Historic loss by No. 23 Kansas a troubling omen for team's March prospects

The Kansas Jayhawks hit a new low on Tuesday night. It could be a troubling sign for their future.

No. 23 Kansas (17-9, 8-7 in Big 12) fell at unranked BYU (18-8, 9-6 in Big 12), 91-57.

The 34-point defeat was the worst loss by a ranked Kansas team against an unranked opponent in program history. The Jayhawks previously set the low mark last season in a 79-50 loss on Feb. 12, 2024 at Texas Tech, via Stathead.

A year ago, the Jayhawks, who spent the season's first three weeks at No. 1 before ending the year No. 19, lost by 20 to Cincinnati in their Big 12 Tournament opener.

Kansas then lost to Gonzaga, 89-68, on the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, failing to reach the Sweet 16 for the second consecutive season after winning the national title in 2022.

This year's squad could be headed toward a similar fate. Kansas also began the season at No. 1 before falling outside the Top 20 on Monday.

The Jayhawks have struggled to find consistent offense, entering Tuesday ranked No. 125 in scoring (76 points per game). 

They don't have much in the way of a three-point attack, ranking 278th in three-point attempts per game (20.5). Despite being one of the country's top teams in two-point tries (41 per game), it hasn't translated to an increase in trips to the line, with Kansas No. 350 (out of 364 programs) in free-throw attempts per game.

Per KenPom, Kansas ranks sixth in defensive efficiency. But as Tuesday night showed, when a team gets hot, the Jayhawks don't have a dynamic enough offense to keep pace.

BYU made 14 threes and shot 51.5 percent from the court while holding Kansas to 36.5 percent.

Kansas is 3-5 in its last eight games and still has games against No. 9 Texas Tech (20-6, 11-4 in Big 12), No. 5 Houston (22-4, 14-1 in Big 12) and No. 19 Arizona (18-8, 12-3 in Big 12) remaining on its regular-season schedule.

Per ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi, Kansas is a projected 5-seed but trending downward. The lower it falls before Selection Sunday, the more difficult Kansas' potential second-round match will be, increasing the likelihood of another early March exit.

Tuesday's blowout loss was only one game, but it could represent so much more.