Kansas men’s basketball loses at home against Kentucky in Big 12/SEC Challenge

LAWRENCE — Kansas men’s basketball’s winning streak ended Saturday with a 80-62 loss at home against Kentucky.

Here are a few takeaways from the Jayhawks (17-3, 6-1 in Big 12 Conference) loss in the Big 12/SEC Challenge against the Wildcats (17-4, 6-2 in Southeastern Conference).

Kentucky established itself quickly

What went well for Kansas didn’t happen often early enough for head coach Bill Self’s team inside Allen Fieldhouse. A sign in the student section that read, “KU>UK,” didn’t hold up much through those first 20 minutes. Halftime very well could have come as a welcome break for a Jayhawks squad that went back to the locker room down 20 points, 51-31.

It wasn’t as if Kentucky forward Oscar Tshiebwe controlled the game, although he often found success against just about anyone Kansas put on him. The Jayhawks simply didn’t defend well enough to contest enough of the Wildcats’ looks, or keep the visitors out of the paint effectively. Too often Kansas took ill-advised looks offensively, at times seemingly to Self’s dismay.

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Ochai Agbaji can’t be the hero every game

Kansas senior guard Ochai Agbaji had played the part of the hero for Kansas each of the past two games. He hit the go-ahead shot against Kansas State on the road, and then at home hit a 3-pointer to help force a second overtime against Texas Tech. In a nationally-anticipated matchup against Kentucky, one may have expected another high-profile performance from someone who’s potentially going to be the player of the year.

Defensively, by no means was Agbaji an issue for the Jayhawks who made matters worse. But offensively, he wasn’t the savior Kansas needed in a game like this where it was struggling to hit shots and get to the free-throw line. Agbaji finished with 13 points, going 4-for-14 from the field, and didn’t see many of his teammates pose much of a threat offensively.

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It wasn’t just Oscar Tshiebwe, who caused Kansas problems

Tshiebwe finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds, yes. On a national stage, he showed why he was receiving the recognition coming his way. He figures to continue to be a part of the national conversation for player of the year alongside Agbaji.

But Kansas had as much trouble, if not more, trying to handle Wildcats junior forward Keion Brooks Jr. Brooks went for 27 points and eight rebounds, while going 9-for-10 from the free-throw line and not committing any turnovers. Kentucky did not beat Kansas from behind the arc, and because of Brooks and Tshiebwe didn’t need to do so.

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas basketball loses to Kentucky at Allen Fieldhouse