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Jayhawks routed by Cowboys as Diallo starts
▶ SHANE JACKSON
@jacksonshane3
Since the moment he stepped on campus, there has been an abnormal amount of buzz around freshman center Cheick Diallo. Since he was officially cleared to play in the non-conference season, fans have been calling for the freshman center to be inserted in the starting lineup, despite how raw he seems at times on the court.
SUE OGROCKI/AP Photo
Kansas forward Cheick Diallo (13) shoots over Oklahoma State guard Leyton Hammonds (23) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Stillwater, Oklahoma, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016.
On Tuesday, fans got their wish. Kansas coach Bill Self penciled Diallo into the starting lineup at Oklahoma State. But even in Diallo's highly-anticipated debut, the Cowboys routed the Jayhawks, 86-67. It was the third consecutive loss for Self against his alma mater in Gallagher-Iba Arena.
In his first collegiate start, Diallo scored four points on 2-of-3 shooting. He hauled in a pair of rebounds and recorded one steal. He logged just 13 minutes in the game.
However, it didn't come as much of a surprise that Diallo made the start, especially after Self's comments following the previous game. After the win over TCU, Self said he would try to find more minutes for Diallo, along with fellow freshman Carlton Bragg Jr.
"Those guys did some good things and earned some more minutes," Self said after the last game
in the University release. "They're getting better ... I think Cheick's attitude has been good even when he hasn't played."
Previously, senior big man Hunter Mickelson had held the starting position down, at least for the last 10 games. However, he has now failed to log more than five minutes in the last three contests, getting buried behind the Kansas frontcourt. In fact, Mickelson had not recorded double-digit minutes since Kansas' home victory against Baylor on January 2.
Diallo finally forced Self's hand in Saturday's home victory over TCU. The freshman had arguably his best game of his young Kansas career. He was one point and one rebound shy of a double-double, and he added five blocks, which was both a game-high and career-high mark.
However, on Tuesday, the towering 6-foot-9 center wasted no time showing how up-and-down it can be starting a freshman on the road in a conference game.
Early in the game, there was good, and there was bad.
scored the putback from about six feet away.
Early on in Stillwater, the freshman big was energetic but also a bit erratic.
first half. The Jayhawks went into the intermission down 43-38. As a team, Kansas was shooting 43 percent from the floor.
Diallo was called for goaltending with 16:33 to go in the first half allowing Oklahoma State to cut the deficit to two. On the very next possession, Diallo made up for it by catching a shot by Mason that fell short of the rim. He turned around and
Through the first six minutes, he hit one of two shots, hauled in a pair of rebounds and turned it over twice. As a result, Diallo headed to the bench.
But Diallo wasn't the only one that struggled in the
Without junior guard Brannen Greene (knee), the nation's leading three-point shooting team hit just 2-of-10 shots from beyond the perimeter.
Meanwhile, Oklahoma State, who came in shooting
just over 30 percent from long range on the year, was 7-of-13 from three. That shooting would carry over into the second half, as the three-point barrage continued.
"They had seven different guys make a 3-pointer. It was their night," Self said in the University release, "we contributed to it, but what went wrong is they were far better than us tonight."
As the Cowboys ended their four-game losing streaking, they also managed to knock down a season-high 11 three-pointers, while shooting over 50 percent from distance.
On the other side, Kansas was ineffective and inefficient from three, hitting just 6-of-22 from behind the arc. Really, the Jayhawks struggled to find the bottom of the net from all over the floor, hitting just 42 percent of their shots.
Even the team's leading scorer, junior guard Frank Mason III, shot just 4-of-12 in a 14-point performance. Senior forward Perry Ellis scored 13 on 3-of-10 shooting. He would, however, make some history, passing Wilt Chamberlain on the Kansas all-time scoring list. He moved up to 23rd in points in program history.
And this was not the only good news Ellis received on the day. Earlier in the day, he was named as one of the 30 Senior CLASS Award candidates - along with
three other Big 12 players, including Oklahoma guard Buddy Hield. However, nothing he did Tuesday night really showcased that ability, as there was even a near-15-minute stretch where he was held scoreless.
Regardless, on Tuesday, it was all about the freshman, though not quite the one you might expect.
Diallo received much of the hype because he was in the starting lineup. However, his freshman teammate, Carlton Bragg Jr., outplayed him. Bragg finished with eight points on 4-of-4 shooting. He also hauled in four rebounds.
It remains to be seen if Self will stick with Diallo going forward or call on his other freshman big man. Certainly, Diallo isn't the sole reason for the disappointing road loss, but, as a team, the Jayhawks may need a jolt.
Kansas has consecutive games against Iowa State and Kentucky around the corner that could prove to be fatal, at least in terms of getting a one-seed come March.
But before that two-game stand, Kansas will have one more chance to figure things out, returning home to take on Texas on Saturday. Tip between the teams will be at 1 p.m.
KU women's basketball drops ninth straight game to K-State
@dmantheman2011
DYLAN SHERWOOD
When playing your instate rival, there's always some extra motivation to get a win. Often times there's a different atmosphere; there's more energy and more electricity.
On an eight-game losing streak, the Kansas women's basketball team hosted its in-state rival, Kansas State, on Wednesday night in Allen Fieldhouse.
First quarter woes made a huge difference in the ballgame, as Kansas State picked up its first win of the Sunflower Showdown this season, 59-46. It was Kansas State's fourth consecutive win in the series, while Kansas lost its last nine games on the season.
Kansas was out-of-sync in the first quarter, scoring only one field goal in the first five minutes. Freshman forward Tyler Johnson ended the long scoring drought.
"Our Achilles' heel has been our offense," Kansas coach Brandon Schneider said. "Our inability to make shots just puts too much pressure on every part of our game."
However, this wasn't a surprise to Schneider. He has seen this lack of offense consistently from his young team as of late.
"We missed a couple of layups and open threes," Schneider said. "When you are not performing at a great level — a high-level offensively — [there's no] execution and the biggest part is missing shots."
However, Kansas State coach Jeff Mitte said he thought the Jayhawks could make a run, which they would, late in the game, to make things closer.
"Well they've got good speed and good athletes at the guard spot," Mittie said. "They knocked some shots down — nine threes. It's a team that's got some weapons, and we saw them
hit more shots as the game went on."
One of the key factors of this edition of the Sunflower Showdown was Kansas State junior forward Breanna Lewis. Lewis had 23 points and 13 rebounds. The Wildcats outscored the Jayhawks 34-6 in the paint, with 20 of those points coming from Lewis.
"I feel like I'm a big help for my team defensively and offensively. That's what I try to do." Lewis said.
The Jayhawks did see much improvement in the second half. They actually outscored Kansas State by a single point, 33-32. However, Schneider said he didn't think that second half was the best Kansas has played all year.
"There's been quarters where I've been happy with how we've played," Schneider said. "I thought we did a lot of good things against Baylor. That was our best defensive game."
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Redshirt-Junior Timeka O'Neal led Kansas in scoring with nine points on three three-point baskets. Sophomore guard Chayla Cheadle had eight points, while Johnson had eight points and four rebounds.
Kansas (5-13, 0-7) will host Oklahoma State on Superhero Day Sunday at 2 p.m. in Allen Fieldhouse. The Cowgirls took both wins away from Kansas last season, winning by eight points in Lawrence and four points in Stillwater, Okla.
- Edited by Madi Schulz
Missy Minear/Kansan
Missy Minear/Kansan Freshman Kylee Kopatich drives toward the basket Wednesday against Kansas State. The Jayhawks lost the game, their ninth straight.
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