There's no place like (Kansas') home

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Good morning! Let’s dive into what mattered Monday in college hoops.

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1. Kansas remains unbeatable on Big Monday

Allen Fieldhouse on Big Monday. Bill Self on the sidelines. It remains an unbeatable combo. Houston coach Kelvin Sampson will attest to that after No. 14 Kansas handed No. 5 Houston a 69-56 loss. The Cougars haven’t lost a game by that much since a Feb. 3 loss at Kansas in 2024.

"Same old, same old. I've been here many times. This is one of the great cathedrals, great fan bases, in all of basketball,” Sampson said.

With the win, Kansas improved to 41-0 on Big Monday under Self, and has won 62 consecutive Monday home games. The average win margin in those games, per CBS Sports? 19.1 points.

More remarkable, the Jayhawks have been home underdogs three times this season, all to AP Top 5 teams. They beat No. 2 Iowa State by 21, handed No. 1 Arizona its first loss, and beat Houston by 13. At one point, Houston (23-5, 11-4 in Big 12) was down by 18 points, its largest deficit of the season.

Houston’s now lost three consecutive games for the first time since 2017. Those losses: at Iowa State, vs. Arizona and at Kansas, the toughest three-game stretch for any team this season.

Kansas (21-7, 11-4) bounced back from a loss to Cincinnati by holding Houston to 32% from the field and just .86 points per possession (it’s least efficient game since ‘24). Sophomore big man Flory Bidunga had just four points, but Self credited him with controlling the game through his defense.

The Jayhawks got a season-high 23 points from Tre White, who’d been cold from the perimeter most of the month, but hit 3-of-4 beyond the arc. Darryn Peterson added 14 points on 14 shots, but also played 30 minutes. He relished the home environment.

It was the type of performance that showed Kansas’ ceiling. Self said the inconsistency can still be resolved by March.

It’ll get a chance to test that on Saturday when it travels to Arizona.

2. Trimble carries Heels past Louisville + more results

Seth Trimble hit the big shot in North Carolina’s win over Duke earlier this month. He hit a ton of them in Monday night’s 77-74 win over No. 24 Louisville.

The senior guard scored a career-high 30 points, including two key free throws with 12.3 seconds left. Trimble was 11-of-16 from the field, grabbed four boards and also had four assists. It was like he channeled Caleb Wilson, who reportedly will return from his wrist injury for the regular-season finale at Duke.

“Seth was huge for us tonight on both ends of the floor. He had the responsibility of guarding (Mikel) Brown, and what a responsibility that is,” coach Hubert Davis said. “But against their defense — they’re long, they’re athletic, very versatile — you have to find ways to be able to break down their defense and be able to consistently score. Seth was our guy.”

The Heels (22-6, 10-5 in ACC) needed every bit of that performance, too.

UNC opened the second half with a 17-2 run, and led by 16 points, but Louisville (20-8, 9-6) wouldn’t away. Ryan Conwell (23 points) and Mikel Brown Jr. (24 points) combined for 10 3-pointers and helped the Cards climb back over the final 10 minutes, but couldn’t get it done. Louisville’s now 1-11 in Quad 1A games under coach Pat Kelsey, and hasn’t beaten a ranked team on the road since 2020.

Other notable Monday results:

New Orleans 77, Stephen F. Austin: Coleton Benson scored 30 points as the Privateers (14-15, 12-8 in Southland) pulled off the night’s biggest upset. SFA (25-4, 18-2) had won 13 in a row entering Monday, but lost at home.

McNeese 75, UTRGV 68: Larry Johnson scored 20 points and had eight rebounds as the Cowboys (24-5, 17-3 in Southland) moved to within one game of SFA.

Nicholls 53, Lamar 52: Trae English scored 18 points, including the game-winner for the Colonels (12-17, 11-9 in Southland).

3. Jobs coming open, names to know and more

The coaching carousel has already started, but there just aren’t as many moveable high-major head coaches, and guys with strong resumes aren’t nearly as prevalent as they once were. Saint Louis’ Josh Schertz and Utah State’s Jerrod Calhoun will likely be the two names you hear the most in this cycle.

Here are the jobs likely to open, coaches who should get another year and also the top candidates that are expected to be in play. This doesn’t include Kansas City, which already filled a vacancy with former Maryland coach Mark Turgeon.

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