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.

Kansas basketball’s players had to come to terms Thursday with a Big 12 Conference tournament loss against Arizona. Here’s what some of them said.

Still, the Wildcats were able to take the Jayhawks’ punch and respond, forcing Kansas into several turnovers late in the second half. After a Hunter Dickinson layup cut the Arizona lead to 70-69 with 5:43 remaining, the Wildcats closed the game on a 18-8 run to win by double-figures.

After 45 exhausting, exhilarating minutes of basketball on Wednesday night, the Kansas Jayhawks have just 21 hours to prepare for their quarterfinal matchup against the third-seeded Arizona Wildcats. Thankfully for Kansas, there’s a definite familiarity to the matchup with the Wildcats.