Jayhawks Mauled By OSU

You never know what to expect out of this year's Jayhawks. They've been capable of some pretty impressive performances, but sometimes their shortcomings are on full display, looking insurmountable. This was both types of game, but with considerably more of the latter.

Oklahoma State came into the game a respectable 35th in KenPom, playing solid defense, which in itself is cause for concern with this KU team. Kansas opened the game decently enough, leading 18-14 just over six minutes in. Unfortunately, they allowed a 10-0 run at that point and never really seemed to get any sense of control over the flow of the game. OSU steadily built out their lead from that point, up by as many as 16 before the Jayhawks closed on a 5-0 run, entering halftime down 46-35.

In the first half, Kansas inexplicably attempted just nine of their 30 shots from three, and made just two of those, shooting 43% overall. Meanwhile, OSU hit 56% from three, with freshman star Cade Cunningham leading the charge, scoring 14 with three assists. David McCormack continued his run of respectable offense with 12 first half points, but most of KU's key contributors struggled.

While Oklahoma State's 3-point shooting cooled a bit in the second half, KU never figured anything out offensively. With nine minutes remaining, the Cowboys' lead was up to 17, and the Jayhawks were just 4-17 from deep.

Kansas eventually took some control down the stretch, saw some shots fall, and caught all the way up. They actually looked to be in good shape with 1:22 to go, when the Jayhawks went up by 3. But from there, OSU responded with a game-tying triple. Afterward, a missed shot and an and-one on the other end put KU down 73-70. A few missed shots later, Oklahoma State had won, 75-70.

While McCormack continues to struggle on switches, he's definitely flipped a switch of his own. His steak of improving play continued with a 24 point, 12 rebound, three block performance. Ochai Agbaji contributed 14,but while he was 4-9 from deep, he was also 0-3 from two. Jalen Wilson was practically nonexistent with just four points and six rebounds in 32 minutes.

Kansas drops to 10-3 overall and 4-2 in Big 12 play. They look to bounce back this weekend with possibly their easiest game of the conference slate: a home matchup with Iowa State.