The Cougars were the best team in the regular season, and it wasn’t close. But can they win three games in three days in Kansas City?

Kansas Basketball dropped another close conference matchup on Monday, this time to No. 3 Houston 65-59. But the stat sheet was nowhere near as close as the actual score - sort of. Kansas actually won the statistical battle in several ways,

Analyzing Monday’s Kansas at Houston odds and lines, with college basketball expert picks, predictions and best bets.

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Recently crowned Big 12 regular season champ Houston is heavily favored in a rematch of a double-overtime win over Kansas back in January.

Kansas, which was ranked No. 1 to start the season, struggled late in the conference schedule but won on Sunday against No. 24 Arizona.

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.

“Senior Night you’ve got to have effort. We’ve got a lot of seniors and had a streak to take care of,” KU senior point guard Dajuan Harris said after the Jayhawks’ 83-76 victory over the Wildcats. The victory extended KU’s Senior Day win streak to 42 games.

The only hope ASU basketball has to advance to the postseason is to win the conference tournament, which begins Tuesday.

The Jayhawks fell just short against the Cougars due to turnover woes and struggles on the defensive glass. These three numbers told the story.