Game Primer: How to Watch, Key Players and Important Information for Oklahoma State at Kansas Jayhawks

A difficult stretch for the Kansas Jayhawks got tougher as they dropped a difficult game on the road to the Kansas State Wildcats without senior starter Holly Kersgieter. And up next is a home rematch against the Oklahoma State Cowgirls, who suffered defeat in Stillwater to open up the conference slate.

The Cowgirls lead the all-time series 41-38, although the Jayhawks have won three straight in the series.

Before today's important matchup, here are the essentials:

The Numbers

Editor's Note: Unless otherwise noted, all stats are provided by CBB Analytics. CBB Analytics is a new stats website in college hoops, covering both men and women's basketball in D-I, D-II and D-III. You can follow them on Twitter @CBBAnalytics

Kansas: 16-10 (6-9 Big 12): CBB Analytics Net Rating - 62nd overall, 81st offense, 59th defense

Oklahoma State: 20-7 (10-5 Big 12): Net Rating - 56th overall, 18th offense, 212th defense

Line: KU -2.0

O/U: 142.0

How to Watch

Sunday, February 26th, 2:00 p.m. CST

Lawrence, KS: Allen Fieldhouse

TV: Big 12 Now on ESPN+

- Josh Klingler (Play-by-Play), Jill Dorsey-Hall (Analyst)

Radio: IMG Jayhawk Radio Network

- Steven Davis (Play-by-Play), David Lawrence (Analyst)

Webcast: Kansas Online Radio

Game Coverage

Follow along during the game for live updates on Twitter.

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Opponent Team Form

The Cowgirls have been on a tear recently, winners of their last six games. After losing to the Jayhawks on December 31st, t dropped a road game to Kansas State, but all of their other losses have come on the road to teams towards the top of the conference standings.

Oklahoma State is still a team that plays tough on the inside, especially defensively. They are great at defensive rebounding, but very bad at offensive rebounding. They don't force a lot of steals, but they do provide enough pressure to force opponents into making mistakes. Unfortunately, they provide that pressure by being very physical, leading to a large number of fouls to go against them.

Offensively there isn't much that hasn't gone right for them. They are very balanced offensively, with 6 players averaging at least 9 points per game. They take a large percentage of their sure from inside the paint and make 56.2% of those. But the lack of offensive rebounding means that they don't get many extra chances.

Players to Watch

Naomie Alnatas leads the Cowgirls in scoring by nearly 3 points per game and in steals with 1.4 per game while also coming in near the top of the assists column. She is joined on the perimeter by Terryn Milton, the leader in assists at 4.0 and one of the best overall shooters on the team. Anna Gret Asi is the three point sharpshooter off the bench, hitting 47.3% of those shots, while Claire Chastain rounds out the main lineup on the perimeter.

The interior features two big threats. Lior Garzon averages 11.2 points per game and just 3.6 rebounds, but can stretch the defense by hitting outside shots. Taelyn Collins is the main rebounder on the team, averaging 8.9 rebounds per game while scoring 9.9 points per game. But there is no interior defender that blocks shots well.

Matchups to Watch

Kansas struggled against Kansas State without Holly Kersgieter and it isn't clear whether she will be available for this game. But the Jayhawks would be served well by getting the ball inside to Taiyanna Jackson often, so she can flex her advantage on the interior. The worry has to be Garzon's ability to stretch the floor, which can be countered with some timely switches by Chandler Prater. And how Zakiyah Franklin and Wyvette Mayberry can both generate defensive pressure and avoid it on the offensive end will go a very long way to letting the Jayhawks stay in this one.

Prediction

If Kersgieter can't go, it's hard to imagine that Kansas has enough firepower to beat the Cowgirls. They struggled mightily without her defensive presence, and the balance of Oklahoma State will be a really big issue without one of their best defenders. If she is back though, then I think Kansas has a big enough spark to allow Jackson to just play her game on the inside. I'm assuming she is back, so give me Kansas.

Kansas 68, Oklahoma State 66.

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