Kansas vs. Texas: Score, Highlights, Reaction from 2016 Regular Season

The No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks ruined the No. 23 Texas Longhorns' senior night Monday with an 86-56 victory at the Frank Erwin Center.

With the win, the Jayhawks clinched the Big 12 regular-season title. This is the 12th year in a row that they have earned at least a share of the championship.

The Jayhawks' official Twitter account celebrated the wire-to-wire victory:

In what may have been a good omen, ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe showed off the Jayhawks' 11 prior rings just before tipoff:

Kansas never trailed in the contest after jumping ahead 15-0. Starting power forward Landen Lucas had four blocks during the hot start and finished with five to go along with eight points and eight rebounds.

Matt Tait of the Lawrence Journal-World was impressed by the junior's early effort:

Another hot start belonged to senior Perry Ellis, who scored 15 points in the first half for the Jayhawks after averaging 16.1 per game coming into the contest. He finished the night with 20 points, four assists and four rebounds.

Rob Dauster of College Basketball Talk noted the forward was able to do whatever he wanted underneath the basket early in the game:

Here's a look at what he was referring to as Kansas jumped out to a 19-point lead with less than nine minutes to go before halftime, via the Big 12 Conference (h/t Kansas Basketball):

Texas never made a run in the first half, only getting as close as nine after the initial 15-0 run. The Jayhawks ended the half on a 6-0 run to take a 47-23 lead into the locker room. Myron Medcalf of ESPN.com noted that the rout was on:

Texas didn't suffer the same beatdown in the second half, but the game was never in question. The Jayhawks played well in nearly every facet of the game, but their shooting made the biggest difference.

Kansas connected on 64 percent of its shots, while Texas made only 30.2. The Jayhawks also hit 11 of 16 shots from three-point range and had 16 assists, compared to Texas' three.

Tait summed up the game as the Jayhawks grew their lead to 31 about halfway through the second half:

There wasn't much to say. In addition to Ellis' and Lucas' big nights, sophomore point guard Devonte' Graham had 13 points on 3-of-4 shooting from downtown, while junior point guard Frank Mason III finished with 14 points and six assists.

Senior Jamari Traylor had eight points, including this dunk, via the Big 12 Conference (h/t Kansas Basketball) which gave the Jayhawks a 65-34 lead with 13:11 left in the game:

Traylor wasn't done punishing the rim, as he threw down this monster alley-oop for the Jayhawks' next two points, via ESPN College BBall:

"

"Oh myyy gooooodness! He went to the 3rd floor!" https://t.co/JfvQ3Hda8q

— ESPN College BBall (@ESPNCBB) March 1, 2016"

Senior guard Javan Felix led Texas with 13 points, while senior center Prince Ibeh grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds. No other Longhorns player scored in double figures.

The Jayhawks have won 10 games in a row and will head home for their senior night Saturday against the Iowa State Cyclones. ESPN's Joe Lunardi projected them as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament coming into Monday's game.

After Monday's performance, they should have the inside track for the No. 1 overall seed. Doug Gottlieb of CBS Sports Radio seems to think they deserve it:

Texas, under first-year head coach Shaka Smart, fell to 10-7 in the conference, but should still safely be in the NCAA tournament. Lunardi had the Longhorns as a No. 5 seed, but the home loss will likely drop them.

They need to forget about this game as they head on the road Friday to take on a struggling Oklahoma State Cowboys team that is just 3-14 in conference play. Texas has the talent to win that contest and end the season on a high note.

The Jayhawks have a chance to end the season on as high of a note as anyone else in the country Saturday if they can win their 40th straight game at Allen Field House, where head coach Bill Self is 205-9 in his career.

Postgame Reaction

Self and the Jayhawks were all smiles immediately following the game, per Kansas basketball:

He was happy with his team's effort, especially in the first half, per the Associated Press (via ESPN.com): "For 20-25 minutes, that was about as well as we can play," Self said. "We talked about we don't want to share anything."

Graham was all business after the game, per Kansas Basketball: "We wanted to come out and win it outright," he said.

They did just that and accomplished a goal that was set at the beginning of the season. 

On the other side, Smart said his team did not play as expected following a big win over the Oklahoma Sooners just two days prior, per Travis Recek of Austin’s Time Warner Cable News:

Felix said his team failed to execute, per the AP: "I don't think we were overwhelmed," he said. "We didn't defend well. We missed some shots...you can't do that against a team like that." 

Kansas rarely seemed to miss, and Self enjoyed watching it play out, according to the AP: "We're not going to be like this every night, but the guys had fun," Self said.