When the No. 8 Kansas Jayhawks had their eight-game winning streak ended by No. 5 Iowa State, it was probably in one of the worst ways possible, as the Cyclones won by a dominant 74-56 scoreline where the Jayhawks never really truly felt in the matchup when Iowa State woke up from a slumber.
While Iowa State’s offense notched its fair share of unbelievable scoring stretches, including a 15-4 run to break open the second half. The damage was done on the defensive end, where Kansas was stifled to just 56 points, a season-low tied with when KU fell to the No. 5 UConn Huskies. Although this loss felt a lot more sour, thanks to Kansas not being able to generate any consistent momentum, thanks to Iowa State’s consistent traps.
Kansas struggled to score in recent loss
“Whenever two people guard the ball, you should be able to play behind it. And we did a terrible job of playing behind it,” quoted head coach Bill Self, when previewing Kansas’ upcoming clash against Oklahoma State.
“And, we let them drag it out, rather than attack one bounce, and play behind it from the middle to the court. We didn't do a good job.”
Kansas finished the game with a 19-51 mark from the field, including a 9-29 mark from beyond the arc.
“We kept the ball in our hands too long and allowed the post, their weak side defenders to take away the nearest outlet.”
Kansas finished the first half with 10 first-half turnovers, and while they tightened up in the second half, only giving the ball away three more times, the damage was already done as the Jayhawks began the second half down 37-27.
Kansas now has to refocus its attention on Oklahoma State. While the Cowboys hold a 4-8 record against fellow Big 12 opposition, they have the hot hand, scoring 84.7 points per game, which sits 21st in the nation.
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