Instacap: Oklahoma State Falls 82-68 to Kansas

Oklahoma State’s run at the Big 12 tournament in Kansas City came to a halt that screeched louder than a Jayhawk on Thursday, as the Cowboys fell 82-68 to No. 1 seed Kansas in the quarterfinals.

Kendall Smith and Jeffrey Carroll combined for 31 points and OSU did well defending Big 12 Player of the Year Devonte’ Graham, but it was clear OSU simply ran out of gas down the stretch; 3s weren’t falling, sloppiness set in, and a late second half drought relegated Mike Boynton’s club back to Stillwater where it will await its NCAA Tournament fate.

Although KU big man Udoka Azubuike sat on the bench nursing an injury, OSU marginally won the rebounding battle — 36 to 33 — and Mitch Lightfoot’s efficiency slightly trumped Mitch Solomon’s all-around solid performance in the frontcourt. Solomon finished with 10 points on 5-of-11 shooting but had a team-high four turnovers as part of a 13 turnover afternoon, of which KU capitalized by getting 20 points off of.

When it was over

At the 15:00 minute mark in the second half, OSU trailed 52-50. But it would never get that close. KU mounted a 16-0 run from there over the next few minutes and held OSU without a field goal for more than 7 minutes, giving the Jayhawks a cushion they simply couldn’t blow. OSU got to within single digits but it was never close after that run.

Player of the game

Jeffrey Carroll balled out. He had 17 points on 6-of-14 shooting and knocked down three from beyond the arc on the day. Unfortunately his point production from the 3-point line accounted for 60 percent of the team’s total offense from that range.

Stat you should know

OSU is 16-2 on the season when it makes nine or more 3-pointers in a game, and now 3-12 — including Thursday’s loss — when it makes eight or less. OSU finished the game 5 of 22 from the 3-point line as a team.

What’s next

OSU now heads back to Stillwater where it will sit on the sidelines and wait to hear its fate come Selection Sunday. The Cowboys are squarely on the bubble — and perhaps on the wrong side of it. The selection show will be aired on Sunday evening at 5 p.m. on TBS.