The Day After: A Cowboy crumble

photo by: Nick Krug

Oklahoma State guard Jeff Newberry (22) pulls back for a two-handed jam before several Kansas players during the second half, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016 at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla.

photo by: Nick Krug

Oklahoma State guard Jeff Newberry (22) pulls back for a two-handed jam before several Kansas players during the second half, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016 at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla.

If you would have told me before Tuesday’s KU basketball game in Stillwater, Oklahoma, that the third-ranked Jayhawks would leave OSU with a loss for the third year in a row, I definitely would have believed that could be possible.

If you would have told me that the Jayhawks would leave town after being blown out by a 9-8 Cowboys squad, I would have called you crazy.

But that’s exactly what happened Tuesday night, where KU, for the second road game in a row, lacked energy, urgency and passion, and watched the home team have its way, this time en route to a surprising 86-67 Oklahoma State victory.

Outside of a few possessions and a few minutes, KU looked completely overmatched in just about every area of this one, a fact that nobody could have seen coming as recently as two weeks ago, when KU was playing at a very high level and the Cowboys were struggling.

Losing on the road in the Big 12 is no reason to shut down a program and, clearly, it’s going to happen a bunch of times for a bunch of teams this season. But based purely on talent, depth and match-ups on paper, this one seemed like a game that KU should not have lost but did because the Cowboys simply wanted it more and played better.

Quick takeaway

Here’s the deal. Because Kansas basketball and its fans have enjoyed such an enormous and unmatched amount of success all these years, it’s easy for the fan base to freak out after something does not go right for their beloved Jayhawks. But in this case, after the second sluggish road loss in a week, I think at least some of the freaking out is warranted. This team looks nothing like the team that was so special in that thrilling triple-OT win over Oklahoma a few weeks ago and everything like a team that, if it doesn’t find itself soon, could be in real trouble. Now, trouble as it relates to Kansas, certainly is a relative term, but exactly what that means and how much it impacts this team will be determined by how these guys respond to this loss.

Three reasons to smile

1 – Following the loss, KU coach Bill Self owned it and took plenty of the blame, saying, “I’ve got to be able to motivate the kids better,” and “It’s embarrassing, the manner in which we let them control the game, and that falls on me. I gotta get them better prepared to play.” I wouldn’t have expected anything less. Self is not the kind of guy who’s going to throw his players under the bus. But it still was good to see the ultra-successful KU coach staring in the mirror after this one. Had it just been one game, it could’ve been attributed to an off night. But this is now two road games in a row like that and it’s up to everyone associated with the program to look for ways they can fix it.

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas forward Cheick Diallo (13) loses a rebound to Oklahoma State guard Jawun Evans (1) during the first half, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016 at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla.

2 – It might not have mattered much on the stat sheet, but it was good to see freshman forward Cheick Diallo rewarded for his solid game last Saturday against TCU with a spot in the starting lineup. Diallo, though still far from perfect in terms of execution and feel, had good energy early (one of the few guys who could say that) and clearly looked fired up about the opportunity to join the starting lineup. The question now is this: Will he stay there?

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas guard Wayne Selden Jr. (1) has words for forward Carlton Bragg Jr. (15) after Bragg threw a pass to an Oklahoma State defender during the first half, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016 at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla.

3 – Quietly, freshman Carlton Bragg was solid for the second game in a row. Bragg finished 4-of-4 from the field for 8 points and added 4 rebounds while playing just 11 minutes because of four fouls. He’s not yet to the point where his performance can pull the rest of his teammates out of the hole on nights when they struggle, but with a little more discipline and fewer freshman-style fouls, one can only wonder what Bragg could bring in twice as many minutes.

Three reasons to sigh

1 – Everyone who watched or has read about this one knows, by now, that the Cowboys had much more energy and played with much more desire than the Jayhawks. Nowhere was that more evident than on the offensive glass in the first half, where OSU repeatedly got second and third opportunities simply by going after their misses and wanting them more than Kansas. Oklahoma State out-rebounded KU 38-31, including a 12-9 mark on the offensive glass, but it seems as if the only reason the margin wasn’t greater was because OSU made 50 percent of its shots.

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas forward Jamari Traylor wrestles for position with Oklahoma State guard Jeffrey Carroll, left, and forward Chris Olivier (31) during the first half, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016 at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla.

2 – The Jayhawks’ passive, lethargic approach allowed the Cowboys to dictate the way this one went pretty much everywhere on the floor. But one of the areas this was most damning was in transition, where Oklahoma State suffocated KU’s fastbreak opportunities and never allowed Kansas to get going with its up-tempo offense that so often leads to easy baskets. That made this a game played more in the half-court, where KU struggled to score on offense and, once again, was punked on defense, unable to stay in front of OSU’s guards and drives to the rim.

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas guard Frank Mason III (0) looks for an outlet after moving past Oklahoma State guard Jeffrey Carroll (30) during the first half, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016 at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla.

3 – It looked to me like KU’s offense was terribly undisciplined in this one from time to time. Rather than relaxing after an Oklahoma State bucket and heading down to the other end looking to get a good shot in response, KU way too often seemed to panic and went one-on-five or jacked up a quick shot, no doubt hoping to quickly get back into the game but instead digging a deeper hole and making its chances at winning or even competing much smaller. This was surprising coming from a group that includes so many veterans and I think it showed just how significant KU’s current funk really is.

One for the road

KU’s lopsided loss at Oklahoma State…

• Gave KU a 6-3 record in games away from Allen Fieldhouse, including a 2-2 mark in true road contests.

• Made Bill Self 367-81 while at Kansas, 574-186 for his career and 14-11 all-time against OSU (13-8 against OSU while at Kansas).

• Gave KU an all-time record of 2,168-834.

Next up

The Jayhawks will be back in Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday for a 1 p.m. tip-off against Texas. The game will mark the first time since he took over the UT program that Longhorns’ coach Shaka Smart has walked into Allen Fieldhouse.

— See what people were saying about KU at Oklahoma State during KUsports.com’s live coverage

More news and notes from Kansas at Oklahoma State

By the Numbers: Oklahoma State 86, Kansas 67