photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas recruit LeBryan Nash watches the action during Late Night in the Phog, Friday, Oct. 15, 2010.

Jesse Newell: Welcome back to the GameDay Cram Session, as Kansas is taking on Oklahoma State on Saturday afternoon at Allen Fieldhouse.

Oklahoma State’s Le’Bryan Nash, the 6-foot-7 freshman forward from Dallas, dropped 27 points in a seven-point victory against Missouri. Kansas was in on him until the end, when he announced his decision on live national TV.

Tom, what do you remember from that announcement?

Tom Keegan: I remember him putting on a gigantic orange cowboy hat and I remember his response when the host of that show asked him why he brought the hat: “I just thought the hat would make me a tremendous person.”

JN: I actually remember his announcement, too, and thought the big cowboy hat was one of the least annoying ways I’d seen a recruit pick a school.

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas recruit LeBryan Nash watches the action during Late Night in the Phog, Friday, Oct. 15, 2010.

My list of most annoying ways to pick a school would include lining up different schools’ hats in a row and also the use of Skype.

Looking further at the Cowboys, a case could be made that Oklahoma State is the most inconsistent team in the conference, losing by 41 at Baylor and by 15 at Texas A&M, and scoring home-court victories against Missouri and Iowa State. Is it just a case of the Cowboys playing well at home and poorly on the road?

TK: That’s part of it, but only part of it. The Cowboys played better at home than on the road in victories against Texas Tech and only lost by three points at Iowa State. I think the main reason for their inconsistency has to do with their personnel not matching their style. They love to shoot three-pointers, but don’t have good three-point shooters. In conference games, OSU ranks last in the Big 12 in three-point shooting percentage (.289) and third in three-point attempts (197). Teams that rely so heavily on three-point shooting tend toward inconsistency. Teams that play inside-out tend to be more consistent.

JN: One possible reason for OSU’s apparent home/road splits could be its heavy reliance on free throws for points.

Oklahoma State guard Keiton Page (12) shoots in front of Texas Tech forward Jaye Crockett during the first half Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2012 in Stillwater, Okla.

The Cowboys get 24 percent of their scoring from the free throw line, which is the 32nd-highest percentage nationally. Obviously, a team tends to get a friendlier whistle at home than it does on the road.

OSU has made 75 percent of its free throws this year, so it does know how to take advantage of the tries it gets. Still, I’m guessing that Allen Fieldhouse won’t be the best place for OSU to get a high volume of free throws.

OK, Tom, what’s your prediction for this game?

TK: Kansas by 18.

photo by: Mike Yoder

Thomas Robinson, center, and the KU bench cheer the Jayhawks as they make a comeback in the first half of the Jayhawks game against the Baylor Bears, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012 at Baylor.

Facing an opponent that on paper doesn’t seem to have much of a chance can lead to a sluggish start for Kansas, but over the long haul it’s going to be tough for the Cowboys to hang with a team that’s as good inside as is Kansas.

JN: I’ll take KU by 13.

photo by: Mike Yoder

Connor Teahan (2) drives the baseline by Pierre Jackson in the first half of the Jayhawks game against the Baylor Bears.

OSU doesn’t turn it over often and also doesn’t play at a particularly fast pace, which are two positive attributes for a team that is playing at Allen Filedhouse.

The Cowboys will also play four guards, a matchup that KU is still trying to find the best way to attack.

This just feels like a game where OSU starts the game with hot shooting to take a lead before falling behind by four or so at the break. After that, KU goes on a second-half run and pulls away by double digits.

Or, at least, that’s how this game is playing out in my head.

All right, Tom, who’s your Hawk to Rock?

TK: Thomas Robinson.

photo by: Mike Yoder

Thomas Robinson (0) and Quincy Acy (4) battle for position in the second half of the Jayhawks 68-54 win over the Baylor Bears, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012 at Baylor. Robinson had 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Foul trouble made him sit for a stretch in Waco. He doesn’t like sitting. He likes playing. Look for him to punish the rim with a variety of dunks.

