HOUSTON — Kansas basketball wrapped up its 2023-24 regular season Saturday with a 76-46 road loss against Houston in Big 12 Conference play.

Here are a few takeaways from the No. 15 Jayhawks (22-9, 10-8 in Big 12) defeat against the No. 1 Cougars (28-3, 15-3 in Big 12):

A rough, rough start

It was well into the first half that Kansas finally reached double-digits scoring. The Jayhawks struggled in all areas early, but that became the most glaring. That they were down 19 points seemed to be something worth being thankful for.

Kansas appeared to be more engaged in the second half, while its starters were still playing, but it didn’t matter. Houston went on to win by 30. The Cougars played like the Big 12 champions they are, while the Jayhawks didn’t.

Turnovers loom large

Kansas turned the ball over 18 times by the time the game ended, and allowed 30 points off of those miscues. On the other side, Houston turned the ball over 10 times and allowed 10 points off of them. Among the many things that stood out in the Jayhawks’ loss against the Cougars, this seemed to be the most glaring.

Houston shot better from the field and the free-throw line than Kansas did. The Cougars certainly enjoyed a home-court advantage. But this escalated to more than that late in part because of the turnover issue.

Now it’s time for the Big 12 tournament

Kansas is still a team that’s capable of winning the Big 12 tournament. The Jayhawks have shown earlier this season they are capable of beating a team like Houston. Titles are still in front of them, if they’re able to step up and grab them.

A loss like this, though, does affect the team’s momentum heading into postseason play. Whatever was gained from the rivalry win against Kansas State earlier in the week, appears to have been lost. If someone is listing out favorites to win the Big 12 tournament at this point, Kansas likely isn't one of those teams.

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Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas basketball lost its regular season finale, and it wasn't close