3 Takeaways from Oklahoma State's Rough Night Against Kansas
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Oklahoma State’s struggles continued.
On Wednesday night, OSU lost to No. 8 Kansas in Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater. Suffering their fourth straight loss, the Cowboys fell to 16-10 and 4-9 in Big 12 play.
Throughout the season, OSU’s defensive struggles have been well-documented, and there wasn’t much different to say about its matchup against Kansas. Add in several rough offensive stretches, and the Cowboys never set themselves up for success.
A missed opportunity in the early minutes
Coming into Wednesday night’s matchup against the Jayhawks, OSU had a real chance to reinsert itself back into the NCAA Tournament discussion. After three straight losses coming off the upset win against BYU, a home matchup against a top 10 team gave OSU a chance to not only get a much-needed win, but also potentially spark a late-season run.
However, Darryn Peterson’s hot start to the game almost immediately took any potential wind out of OSU’s sails on blackout night. With Peterson scoring 13 points in the first five minutes, the Cowboys fell behind double digits going into the first media timeout. That early deficit soon proved too much for Steve Lutz’s crew to overcome, and the Cowboys’ big opportunity was quickly wasted.
The Big 12 slate doesn’t do the Cowboys any favors
It’s no secret at this point that the Big 12 is the best conference in college basketball by just about every measure. While there’s no doubt that consistently playing ranked teams can hurt the Cowboys, Wednesday’s matchup also showed a glimpse of how difficult it can be to face the top individual players in the country.
With potential No. 1 overall pick Darryn Peterson on the other side, the Cowboys were outmatched from a star standpoint from opening tip. While having one of the best players in the country isn’t always a formula for success in college, it’s also not a coincidence that OSU’s last tournament run came when it was led by Cade Cunningham in 2021.
The Cowboys have a tough road ahead
After this loss to Kansas, the Cowboys’ already slim margin for error shrank again. The road to the NCAA Tournament is still open, but it’s certainly not a clear path.
At this point, it might already be too late for OSU to rely on anything by a run in the Big 12 Tournament. But if it wants to get in, there’s no question that performances like this one against the Jayhawks won’t cut it.
Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.