Headed into tonight’s matchup most believed the Jayhawks had a significant advantage over Oklahoma State. Even with the loss of Tyshawn Taylor to suspension, Kansas was returning sophomore forward Thomas Robinson and the Jayhawk were expected to provide a tough mismatch for a Cowboy team experiencing a bit of a down year.
That proved to be the case and then some as Kansas controlled the Big 12 matchup all night long running away from Oklahoma State early and never looking back. Kansas jumped out to the early lead behind a big first half from Marcus Morris. Kansas looked like a team with one of the highest offensive efficiency ratings in the country and the Jayhawks did it by sharing the basketball and consistently exploiting a noticeable advantage on the interior.
Kansas wins this one by a final score of 92 to 65 behind a 42 point 12 rebound combined effort from Marcus and Markieff Morris.
While the Jayhawks were paced by the Morris twins underneath, the guard play for Kansas was one of the major side stories on the night. Without Taylor, the Jayhawk point guard position was managed Elijah Johnson and Johnson took full advantage of his opportunity.
The sophomore guard who has had his ups and downs in a young Jayhawk career played very well in scoring 15 points including a perfect 4 for 4 performance from beyond the arc. What was even more noticeable was the effort on the defensive end and as a whole the ball movement shown by Kansas and their guards.
Whether it was Johnson, Josh Selby, Brady Morningstar, Tyrel Reed, Travis Releford or Mario LIttle, the Kansas guards were playing unselfish basketball and that’s when Kansas is at it’s best. Find the best shot, convert and Kansas does it as well as anyone.
Next up for the Jayhawks is a game on Saturday against Oklahoma in Norman. The Jayhawks still sit one game back of league leader Texas with three games to play in the regular season.