Five Thoughts On Oklahoma State’s 74-70 Loss to Kansas State

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Oklahoma State scored with a few second left to cut a 74-68 deficit to 74-70 and cover the 4.5-point spread. It’s truly the perfect ending to the Travis Ford era. Good enough to cover, not good enough to beat a 16-15 team that lost 13 games in the Big 12.

The Pokes fell to Kansas State in Travis Ford’s last game after falling behind 40-23 at the break. The Cowboys’ starters combined to score 10 points over the first 20 minutes and collectively made Bruce Weber’s atrocious team look like early 2000s UConn.

The threes started raining after the break (which is the only way this team truly gets cranking) and OSU fought until the (very) end but never could catch the Wildcats who led for the final 36 minutes.

Jeffrey Carroll and Joe Burton chipped in 13 each while Tyree Griffin notched 10 points and 11 assists. But for the first time in the history of the Big 12, Oklahoma State will not participate in the Day 2 festivities of the conference tournament.

Five thoughts on Travis Ford’s 266th (and final) game as the Oklahoma State basketball coach.

1. What happened to the defense?

This felt like one of the poorer defensive efforts of the season. I gave about as much effort feeding my kids dinner during the game as OSU gave on the boards on Wednesday night (KSU out-rebounded them 36-28).

Kansas State shoots 30 percent from three and shot 46 percent on Wednesday night. And it wasn’t because they were hitting off-balance fadeaways with two guys in somebody’s face.

A staple of the Ford era is that you always knew dudes were at least going to go hard on defense. It felt like that faded a little bit in this game.

2. A telling possession late

OSU was down 11 with 10 minutes left just dying to get it to single digits (and KSU was happy to oblige). So what did it do on one of its biggest offensive possessions of the game?

Entry pass to Anthony Allen to let him go to work.

Wait, what?!

Again, I like these dudes. I like Anthony Allen. I like Tyree Griffin. But I like them when they’re in their own lanes. I don’t like going to Anthony Allen in the post when you’re desperate for a bucket. I don’t like Griffin playing 413 minutes of a possible 440 over the last 11 games. Which leads us to …

3. The ceiling and (especially) the floor

It feels like most of Travis Ford’s teams always had a ceiling of being above average. Like, if everything worked out with this team and Phil Forte shot 45 percent from three and Jawun Evans didn’t get hurt and was a freshman All-American and Leyton Hammonds developed into a homeless man’s Adrian Peterson and ………. then they were going to win 8-9 games in the Big 12 and be mildly above average.

The floor, though, well we saw the floor. We saw what the fourth 20-loss in Oklahoma State’s 107-year basketball history looks like. And this seemed to be a common them for most of Ford’s eight teams.

It’s true that Ford somehow got bad teams to overachieve (in terms of effort and competitiveness) and good teams to underachieve (in terms of results). But they all ended up pretty much in the same spot. I’m not sure what to make of that but I’m pretty sure it equates to him not being the coach anymore.

This game a perfect metaphor for Ford era: work tremendously hard, give 100% effort, look pretty darn good at times…first round exit.

— Dave Hudson (@okc_dave) March 10, 2016

4. I’m proud of what I watched

I went on a mini Twitter rant near the end of the game so I’m sorry if you follow there already. You can critique Ford all you want for everything he did or didn’t do over the last eight years. But what you can’t do is say he or his players ever quit.

Jeffrey Carroll on Travis Ford: "He's a great coach. I love him to death." #okstate

— Nathan Ruiz (@NathanSRuiz) March 10, 2016

There’s a nobility in that. To reference the most infamous quote of the Ford era: far better teams have mailed it in over far less adversity.

It’s unfortunate for him that he’s going to get canned because it’s unfortunate for anyone who loses a job. To be told “here’s a ton of money to go away … that’s how bad we think you are at this.” That sucks, guys. And good on him for never mailing it in. Right up until the final cover.

Here's Travis Ford on his future at #OKState after tonight's season ending loss. pic.twitter.com/glx12Q4gjK

— Dylan Buckingham (@DylanBuckingham) March 10, 2016

5. The end

It’s over. Finished. All that’s left is for the lawyers to get paid and the paperwork to be filed. There were moments. But I’ll be glad for a fresh start in the near future.