Volume 126 Issue 93
kansan.com
Thursday. March 13,2014
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY GANSAN
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COMMENTARY The case for the Cowboys
Just like many imagined. Kansas and Oklahoma State will meet up for a third time this season.
Unlike anyone imagined, game number three will occur in the Big 12 quarterfinals. Regardless, this is the one fans wanted to see. The storybook ending to the saga that has been the Big 12 this season.
It's iust not KU's story.
It's just not KU's story. This narrative belongs to Oklahoma State. The team that was a lock to win the conference when Marcus Smart announced his return for a sophomore season. The team that was forced to share a pedestal with Kansas before any of its top-tier recruits stepped foot on campus. The team tasked with knocking off the Big 12's kings.
"Yes, we are supposed to be a pretty good basketball team this year," Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford said at Big 12 media day in October. "It's something we talk about, but we fully grasp that Kansas is still a team to beat."
And in the Cowboys' quest to knock off the nine-time champs they suffered more than they succeeded. They watched helplessly as piece by piece of the dream year fell apart.
They could only push forward after Michael Cobbins' season-ending injury. Ford didn't have a choice but to kick backup point guard Stevie Clark off the team after his arrest. In the midst of a seven-game conference losing streak Marcus Smart shoved a fan in Lubbock, Texas, and got suspended three games by the league.
And while the Cowboys sank Kansas rolled, taking a large conference lead en route to a 10th straight Big 12 championship.
Sure, Oklahoma State got some anger out in a home victory against the Jayhawks. Not that it mattered. Kansas sealed up an outright title with 15 minutes left in the first half of that game.
So the Cowboys played for a chance to make the NCAA Tournament. They played for pride. All the while the unflappable Jayhawks complained about not being able to celebrate their championship.
You know, the problems of the prosperous.
That's when the Cowboys were supposed to have overcome the adversity that's so talked about with successful teams. That's before Naz Long hit a desperation 3-pointer leading to an Oklahoma State overtime loss to Iowa State.
This is a story about a team that has fallen again, and again and again — no, TCU, not you.
This is about a team that blew past Texas Tech to set up a final meeting with the team it was always meant to knock off. This is about resetting a matchup that was always meant to have greater implications. This is about playing for more than pride. This is about playing for titles.
And this story is not about Kansas.
"We understand the challenge is going to be an incredible challenge," Ford said Wednesday night. "One of the great teams in the country, and they've proven it all year long."
Edited by Blair Sheade
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