Taylor and Javan Felix facilitated the Longhorns attack after a slow start, and Texas took a 42-38 lead into the first official TV timeout of the half. Turner kept the Texas block party going with three blocks in a nine-minute span, bringing the team's total to 10 on the day. Scott Stanford of the Lawrence Journal-World noted the strong play from the freshman:

Buckets from Ridley and Taylor would extend the Longhorns' lead to 48-42 by the next TV timeout, the largest advantage for either team up to that point.

Self did all he could to jump-start his team, including switching into a rare 3-2 zone, albeit briefly. The one and only remedy on offense for Kansas was Ellis, who did well to attack the basket and draw crucial fouls. 

Kansas broke through for a 56-54 lead on a three-pointer from Mason III, the team's first points from downtown in the game after seven misfires.

Oubre, a major defensive presence for the Jayhawks throughout the contest, finally got his offensive game going in the second half, providing Ellis with some much-needed help and allowing Kansas to take a 61-58 lead into a TV timeout with 3:13 remaining.

Holland, not known for his offense, notched his third trey of the game with 2:18 left to cut Kansas' lead to 62-61 and set up a nervy finish. Ellis would come right back with yet another bucket, and Kansas took advantage of a Texas turnover with a huge play, via Kansas Basketball:

The Longhorns' Kendal Yancy knocked down a clutch trey to cut the lead to two, forcing a timeout from Self. 

Ellis slipped and lost the ball on the Jayhawks' next possession, and a questionable foul call on Mason sent Taylor to the line for a one-and-one with 49 seconds remaining. Taylor would miss the first shot, and Kansas took possession.

Texas would tie up Kansas on the ensuing possession and take control of the ball, but its last-ditch effort would come up empty. Taylor drove hard into the lane and seemed to take a hit from Mason, but no foul was called, and Yancy was forced to send Oubre to the line at the other end of the court.

Ed Zurga/Getty Images

Oubre knocked down both free throws to give the Jayhawks a 68-64 lead with 6.1 seconds remaining. Texas would come up short on a harried three-point attempt, and Kansas would secure a 69-64 victory with a final Ellis free throw.

Kansas improves to 23-6 on the season and 12-4 in conference play. Texas' record now stands at 17-12 and 6-10 in the Big 12.

Texas will have to make a scintillating run in the Big 12 tournament if it is to have any hope of making March Madness. Four straight losses and a 6-10 conference record don't bode well for the team, and coach Rick Barnes will have to whip his talented yet inconsistent squad into shape.

It was another nail-biter for the Jayhawks, but the perseverance they displayed should serve them well in their next contest, a Tuesday matchup against West Virginia, who lost 78-66 to Baylor on Saturday.

The Mountaineers defeated Kansas in their last meeting in a wild finish, but the Jayhawks will have home-court advantage this time and should be able to come away with a favorable result.