Three Instant Observations From Kansas’ Road Win Over Oklahoma State

Following a disheartening 18-point defeat to Iowa State on Saturday, the Kansas basketball team returned to its winning ways tonight. Bill Self's group played a cohesive and complete 40 minutes to take down Oklahoma State 81-69.

Now sitting at 10-3 in Big 12 play, KU is tied for third in the conference standings with the Cyclones. It will have another opportunity this weekend against Cincinnati before hosting Houston at home for a massive Big Monday matchup.

Although the performance was far from perfect, it was an encouraging bounce-back effort from the Jayhawks. Here are our three instant observations from the game.

3. Oklahoma State Never Got Too Close

While the final score suggests there was some back-and-forth, KU controlled most of the first and second halves. Its win probability never dropped below 80% after the opening minute, according to ESPN.

Kansas led by as many as 23 and never allowed Oklahoma State to trim the deficit to single digits at any point in the second half. Every time the Cowboys began to put together an offensive run, the road team responded with timely baskets and defensive stops.

Considering the game was played away from home with no crowd to lean on, it was impressive to see the team stay composed and unaffected by the environment.

2. Darryn Peterson Set the Tone Early

From the tip, Peterson was unstoppable. He scored 13 of Kansas' first 17 points within the first five minutes in a dominant stretch.

The projected No. 1 NBA Draft pick cooled off afterward, finishing with 23 points and not returning to the court after the first TV timeout of the second half. His final stat line was 23 points on 6-for-10 shooting from three, along with two rebounds, one steal, and one block

While there will certainly be discourse about Peterson's lack of availability — his 18 minutes played were the fewest he has logged in a game all season — he ultimately did what was asked of him. He put the game in a comfortable position for KU early, and his teammates handled any comeback attempts from there.

1. Playmaking and Defense Led the Way

Multiple players stood out defensively and as playmakers. The most obvious choice here was redshirt freshman Bryson Tiller.

Although he finished just 4-for-10 from the field in an otherwise quiet offensive outing, Tiller recorded a surprising career-high seven assists. He consistently found his teammates across the floor and even connected with fellow big man Flory Bidunga for several baskets inside. Melvin Council Jr. also had seven assists on a relatively modest scoring night.

As for the defense, Bidunga and Tiller combined for six blocks, continuing to solidify themselves as one of the top frontcourts in the country. Overall, the Cowboys shot 23-for-66 (34.8%) from the field and 7-for-28 (25.0%) from 3-point range.

Steve Lutz's group tried to force plenty of threes, but the Jayhawks contested them well enough and put the Cowboys in difficult spots throughout the night. That defensive effort was a major reason Kansas finished with 10 fast-break points after recording zero in its previous game against Iowa State.