Oklahoma State will be the wake-up call Kansas needs to find its identity before March

Even after Saturday’s loss to Iowa State, it’s hard to take any umbrage with the way Kansas is playing. The Jayhawks had won eight straight before that loss at the Hilton Coliseum, including a win over then No. 1 Arizona without Darryn Peterson. 

Through all of Peterson’s absences this year, two Kansas teams have emerged: the one with college basketball’s most dynamic perimeter scorer, and the one without. Kansas is good either way, but with Peterson healthy against Iowa State, TJ Otzelberger was able to drag Bill Self’s team into a slow-paced half-court game. When Peterson is off–he went 3-10 from the field for 10 points–the Jayhawks can’t survive that way. 

If that loss was a wake-up call for Kansas, a trip to Stillwater on Wednesday night will be a splash of cold water on its face, or maybe even a cold shower to jolt the Jayhawks awake. After scoring zero fast-break points against Iowa State, Kansas will have to get up-and-down with an Oklahoma State team that’s 11th in KenPom adjusted tempo, and that might be for the best. 

Oklahoma State wants to run, and Kansas might be best in a track meet

Despite the overwhelming speed of Melvin Council Jr. and Darryn Peterson in his backcourt, Bill Self hasn’t leaned much into tempo this year. Kansas is 194th by KenPom adjusted tempo and scores just 13.5% of its points on the fast break, which is 54th percentile nationally (CBBanalytics.com). Yet, the Jayhawks are tremendously efficient when they do push the ball. 

Now, that efficiency could be rooted somewhat in the scarcity. In some cases, Kansas is only pushing when it has an easy look, either a layup at the rim or a transition three. Still, this team is built too well for a transition game not to push the pace more often. 

It’s more than just Council and Peterson in the backcourt. Tre White is the team’s second-leading rebounder and an ideal grab-and-go wing. Flory Bidunga is an athletic rim runner who catches and dunks everything, and Bryson Tiller, though he’s not an elite shooter, can provide spacing as a trailer, either taking above-the-break threes or serving as a hub to flow into a half-court set with his passing ability from the top of the key. 

The Arizona win essentially proved the viability of that play-style for Kansas. The Wildcats are one of the fastest-paced teams in the country, 26th in KenPom adjusted tempo, and Kansas put up 19 fast-break points in the game, its second-most of the season. 

Kansas doesn’t need to become a run-and-gun team. It’s too late in the season for such a wholesale change, but Oklahoma State is going to force the Jayhawks, presumably with Peterson on the floor, into a style of play that could make them even more dangerous.