The unranked Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball team showed glimpses of why coach Bill Self still believes in his squad as the Big 12 Tournament approaches.

Glimpses, but not a victory.

A mind-numbing procession of turnovers and poor overall offense doomed KU, which held its own for 39 minutes in an ESPN Big Monday showdown before falling 65-59 at No. 3 Houston inside the Fertitta Center.

The Jayhawks’ mistakes caught up to them and KU’s late-game execution left much to be desired — a common theme this season. The result was another winnable game lost.

The Jayhawks (19-11, 10-9 Big 12) have lost two straight and Houston (26-4, 18-1) swept the teams’ season series.

KU’s nine conference losses are the most for the program since the 1982-83 season, when the Jayhawks lost 10 times in league play.

Center Hunter Dickinson finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds against the Cougars on Monday. KU forward KJ Adams added 15 points.

Houston went into halftime leading 30-27 behind LJ Cryer’s 19 points. The Jayhawks would take the lead in the second half but fail to gain separation.

KU’s David Coit hit a 3-pointer to get the Jayhawks within 2 (61-59) with 20 seconds left, but Houston’s Emanuel Sharp hit both free throws after getting fouled. On the next possession, KU’s Dajuan Harris turned the ball over.

Kansas fouled, but Houston’s Cryer sealed the outcome by hitting a pair of free throws.

Up next: KU plays host to Arizona at Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday for senior night. It’s also the last game of the regular season.

Until then, here are three takeaways from KU’s loss at Houston:

KU’s defense keeps the Jayhawks in the game

The Jayhawks entered Monday’s game ranked No. 5 nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency.

KU held the No. 8-ranked Cougars’ offense to 31% shooting from the field in the second half. KU’s defense forced the Cougars to take difficult shots and allowed just one player (Cryer) to score more than one point.

It was one of the best showings in a half by KU, even though the Cougars shot 17 more attempts (39 to KU’s 22) in the first half.

The Jayhawks’ defense remained stingy in the second half. Houston finished the night shooting 35.3% from the field.

KU’s Zeke Mayo and Dajuan Harris struggle on offense

KU starters Zeke Mayo and Dajuan Harris are definitely enduring a cold stretch. And their struggles continued against the Cougars.

The pair combined for two points on 1-for-3 shooting from the field in the first half.

Their struggles represent a worrying trend for Kansas. The duo combined for 11 points on 4-for-14 shooting (28.6%) vs. Texas Tech, with six combined turnovers.

Perhaps most troubling, both guards went five halves without hitting a 3-pointer until Mayo made one in the second half of Monday night’s game.

Mayo finished with seven points, Harris two. They also combined for eight more turnovers, including a few costly ones late in the game.

Turnovers and rebounding issues

The Jayhawks had multiple opportunities to take control of this game at Houston.

Instead, the Jayhawks seemed to commit a back-breaking turnover whenever they had a chance.

Kansas had 20 turnovers to Houston’s six. The Cougars turned KU’s turnovers into 18 points.

In addition, the Jayhawks struggled mightily on the offensive glass. Houston had a 12-rebound advantage (17-5) there.

The Cougars also scored 11 second-chance points and put up 26 more shot attempts than KU.

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