KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After the dramatics of the Arizona-Iowa State game, Kansas and Houston had a lot to live up to in the other Big 12 Men’s Tournament semifinal on Friday at T-Mobile Center.
Houston was the only one that showed up. The No. 2 Cougars defeated the No. 3 Jayhawks, 69-47, to set up a championship game rematch on Saturday with the Wildcats. Houston beat Arizona last year to win the Big 12 Tournament title.
Houston played well. Kansas was atrocious. The Jayhawks never led in a game that was only tied for 1:10.
Here are the takeaways from the game.
Chris Cenac Shines
I’ve been impressed with Houston forward Chris Cenac’s growth all season. While several other freshmen have been brilliant almost from the jump, he’s gradually grown into an indispensable player for the Cougars. Every time I watch him play, some little improvement stands out.
On Friday it was how he put everything together to help Houston build its eight-point halftime lead. He was the catalyst for it, as he scored 15 first-half points. He showed off his extended range with a trio of 3-pointers. He grabbed seven rebounds and played 15 minutes. He also stayed out of foul trouble, something he was less adept at in the second half.
“I just knew they were going to sag off because that’s what they did last time,” Cenac said. “Coach said ‘Shoot with confidence and when I’m open let it fly.’”
Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson said Cenac’s worth ethic was among the best on the team and said his dependability is one of his best traits.
“Nobody works harder than Chris,” he said. “Chris never has a bad practice, his attitude never wavers and he’s an easy player to coach.”
The scoring abated in the second half as he finished with 17 points, one point shy of tying his career high. But he kept crashing the glass, finishing with 14 rebounds. He also blocked a shot.
His game isn’t explosive but it’s undeniably fundamental. He’s a leaner version of J’Wan Roberts, though he’s not nearly as mature as the forward was at the end of his career. What Roberts did well was, well, everything. His well-rounded game was the perfect fit not only for Houston’s overall system but for the players around him.
Cenac has a better touch from outside and has the capability of being more explosive offensively. His game bodes well for an extended run in March for the Cougars. If he levels up in the NCAAs, it’s going to be a fun ride. Looking down the road, he could be Houston’s dominant player next season.
Kansas, Who Are You?
The weirdness of this season for the Jayhawks continues. I’m not surprised that Kansas lost. I picked Houston to win. But with 7:28 left in the game the Jayhawks had shot 21%. It doesn’t really matter that the Jayhawks held their own with the Cougars in just about every other major stat category. If the field goal percentage is below 30% in a game in this conference, good luck. Kansas finished at 25%.
“They get off to a good start, and we were playing catch up and we never had offense the entire game,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “I actually thought we tried defensively for the most part the entire game. But certainly, if you can’t score it puts you in a hole and certainly, we were in a hole tonight.”
But, then again, Kansas may be used to this in facing Houston, per Evan Miyakawa of EvanMiya.com.
So, if you thought you had Kansas figured out after the win over UCF, you were wrong. This is the weirdest Kansas team I’ve seen in the time I’ve covered this conference. There’s just no consistency. One game this team looks like world-beaters. The next game it looks like the world sat on them. There is no in between.
The Jayhawks will make the NCAA Tournament. How far they get will not depend on the matchup. It will depend on which version of Kansas shows up. And Kansas coach Bill Self doesn’t know which version will show up any more than you do.
Maybe it’s Houston North?
This week there has been a lot of discourse about the location of the Big 12 Tournament. It’s under contract in Kansas City until 2031, but many of our western fans — notably Arizona and Utah — would like the conference tournament moved. Iowa State calls it Hilton South for good reason. Kansas fans have every right to call it Lawrence East if they wish (I don’t know if they actually do that).
But, doesn’t Houston have the best case of any new Big 12 team to move the tournament to where the Cougars want it? I mean …
In three seasons in the Big 12 the Cougars are 95-15 with a 48-8 conference record. Houston has won two Big 12 regular season titles and finished second the other season. Houston has won a Big 12 Tournament title and has reached the tournament championship game the other two seasons.
If any of the new teams has earned the right to dictate where the conference tournament should be, it’s Houston. I mean, the Big 12 isn’t going to move it. But if there’s a queue to mutiny, get in line behind the Cougars.
