Coming off the heels of a 45-minute game the night before, the Jayhawks hit a wall in the final five minutes in the Big 12 Quarterfinals against Arizona. Kansas managed just three field goals over the final 5:42, being outscored 18-8 over that stretch.

Kansas' core four starters—Hunter Dickinson, KJ Adams, Zeke Mayo, and Dajuan Harris—played an average of 36.5 minutes per game over the Jayhawks’ two games in the Big 12 Tournament. Tired legs were a likely factor in the Jayhawks’ failure to finish the game against Arizona. The Jayhawks shot 3/10 over the final stretch with a lot of shots being threes that fell short, as well as not being able to keep up with the Wildcats on the defensive end.

“It can be tough, but you’ve got to push through it,” Dickinson said in the locker room postgame. “Especially in this NIL era now where you’re getting paid to play, you gotta push through it like professional athletes do.”

Mayo said fatigue definitely caught up to him. After going on an absurd hot streak of four straight made threes to help Kansas get back into the game, he missed all three of his attempts in the final 5:42. Mayo said despite maybe being fatigued, you can’t make excuses.

“It’s tough when you’re coming off a tough one like last night, but there’s no excuse for that,” Mayo said. “We’ve got to figure out a way to grind these types of games out and come out with a win.”

Harris played 36 and 38 minutes in back-to-back games. He drew tough defensive assignments against Darius Johnson and Caleb Love, and looked a step slow in on-ball defense at times. Harris said Arizona wanted it more at the end of the game.

You can't make excuses, especially against teams like that,” Harris said. “You've got to play hard to the finish line. Arizona clearly wanted it more.”

Adams has been the leading energizer for the Jayhawks throughout his Kansas career. He enjoys long, grind-it-out games, and fun fuels him even when he might be tired. Adams said Kansas has to find that energy within itself.

“It’s March. You’ve gotta find that 10 and 20% [extra] and try to just give it all you’ve got at that point,” Adams said.

The end of Kansas’ Big 12 Tournament run means it can turn the page toward March Madness. The Jayhawks will face a similar short turnaround if they win their first round game, and their experience this week can help prepare them for future situations.

“It’ll be great preparation for us,” Dickinson said. “We gotta try to continue to recover the best we can if we’re fortunate enough to play another game in the first weekend… If we can put a team away the first game, do that instead of having to go to overtime.”