The Jayhawks, now a pedestrian 21-12, were going to hold that underdog designation a) only if they won Thursday in the Big 12 quarterfinals against Wildcats and b) because they had backed into their current plight to begin with.

Henri Veesaar and KJ Lewis scored 19 points apiece and Arizona pulled away late to beat Kansas 88-77 in a Big 12 Conference Tournament quarterfinal at T-Mobile Center.

Instead, the No. 6-seeded Jayhawks wilted in an 88-77 loss at T-Mobile Center. A prime example came when Kansas trailed by five with 4:06 left. Kansas turned the ball over on two straight possessions and eventually lost another winnable game.