Five Thoughts on Oklahoma State’s 96-64 Loss to Kansas

RECAP
BOX SCORE

The Cowboys went to Lawrence off their biggest point total in some time. Meanwhile the Jayhawks were reeling by their standards. Did Saturday end with a Chi Chi Avery backflip ala Marcus Smart in 2013? No, no it certainly did not.

Kansas blew out the Cowboys 96-64 on Saturday in Allen Fieldhouse. Here are five thoughts from the game.

1. Where It Ended

If this was a boxing match, the Cowboys survived the first round or two against the Jayhawks, but the knockout blow was a 19-2 run midway through the first half that OSU never recovered from.

The Cowboys tied it at 12 after a Bryce Thompson 3 and a Brandon Newman layup on consecutive possessions. Things started getting a little shaky when David Coit got off the bench and hit back-to-back 3s, but Newman answered with a 3 of his own. Coit hit another 3, but the Pokes kept finding answers. Kansas’ lead was 23-19 with about nine minutes to play in the first half, but the Cowboys would make just one field goal for the rest of the half.

The Jayhawks went on an 8-0 run that was briefly interrupted with a Bryce Thompson score just for KU to rip off 11 more consecutive points. Four of those points came off KJ Adams dunks.

All of a sudden, the back-and-forth affair turned into a 42-21 KU lead. Thompson hit a pair of free throws with about four minutes to play in the half just for Kansas to finish on a 10-0 run and take a 52-23 lead into the halftime. KU could’ve almost stopped scoring there.

2. High Alert KU

This was probably the worst spot possible for OSU to play the Jayhawks.

By Kansas’ standards, things were dire. The Jayhawks had lost three of four, four of six and five of eight. KU lost to Utah 74-67 last Saturday before BYU blew the Jayhawks out 91-57 midweek.

So in the midst of all that noise, the Cowboys went to Allen Fieldhouse without a Big 12 road win all season. It was a recipe for disaster, and a disaster, it was.

3. Not a Ton of Scorers

Only four Cowboys scored in the first half, and that stayed true until midway through the second.

OSU’s first 38 points were scored either Abou Ousmane, Bryce Thompson, Brandon Newman or Chi Chi Avery. With 10:59 to play in the game, Khalil Brantley got a 3-pointer to fall to become the fifth Cowboy scorer. Eight Jayhawks got on the scoresheet before five Cowboys did.

4. Which Is Why Bryce Thompson Is Important

Bryce Thompson sometimes catches quite a bit of flack on social media, and I have the hardest time figuring out why.

He scored 21 points Saturday, his fifth time eclipsing 20 this season. For reference, OSU has just nine 20-point performances as a team this year, with Chi Chi Avery chipping in three and Abou Ousmane adding the other. In terms of scoring consistency, Thompson has been the Cowboys’ rock, and it’s been that way for much of his time in Stillwater. He’s averaged double figures in each of his four seasons as a Cowboy.

Thompson went 3-for-4 from 3 on Saturday and was 6-for-7 from the charity stripe. He played a game-high 31 minutes. Arturo Dean was second among Cowboys in minutes played with 23.

Logo ball @B3thompson__

📺: CBS Sports Network https://t.co/98MhmxRKnc pic.twitter.com/8q9H0XxRWT

— OSU Cowboy Basketball (@OSUMBB) February 22, 2025

5. Oddly, OSU Has Been Good After Blowout Losses

To Steve Lutz’s credit, the Cowboys have answered the bell before after a butt whipping.

OSU lost by 28 to Kansas State on Jan. 29 and responded with a nine-point win against Utah. Texas Tech clobbered the Cowboys by 38 on Feb. 15, and OSU answered Wednesday with a 104-95 win against UCF.

OSU hosts No. 8 Iowa State on Tuesday. At least it’s not in Ames, but the Cyclones are coming in off a loss to No. 5 Houston, so they’ll be plenty motivated to get right in GIA. But oddly some of OSU’s best Big 12 performances have come at home after getting embarrassed. Maybe Tuesday could provide another example of that.