Courtney Ramey, Kai Jones Shine as No. 8 Texas Routs No. 3 Kansas in 84-59 Upset

No. 8 Texas extended its winning streak to four games Saturday with an 84-59 road upset over No. 3 Kansas in a Big 12 clash at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas.

The Longhorns (8-1, 2-0) now sit atop the conference standings after a win over Oklahoma State to open Big 12 play, and they have a great chance to move inside the top five of the polls with the win over KU. Their only loss came against Villanova in early December.

Kansas (8-2, 2-1) had won eight straight contests since its season-opening loss to top-ranked Gonzaga. The Jayhawks have played one of the nation's hardest schedules, with six of their 10 games coming against opponents ranked inside the Top 25.

Notable Performances

G Courtney Ramey (TEX): 18 points

G Matt Coleman III (TEX): 13 points, six rebounds, six assists

G Andrew Jones (TEX): 14 points, seven rebounds

F Kai Jones (TEX): 12 points, five rebounds

F Jericho Sims (TEX): 11 points, 12 rebounds

F Jalen Wilson (KU): 20 points, seven rebounds

G Ochai Agbaji (KU): 11 points, five rebounds

Kai Jones' Potential Starting To Shine Through For UT

Jones was an afterthought for most of his first season in Austin, averaging 3.6 points across 27 appearances, and he's remained a secondary contributor early in his sophomore campaign. His progress at the offensive end of the floor is starting to become more evident, though.

The Bahamas native's performance against Kansas was best encapsulated by a 35-second stretch of play late in the first half.

It started with his seventh made three-pointer of the season, which matched the total from his entire freshman season, and finished with him taking the ball at the top of the key, driving all the way to the rim and finishing a contested layup.

That's a strong two-possession burst for any player in the country, but when you consider it came from a 6'11'' forward, you can start to grasp Jones' really promising upside.

Texas had four players entering Saturday's game averaging over 11 points, so it's no surprise Shaka Smart has continued to bring Jones off the bench. It's the best opportunity for meaningful offensive touches when he does see the floor.

Yet, by the time March Madness rolls around, it might be difficult to keep the emerging frontcourt talent around 20 minutes per game. He's learning to impact the game in more ways, and his combination of size and athleticism gives him a chance to become a matchup nightmare.

Kansas got a taste of the problems Jones can create Saturday as part of Texas' most complete performance of the season to date. The Longhorns are a legitimate championship threat.

Kansas' Defensive Concerns Rising Again After Loss

The Jayhawks allowed an eye-popping 102 points in their loss to Gonzaga in late November. It was an immediate warning sign, but the fact that it was the first game of the season and knowing the Zags are the nation's top team prevented a full-on panic.

Kansas has for the most part played much better defensively since that defeat, including back-to-back strong outings in their wins over the Red Raiders and Mountaineers prior to the holiday break.

Those defensive questions are going to pop back up after the Longhorns shot 49.2 percent from the field and knocked down 12 threes on Saturday, though.

KU is by no measure a bad defensive team—it entered the day seventh in adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom—but it's now struggled twice to contain elite opponents with deep scoring groups.

That's something that at least warrants attention for a team with championship aspirations. In both cases, once the opponent got hot the Jayhawks were unable to alter anything defensively to slow them down, a possible issue when it comes to the NCAA tournament.

It's something for Bill Self and his coaching staff to work on with five more games against teams currently ranked inside the top 10 left on Kansas' regular-season schedule.

What's Next?

Both teams are back in action Tuesday as Big 12 play continues to ramp up.

Texas welcomes Iowa State to the Frank Erwin Center for an 8 p.m. ET tip on the Longhorn Network. Kansas travels to Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena to face TCU in a 10 p.m. start on ESPN.