Oklahoma State basketball: 3 takeaways from 74-63 loss to Kansas

2. Cowboys showed obvious rust

OSU head coach Mike Boynton isn’t one to make excuses for his team, and programs all across the country are dealing with COVID-related disruptions to their practices, games, and overall schedules — but the Cowboys showed clear signs of rust after a 17-day break between games.

OSU’s last game was on Dec. 18, 2021, a 72-61 loss to future Big 12 foe Houston.

The Cowboys were scheduled for a Dec. 21 game in Oklahoma City against Southern Cal, but the contest was canceled due to COVID-19 issues with the Trojans. An earlier scheduled Big 12 game against Texas Tech was also postponed.

The Jayhawks jumped out to an early 29-15 lead with eight minutes remaining in the first half, while OSU looked out of sorts a bit on offense in the early going.

1. Kansas is a deep, motivated team

This group of Jayhawks could be the real deal. They’re deep, experienced, and ready to bounce back from a relatively disappointing 21-9 finish in 2021 that also featured a second-round loss in the NCAA Tournament.

Kansas out-rebounded OSU by 14 boards last night, enabling the Jayhawks to limit many second-chance opportunities from the Cowboys.

Forward David McCormack came off the bench to put up 17 points and 15 rebounds in only 23 minutes of action on the floor. Christian Braun showed his characteristic poise while scoring 15 points, while senior Ochai Agbaji was all over the place in adding 16 points.

Simply put, this Kansas team has the firepower to make a deep NCAA run after the Big 12 spring gauntlet. Surprisingly, the Jayhawks haven’t advanced past the tourney’s second round since 2018, but that could easily change this spring.

OSU will next face No. 14 Texas on Saturday, Jan. 8.