JN: I’ll take Tyshawn Taylor.

OSU is a team that fouls quite a bit, and Taylor is the Jayhawks’ best at getting to the free throw line.

photo by: Mike Yoder

Tyshawn Taylor (10) drives to the basket and draws a foul in the second half of the Jayhawks 68-54 win over the Baylor Bears, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012 at Baylor.

He should be able to use his quickness to get by his defender while also creating opportunities for others. Something like 19 points, seven assists and one turnover sounds about right.

Predictions tally (through 24 games)
Tom: 18-6 record, 241 points off (10.0 points off/game)
Jesse: 22-2 record, 208 points off (8.7 points off/game)

Hawk to Rock

Tom Keegan
Towson: Tyshawn Taylor (4th in Keegan ratings)
Kentucky: Tyshawn Taylor (1st in Keegan ratings)
Georgetown: Elijah Johnson (4th in Keegan ratings)
UCLA: Tyshawn Taylor (2nd in Keegan ratings)
Duke: Elijah Johnson (4th in Keegan ratings)
FAU: Jeff Withey (4th in Keegan ratings)
South Florida: Tyshawn Taylor (1st in Keegan ratings)
Long Beach State: Elijah Johnson (7th in Keegan ratings)
Ohio State: Thomas Robinson (2nd in Keegan ratings)
Davidson: Thomas Robinson (1st in Keegan ratings)
USC: Jeff Withey (4th in Keegan ratings)
Howard: Kevin Young (4th in Keegan ratings)
North Dakota: Elijah Johnson (3rd in Keegan ratings)
Kansas State: Tyshawn Taylor (5th in Keegan ratings)
Oklahoma: Tyshawn Taylor (4th in Keegan ratings)
Texas Tech: Thomas Robinson (1st in Keegan ratings)
Iowa State: Elijah Johnson (4th in Keegan ratings)
Baylor: Thomas Robinson (1st in Keegan ratings)
Texas: Thomas Robinson (3rd in Keegan ratings)
Texas A&M: Thomas Robinson (3rd in Keegan ratings)
Iowa State: Tyshawn Taylor (1st in Keegan ratings)
Oklahoma: Thomas Robinson (1st in Keegan ratings)
Missouri: Thomas Robinson (1st in Keegan ratings)
Baylor: Thomas Robinson (3rd in Keegan ratings)
Average: 2.8th in Keegan ratings

Jesse Newell
Towson: Conner Teahan (6th in Keegan ratings)
Kentucky: Elijah Johnson (4th in Keegan ratings)
Georgetown: Kevin Young (9th in Keegan ratings)
UCLA: Elijah Johnson (1st in Keegan ratings)
Duke: Thomas Robinson (1st in Keegan ratings)
FAU: Tyshawn Taylor (7th in Keegan ratings)
South Florida: Elijah Johnson (6th in Keegan ratings)
Long Beach State: Thomas Robinson (1st in Keegan ratings)
Ohio State: Travis Releford (5th in Keegan ratings)
Davidson: Jeff Withey (5th in Keegan ratings)
USC: Elijah Johnson (1st in Keegan ratings)
Howard: Tyshawn Taylor (1st in Keegan ratings)
North Dakota: Conner Teahan (5th in Keegan ratings)
Kansas State: Travis Releford (1st in Keegan ratings)
Oklahoma: Elijah Johnson (3rd in Keegan ratings)
Texas Tech: Travis Releford (2nd in Keegan ratings
Iowa State: Thomas Robinson (3rd in Keegan ratings)
Baylor: Kevin Young (9th in Keegan ratings)
Texas: Travis Releford (5th in Keegan ratings)
Texas A&M: Tyshawn Taylor (1st in Keegan ratings)
Iowa State: Jeff Withey (3rd in Keegan ratings)
Oklahoma: Conner Teahan (6th in Keegan ratings)
Missouri: Kevin Young (8th in Keegan ratings)
Baylor: Jeff Withey (1st in Keegan ratings)
Average: 3.9th in Keegan ratings