Jayhawks smashed by Cowboys 82-64 because refs

In a game I didn’t even bother to watch, Kansas got rolled in Stillwater by Oklahoma State by an 82-64 score.

The near-sellout crowd rushed the court following the buzzer as Kansas fell to 4-7 in Gallagher-IBA under Bill Self. Additionally, the Cowboys became the first Big 12 team in the Self era to sweep the Jayhawks in a regular season series.

Judging by the box score, it looks like Udoka Azubuike was in foul trouble for most of the game. The Jayhawks did get a few reserves some minutes, with Marcus Garrett playing 28 minutes, Silvio de Sousa playing 13 minutes, and Sam Cunliffe even got 3 minutes. However, Devonte Graham still logged a team-high 39 minutes.

But the real story here is obviously the refs. Kansas was called for six more fouls than the Cowboys, while Oklahoma State shot 23 free throws to KU’s 11. Clearly, this foul discrepancy is egregious and unacceptable. How long is the Big 12 going to let referees with clear bias against KU officiate games? The officials obviously kowtowed to the raucous crowd, doing their best to make sure they didn’t get booed.

Kansas did not lose because they did not shoot well as a team, hitting just 41.7% of its shots, including just 7-20 (35.0%) from behind the arc. They didn’t lose because Devonte Graham went 4-14 from the floor, or because Lagerald Vick went 1-5 from behind the arc. The didn’t lose because they gave up 21 points on 17 turnovers or allowed OSU to shoot 50% from the floor. No, clearly, there is a conspiracy here.

Up next, Kansas will await the winner of the 8/9 game, Oklahoma vs Oklahoma State, in the Big 12 Tournament on Thursday, March 8, at 2 PM CST.