Kansas’ Trip to Oklahoma State Is a Classic Big 12 Trap Game

Even after an 18-point defeat in Hilton Coliseum on Saturday, it isn't time to sound the alarm yet in Lawrence, Kansas. The Jayhawks lost to an excellent Iowa State team on the road in one of the toughest environments in the Big 12 after an eight-game winning streak.

While many fans expect the Jayhawks to get back on track in their next matchup, they are facing a sneaky threatening opponent in Oklahoma State. KU will continue its road trip with its first matchup in Stillwater since January 2024.

Second-year head coach Steve Lutz has taken the program to a much higher standard. Despite an underwhelming result in conference play so far, the pieces are in place for the Cowboys to become a good team in the future.

The Jayhawks cannot afford to take this game lightly and have to approach it as they would any tough contest away from home. This is a classic example of a trap game in the gauntlet that is the Big 12 Conference.

Feb 22, 2025; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks forward Flory Bidunga (40) and Oklahoma State Cowboys guard Bryce Thompson (1) scramble for a loose ball during the second half at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Since the Big 12 expanded, KU has only faced off in Stillwater once, over two years ago. That ended in a 24-point victory for Bill Self's group.

Kansas has won the last eight matchups against the Pokes and 13 of the last 14 dating back to 2018. Regardless, it is still going to be an incredibly difficult matchup for a team that exerted a lot of energy against a pair of top-five opponents the previous week.

Oklahoma State appears to have hit its peak in nonconference play, starting the season with nine consecutive wins, including solid victories over Texas A&M and Northwestern. But the Cowboys' season has unraveled somewhat during Big 12 action, with losses to lower-tier schools like Baylor and Arizona State.

Still, Lutz's squad has given several conference teams issues. It picked up a win over then-ranked No. 16 BYU when the Cougars were fully healthy and defeated No. 25 UCF a game after the Knights upset the Jayhawks on their home court.

Led by leading scorer Anthony Roy (17.6 PPG, 3.9 RPG) and forward Parsa Fallah (14.3 PPG, 6.2 RPG), Oklahoma State features a fairly solid offense. Its 117.5 offensive rating ranks No. 60 in the country, and it sits No. 62 overall in KenPom.

And although the Jayhawks have looked better on the road this year and overcome some of their struggles from past seasons, there are examples of poor defeats away from home earlier in conference play at UCF and West Virginia. That signals that once Wednesday arrives, KU needs to showcase an excellent brand of basketball to return to the win column and begin its next winning streak.