So much noise, it seemed the din rattled Kansas University’s players, who fell behind by a whopping 18 points just 7 1/2 minutes into an 80-60 loss to the Cowboys.

“That doesn’t make sense,” KU junior guard Keith Langford said of the theory the Jayhawks imploded because of the arena noise.

“We’ve played in front of big crowds all the time. It’s the same story, different game. We started slow.”

Fellow junior Michael Lee agreed the crowd noise, incredible as it was for a game that was for first place in the Big 12 Conference, shouldn’t have been as much of a factor as it was.

Thad Allender/Journal-World Photo

“To say it shell-shocked us, it shouldn’t have,” Lee said. “You could throw up your hands (at some of shots OSU was making) and say there’s nothing you can do, or you can play harder. Their crowd got involved early. They got juiced up and didn’t back down and we did.”

Indeed, KU never trimmed its deficit to below 14 points, trailing by as many as 23. OSU hit six of eight three-pointers in the first half and was 8-of-15 for the game.

“When other teams are making shots,” KU coach Bill Self said, “you’ve got to guard harder, guard tougher. We let it deflate us.”

He isn’t giving up on the league race, but the Jayhawks now are a game behind the ‘Pokes.

“We have to go to places and do things we’ve not done at Ames and here,” Self said. “We’re not out of it by any means. We’re going to have to be awfully impressive the rest of the way.”

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Heir apparent: Self was asked this week who eventually would replace Eddie Sutton, who turns 68 in March.

“There’s a guy on staff in my opinion who is going to deserve to be the next coach whenever the time is,” Self said of Sean Sutton, the coach’s son. “Whether or not it plays out that way, I have no idea. While I was there, you say to yourself, ‘How nice would it be to coach your alma mater?’ But as time went on and circumstances changed where I had other opportunities, I never felt the timing would be right for whatever reason.

“But that doesn’t mean I don’t care for the place every bit as much as I did back when I played there.”

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Vitale in house: Monday’s game was such a biggie ESPN’s Dick Vitale elected to make his first appearance in Stillwater in nine years. That was when Vitale watched OSU’s 79-69 victory over Roy Williams and the Jayhawks.

OSU in league of its own Woodling: Sooner State brutal for KU OSU guard Lucas puts on show KU: Noise not noisome 6Sports video: Jayhawks denied in Stillwater Hear Bill: KU-OSU postgame comments See the photos: KU-OSU Get the stats: KU-OSU box score

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Cal lands little Langford: Keith Langford’s brother, Kevin, a 6-foot-9 senior forward from North Crowley (Texas) High, has orally committed to California-Berkeley. Langford is averaging 17.6 points and 12.3 rebounds a game for the 28-2 Panthers. He had visited UCLA and also considered Virginia and TCU.

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Recalling Mr. Iba: Understandably, being back at his alma mater and all, Self was asked to take a walk down memory lane Monday.

He was asked if the late Henry Iba attended many practices during Self’s days as a player and assistant coach at Oklahoma State.

“When I played, he came to practice quite often,” said Self, an OSU point guard from 1982 to ’85 for the late Paul Hansen and assistant coach from 1986 to ’93 — the first four years for Leonard Hamilton and the last three Eddie Sutton, who actually played for the legendary Iba.

“My first couple of years coaching here he didn’t come to practice quite as often,” Self said. “Coach Sutton got the job, and it pumped energy into coach Iba’s willingness to come to practice.

“It was almost a daily occurrence, if not daily three or four times a week. Looking back now, I didn’t spend near as much time with him as I wish I had. Little things he said still carry a lot of weight with me,” Self added.

Like what?

“One thing I learned from him: ‘The more you know, the more realize you don’t know.’ At his age he was still trying to come up with stuff that could make the game easier and better.

“He’d always say, ‘Bill you come up with anything yet on this offense? What offense are we going to run, Bill, against everything? We don’t need to change offenses just because defenses change.’ I’d say, ‘I’m working on it, Mr. Iba.’ He’d say, ‘Stop what you’re doing and work on it!’ That was his attitude all the time, always wanting to learn.”