Julian Hammond III certainly wasn’t complaining. He simply was asked a question, and after a standout performance ended in yet another loss for the Colorado men’s basketball team, the combination of frustration and brutal honesty was understandable.

Hammond had just knocked down more 3-pointers than in any of his previous 110 games with the Buffaloes. Yet instead of leading an upset victory against a ranked foe, a moment many CU seniors before him have enjoyed at the Events Center, Hammond’s senior season team slid further into the wrong sort of history.

With Saturday’s 69-59 defeat against No. 5 Houston, the Buffs remained winless in the Big 12 at 0-12. The 12-game losing streak has tied the second-longest within a season in team history. In an injury-shortened season last year, Hammond was on the floor for just seven losses. At 9-14 overall, that total already has doubled this season.

While the Buffs certainly will have their chances, Hammond might be facing the very real possibility of never experiencing a Big 12 win before his career winds down. After going toe-to-toe with the fifth-ranked Cougars, the Buffs hit the road to visit No. 16 Kansas on Tuesday (7 p.m., ESPN2).

“Obviously, it’s frustrating losing games,” Hammond said. “We’ve lost 12 in a row now. It is hard. Whether you want to say it or not, it is hard to stay positive at all times. But we know we still have eight more games here and the conference tournament. We have something to look forward to. Just because we lost (Saturday) doesn’t mean that we don’t play Kansas on Tuesday. So we just have to move on. We’ve got to come ready to practice and just be ready to go.”

Hammond has moved into the program’s top 30 in steals (30th, with 85) and the top 25 in assists, currently in a tie with another Denver native, Dominique Collier, at No. 24 with 221. He is on pace to finish in the top 25 in games played.

Hammond’s 5-for-7 mark from the arc against Houston ended a 1-for-10 run from long range over the previous three games. His personal slump snapped, Hammond is hoping a hot streak can do the same for the team. While CU certainly won’t concede anything to the Jayhawks, odds are the Buffs will look to avoid matching the longest losing streak in program history when struggling Central Florida — losers of four in a row and six of seven going into a Tuesday matchup against No. 8 Iowa State — visits Boulder on Saturday.

“There’s times during the season — and I think we’re at one of those times right now — where you can play better, you can get better, and still not win a game,” CU head coach Tad Boyle said. “Based on the schedule. Based on who you’re playing. And I think that’s where we are. I’ll take the effort we had (against Houston). I told these guys in the locker room, if we can continue with that fight and togetherness and build on it and become more consistent through a 40-minute game, we will be rewarded at some point. I really believe that.”