The Aftermath of the Blowout Loss to No. 3 Kansas, Oklahoma State Looking for Answers

STILLWATER – I wasn’t there on Tuesday night. A sore throat and a solid dose in my mind of preventive medicine sent me home late afternoon. However, I watch every bit of it and absorbed a dominating loss to a very good team in Kansas. Former Oklahoma State guard and assistant coach Bill Self has always been a marked man and his teams marked by Oklahoma State whenever they played. Self has had more disappointing nights in his college home arena than about any other stop during his Hall of Fame coaching career. So, when Self made this comment in postgame it was memorable.

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Self and KU staff very relaxed much of the game.

"Today is the most comfortable we've been that I can remember,” Self said of this trip to Gallagher-Iba. His teams are 8-10 when playing in Stillwater, Kansas is 8-8. “I looked it up, I think we're like nine and eight down here. We've labored here, so this is probably the second-worse place we've done [behind West Virginia].”

The game was never really competitive as Kansas scored the first six points fueled by a quick miss (one Oklahoma State offensive issue) and then a turnover (another more prevalent recent issue). It was all fueled as Kansas shot 68 percent from the field in the first half and offensive attacker in freshman wing Johnny Furphy was perfect five-of-five from the field and three-of-three from behind the arch.

“It’s a problem, there’s no question,” responded Cowboys head coach Mike Boynton when asked about defense. “Gotta go back and reevaluate.”

That is a real issue to think that you have to re-evaluate your defensive structure 17 games into the season. However, Kansas just continued a trend that started in the Big 12 opener with Baylor (50 points in the paint), Texas Tech (90 points), and Iowa State. It got worse. Now, Oklahoma State is averaging allowing 80.25 points a game in conference. 

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This slam late in the first half silenced the GIA crowd.

“We’re taking away 3s, but obviously we’re getting just annihilated there (in the paint),” Boynton continued. “And literally, it’s all the way at the rim, too. We’re not talking about guys making a bunch of runners or mid-range pullups. They’re making, in many cases, uncontested layups.”

Oklahoma State was flat-out not getting back on defense. Kansas was getting behind the Cowboys. In soccer, the officials would have whistled offsides. The arena went quiet when KU reserve Nicolas Timberlake got behind the defense and then ran out with a smashing slam dunk. It was like Timberlake took the breath right out of the OSU fanbase. 

“We’ve gotta get better guarding the ball at the point of attack,” added Boynton. “Then we gotta figure out if there’s another defensive scheme that we gotta implore ( I believe he meant explore) maybe some zone. There’s no doubt that our defense is an issue and it’s on all of us to get it fixed.”

Pat Kinnison - Chief Photographer

The season is just getting more difficult for Boynton, who celebrated his birthday Jan. 17.

In a building that was built for Mr. Gallagher (wrestling) and Mr. Iba (basketball) and then re-built for Eddie Sutton (basketball) failing as much on defense is rough. 

“It’s no fun. (I know) nobody wants to be 0-4,” Boynton said. “Nobody wants to win more than the players and the coaches. What I try to do is just focus on making sure I show up tomorrow and give everything I have as my part to that, and also demand from everybody else that’s in the program to do the exact same thing.”

On the bright side there are some younger players continuing to work hard and improve and you could see it with freshman Brandon Garrison. The 6-11 post did allow KU All-American seven-footer Hunter Dickinson to score 21-points, but he made him earn. He often bodied up and battled with the more mature Dickinson and afterwards earned a compliment from the KU transfer from Michigan that prefers trash talking to compliments. 

Pat Kinnison - Chief Photographer

Garrison and Dickinson banged against each other all game.

“I think he’s really athletic,” Dickinson said when asked about Garrison. “He’s pretty strong, especially for a freshman, so he’s got a lot of potential. He can be really good if he just continues to work and continues to work on that low post game. I feel like he can have a lot of potential with that. Obviously being a great athlete, that’s always gonna help. So, just continue to stay in the gym, I think, would be really good for him.”

That won’t be a problem. The feeling is the Cowboys will be in the gym a lot as they prepare for a road trip to Manhattan on Saturday and catching Kansas State (13-4/3-1) coming off an overtime win against Baylor last night 68-64. Bramlage has not been a picnic for Boynton’s Cowboys.