Both the No. 8 Iowa State Cyclones and the No. 16 Kansas Jayhawks needed bounce-back wins after embarrassing losses last weekend.
They had the misfortune of meeting one another on Monday night in Lawrence, Kan., as the Jayhawks walked away with the 69-52 victory at Allen Fieldhouse.
Kansas (16-6, 7-4 in Big 12) blew a 21-point lead to Baylor on Saturday. But at least that loss was on the road. For Iowa State (17-5, 7-4), it was blown out at Hilton Coliseum by Kansas State.
Now, the Cyclones are nursing a three-game losing streak.
Here are three thoughts on the game.
KANSAS HOLDS A LEAD
Hey, at least Kansas can hold a 16-point halftime lead? I kid, I kid.
But this team looked much different than the one that slumped through the second half of that loss to Baylor. I mean, the Jayhawks gave up 60 points to the Bears in the second half. And remember — Kansas rebuilt the lead to 10 points after losing it. It was as epic a collapse by Kansas as it was an epic comeback by Baylor.
Kansas was up by 16 points at halftime on Monday because it played well on both ends and, frankly, Iowa State didn’t shoot well. But I was eager to see the response in the second half. The Jayhawks needed to be just as good in the final 20 minutes. They were.
The Cyclones did shoot better in the second half, but the Jayhawks shot just as well as they did in the first half. Three different Jayhawks were in double figures, led by Zeke Mayo’s 17 points. All this and Iowa State only committed seven turnovers.
This was a quality 40-minute game for Kansas. It needed it.
THIS HAS TO BE THE NADIR
Iowa State, I believe, is still a Top 25 team and one that is capable of winning a national championship. But this slump has come to an end.
Losing at Arizona was one thing. A road game, Caleb Love hits a buzzer-beater, and the Cyclones fall in overtime. That isn’t a bad loss.
But these last two losses to Kansas State and Kansas? Iowa State hasn’t been competitive. That’s concerning.
The Cyclones possessed the ball well but shot horribly in the first half and scored only 19 points. Iowa State was awful from the 3-point line (14%) and from the free-throw line (55%).
So, what’s happening? This isn’t about not having Milan Momcilovic in the lineup, who is out with an injury. It’s a widespread slump, extended by a hangover from the overtime loss to the Wildcats.
If ISU is the team I think it is, then the next four games — TCU, UCF, Cincinnati and Colorado — represent a chance for a turnaround. But it’s not just about wins now. It’s about confidence. This team doesn’t look confident right now.
Three straight losses will do that to a team.
A 20 GAME MARATHON
Monday’s game represented the start of the 11th round of Big 12 action. We may be starting to see the weight of a 20-game schedule rear its head.
The men’s coaches chose to do play this 20-game league schedule this season, a Big 12 first. It isn’t just 20 games. It’s 10 weeks of two games every week. Unlike the women, who play an 18-game schedule and get a mid-week break once, there is no break for the men. At best you get lucky enough to get a four-day break like both Kansas and Iowa State will enjoy this week.
There is more travel with the four corners schools. Big 12 teams not only play every team once, but each plays five of those teams twice.
Just think about Iowa State’s double round-robin opponents for a second. Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Kansas State and UCF. Aside from Colorado, everyone still has skin in the game.
The next month will be a slog. Iowa State’s slide may be indicative of this marathon of a season, which doesn’t bode well for teams like Houston and Texas Tech, who really haven’t experienced a protracted slump yet.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
