Three Keys: Can the Jayhawks make it an easy win over the Cowboys?
The Kansas Jayhawks suffered yet another road defeat when they went up to Ames to take on the Cyclones, but once again, they have a very winnable game right after. It's also the first rematch in conference play for the Jayhawks this season, as the Oklahoma State Cowboys are coming to Lawrence after hosting the Jayhawks just tow weeks ago.
The Jayhawks are dealing with some significant injuries to some of their biggest contributors, so they could use a simple night with an easy win. But what do they need to do in order to make that a reality? Here are three keys to making sure Kansas has a relatively stress-free evening.
Get Into The Paint
Kansas is great at scoring inside, with both Hunter Dickinson and KJ Adams able to create shots in the interior, and a stable of other players that can make timely cuts into the lane. Oklahoma State is awful at guarding inside the paint, allowing teams to get nearly 50% of their points from there. And while the Cowboys don't foul as much as you might think, that's primarily because they don't really challenge shots like you would think. Kansas needs to press that advantage often and early.
Defensive Pressure
To put it bluntly, Oklahoma State is pretty careless with the ball. They rank 340th (out of 362) on percentage of offensive plays that end in a steal and 301st on the percentage plays that end in any sort of turnover. Kansas has shown the ability to give defensive pressure and cause problems for the opponent. But that isn't just limited to turnovers, as the Jayhawks have done a really good job challenging shots and making it difficult for opponents to get into the paint. Kansas used that to their advantage in the first game just two weeks ago, and they should do the same tonight.
Don't Let Up
The Jayhawks have too often jumped out to a huge lead early in a game, only to relax a bit and start giving that advantage up. Oklahoma State may not have the players and talent to spark a quick comeback like we saw from Cincinnati and Oklahoma. However, with the games coming up in the next few weeks, it would be great for this team to be able to enjoy a bit of a break by resting the starters in a blowout victory.
