Kansas forward Jalen Wilson (10) shoots over Oklahoma forward Tanner Groves (35) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, in Lawrence, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

There was a possession in the second half that perfectly encapsulated the night No. 2 Kansas had during a 79-75 win over Oklahoma Tuesday night inside Allen Fieldhouse.

At the nine-minute mark, Jalen Wilson missed a hook shot in the paint before grabbing his own rebound. He whiffed on the putback attempt, but Zach Clemence collected his misfire. Clemence then missed two point-blank attempts of his own before Oklahoma mercifully ended the possession with a defensive rebound.

The sequence took place during a near-13 minute field-goal drought for the Jayhawks, who ultimately missed 21 layup attempts on the night. That possession could have sunk the spirits of KU, but actually generated an entirely different response.

“After that play, I just laughed,” Wilson said. “I just ran back on defense and laughed, it is just that type of night.”

It was that type of night, indeed. Kansas (15-1, 4-0 Big 12) finished 9-for-30 on layup attempts in a game where it emphasized attacking the rim. Counting the two dunks by K.J. Adams, KU went 11-for-32 on shots at the rim.

According to ShotQuality, Kansas was expected to score 15 more points on shots at the rim. SQ’s postgame numbers projected KU to win by a 87-78 margin.

Not that KU fans really need evidence about last night’s performance, but Bart Torvik tracks shots at the rim. The 11-for-32 showing marked the team’s worst percentage (34.3) on such shots this season, and the only game that came close was KU’s 7-for-19 clip in a loss to Tennessee.

KU’s shots at the rim in 2022-23

• vs. Oklahoma: 11-32

• at West Virginia: 9-18

• at Texas Tech: 12-20

• vs. Oklahoma State: 10-19

• vs. Harvard: 17-30

• vs. Indiana: 23-38

• at Missouri: 23-33

• vs. Seton Hall: 17-24

• vs. Texas Southern: 12-17

• vs. Tennessee: 7-19

• vs. Wisconsin: 10-17

• vs. NC State: 12-22

• vs. Southern Utah: 18-28

• vs. Duke: 22-29

• vs. North Dakota State: 20-30

• vs. Nebraska Omaha: 22-31

So what happened? Kansas coach Bill Self explained after the game that roughly 11 of the 21 misses were tough shots, but also acknowledged his players could have finished through contact on the remaining 10.

Adams noted the lack of energy and focus for the Jayhawks, who were a double-digit favorite via the betting market entering Tuesday’s game.

“I think we just didn’t come out with a lot of energy as we needed to,” Adams said. “Every game is going to be hard, so we just need to focus on that (and) just coming out with more energy.”

But Porter Moser’s Sooners do deserve plenty of credit for the way they defended the Jayhawks. Oklahoma, which ranks 47th in adjusted defensive efficiency, focused on limiting big runs by getting out to shooters on the 3-point line.

This meant face-guarding freshman sharpshooter Gradey Dick, like most Big 12 opponents have chosen to do. But Oklahoma also gave respect to the other shooters, especially after Kansas opened conference play by hitting 11 3-pointers in each of the first three games.

“I thought we did a lot of the things we wanted to do,” Moser said. “I know how those threes can get going in this building. We really wanted to take away the threes, and we did take away the threes tonight.”

More than that, OU wanted to take away the 3-pointers in transition and just remove that part of the game entirely. The Sooners, who are 328th in adjusted tempo, want to play slow and desperately needed to avoid turning Tuesday’s game into a track meet.

Kansas finished with just eight points on the fast break, and has now been held to 13 points in transition over its last two games.

“Multiple guys can bring it up,” Moser said. “Dajuan Harris is one of the best point guards, Jalen Wilson is one of the best wings, Gradey Dick is one of the best shooters. We were definitely trying to make a wall and get to those shooters, (and) take away those threes in transition.”

“We did not want to get into a running game in this building,” Moser added.

The result was about as well as Oklahoma could have asked for, well, other than the fact it didn’t actually lead to a win.

Kansas finished 4-for-11 from 3-point range, which was its worst showing since going 4-for-20 against Harvard. The Jayhawks have made fewer triples in just one other game so far this season, when they hit three against Duke. Prior to Tuesday, KU had attempted at least 15 3-pointers in every contest this season.

With the long ball not an option, KU went 18-for-48 on 2-pointers in the comeback victory. It was well below the team’s average of 52% on such shots this season, and explains why KU’s plan of attack changed down the stretch. In a game featuring 62 combined free throw attempts, Kansas chose to attack and try to draw contact.

“To be real candid with you, we ran such bad offense, our only way to score was to drive it,” Self said. “So that was our strategy, to try and get to the free throw line.”

There are no moral victories in the Big 12. Oklahoma still hasn’t won in Lawrence since 1993 and Kansas has now won nine games in a row, including four league victories to keep pace with Iowa State and Kansas State (KU’s next two opponents) in the Big 12 standings.

For one night, however, life on the offensive end was extremely difficult for the defending champs. And it will be interesting to see how the Jayhawks respond from this performance ahead of two important league battles.