Ever since Kansas’ come-from-behind win at West Virginia on Jan. 15, the common thought was that it would take something shocking for the Jayhawks not to win at least a share of their 14th consecutive Big 12 regular season championship.
Oklahoma State’s stunning upset of Kansas re-opens the Big 12 race
The Jayhawks’ 14th straight regular season title isn’t a done deal just yet.
Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
Something shocking happened Saturday afternoon in Lawrence.
Kendall Smith scored 24 points and Cameron McGriff added 20 as Oklahoma State, thought by many to be the worst team in the Big 12, stunned seventh-ranked Kansas 84-79 at Phog Allen Fieldhouse. The Cowboys had been 12-point underdogs heading into the game.
The defeat was the fourth Kansas has suffered at home this season, and the third at Allen Fieldhouse (KU’s loss to Washington was officially a home game, but was played in Kansas City). The Jayhawks had lost just three home games in the previous five seasons combined.
With the loss, Kansas (18-5, 7-3) joins Oklahoma and Texas Tech as Big 12 teams with three losses in conference play. Four other teams have either four or five losses in the league most believe to be the most competitive in the country this season.
The win snapped a three-game losing streak for Oklahoma State, which improved to 14-9 overall and 4-6 in the Big 12. The Cowboys still have significant work to do if they want to play their way into the NCAA tournament discussion. Their RPI entering Saturday was a dismal No. 115.
If Kansas does wind up winning at least a share of their 14th straight regular season conference title, they’ll become the first program in Division-I history to achieve the feat. UCLA won 13 straight league titles from 1967-1979.
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