KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Interstat) — Houston avenged a regular-season loss with a commanding 69-47 victory over Kansas in a Big 12 Conference men’s basketball tournament game Friday night at T-Mobile Center. The top-seeded Cougars (28-5) never trailed, leading 33-25 at halftime before pulling away before a crowd of 19,450. Kingston Flemings led Houston with 21 points. Chris Cenac added 17 points. Kansas (23-10) was led by Darryn Peterson’s 14 points but struggled offensively throughout. The Jayhawks’ season likely hinges on an NCAA Tournament at-large bid. Houston advances to face Arizona on Saturday.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Interstat) — In a rematch of a regular-season clash from just three weeks prior, the Houston Cougars delivered a decisive and emphatic statement, overwhelming the Kansas Jayhawks 69-47 in a Big 12 Conference men’s basketball game Friday night at T-Mobile Center. The victory, witnessed by a crowd of 19,450, avenged a home loss to Kansas in February and showcased a Houston defense that was suffocating from the opening tip. The Cougars improved to 28-5 overall, while Kansas, which had won six of its last seven entering the contest, fell to 23-10. The most critical phase of the game was its outset. Houston established a defensive tone that would define the entire evening, forcing Kansas into a series of early miscues and poor shots. The Jayhawks managed just two points through the game’s first five minutes, missing seven of their first eight field goal attempts and committing three turnovers. Meanwhile, Houston’s offense, led by the sharp shooting of guard Kingston Flemings, capitalized. A steal and assist by Flemings led to a Chris Cenac dunk, and moments later, Milos Uzan and Flemings connected on consecutive three-pointers to push the Cougars to a 10-2 lead, forcing a Kansas timeout before the first media break. Kansas never recovered from that initial onslaught. The Jayhawks’ offensive struggles were profound and persistent. They shot a dismal percentage from the floor and from three-point range, unable to find any consistent rhythm against Houston’s relentless pressure. Darryn Peterson led Kansas with 14 points, but he needed 14 shots to get there. Beyond Peterson, only reserve Kohl Rosario, with eight points, provided a brief spark. Houston, conversely, operated with efficiency and balance. Flemings, a guard from San Antonio, Texas, was the catalyst, scoring a game-high 21 points in 31 minutes, adding three assists and two steals. His backcourt mate, Emanuel Sharp, chipped in nine points and three assists, but it was the interior presence of Chris Cenac that proved equally devastating. The 6-foot-11 forward from New Orleans scored 17 points, repeatedly punishing Kansas in the paint and from the perimeter, and anchoring a defense that blocked five shots and altered countless others. The Cougars took a 33-25 lead into halftime and extinguished any lingering hope of a Kansas comeback immediately after the break. They opened the second half on a 12-2 run, a stretch that included another three-pointer from Sharp and a layup by Flemings. That surge ballooned the lead to 45-27, and the margin never dipped below 16 points the rest of the way. Houston’s lead peaked at 22 points in the final minutes as both teams emptied their benches. The game was a stark reversal of the teams’ meeting on Feb. 23 in Lawrence, where Kansas prevailed 69-56. In that contest, the Jayhawks controlled the tempo. On Friday, Houston dictated every facet, outperforming pregame expectations as a 5.5-point favorite and easily surpassing the projected total score. For Kansas, the loss snapped a brief positive streak and highlighted ongoing offensive inconsistencies that have plagued them at times this season. The Jayhawks’ previous game was a narrow win over Texas Christian, but they were thoroughly outclassed by a Houston team playing with clear purpose and defensive intensity. Houston’s comprehensive performance served notice as the postseason approaches. Their defense, ranked among the nation’s best, was in peak form, and their offense generated enough firepower from multiple sources to turn the game into a rout. The Cougars will look to carry this momentum forward, while Kansas must regroup quickly, the memory of this defensive clinic likely fresh in their minds as they prepare for their next challenge.

Preview: Kansas vs. Houston in Big 12 Showdown KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Interstat) — A high-stakes rematch with conference title implications is set for Friday night when the Kansas Jayhawks face the Houston Cougars in a men’s NCAA Division I basketball game at T-Mobile Center. The clash, scheduled for March 13, 2026, pits two of the Big 12’s top teams in a neutral-site showdown just before postseason play begins. Houston (27-5) enters as the favorite, boasting a superior overall record and the nation’s top-ranked defense. Kansas (23-9) seeks to replicate its result from less than three weeks ago, when it handed the Cougars one of their most decisive losses of the season, 69-56, in Lawrence on Feb. 23. That defeat remains fresh for Houston, which has since won four straight, including a 73-66 victory over BYU on Thursday. The Cougars are projected as heavy favorites by analytics, with National Statistical’s ELO system giving them a 79.30% probability to win. Their success hinges on a stifling defensive scheme that will aim to contain Kansas star Darryn Peterson. Peterson, a dynamic guard, is coming off a 24-point performance in a 78-73 win over TCU on Thursday. He scored 14 in the earlier win over Houston and has averaged 22.4 points over his last eight games. His offensive burst will be critical for a Jayhawks squad that has shown inconsistency, alternating wins and losses in its last six outings. Houston will counter with forward Joseph Tugler, a key interior presence. Tugler was limited to four points in the loss at Kansas but has been impactful during the winning streak, averaging 12.5 points and 2.5 blocks over the last four games. His defensive role against Kansas center Flory Bidunga, who had 13 points and three blocks against TCU, will be pivotal. While the venue in Kansas City offers a pro-Jayhawks crowd, Houston’s relentless pressure and efficient offense, which produced a 102-point outing against Colorado last week, present a formidable challenge. The Cougars lead the all-time series 3-2 since the programs became conference foes. Friday’s result will significantly impact seeding for the upcoming Big 12 and NCAA tournaments, adding another chapter to this burgeoning conference rivalry.