**6:22 p.m.:** **STILLWATER, Okla. -** It was as eerie a feeling as you could imagine outside the KU locker room following Saturday’s 61-60 loss at Oklahoma State.The Jayhawks glad-handed fans, posed for photos and signed autographs as usual. There was the obvious 800-pound gorilla outside the doors of the dressing area – the loss. But hanging over the heads of the players some, too, was the tragedies suffered by the families of Darnell Jackson and Rodrick Stewart this week.Both spoke with the media. Jackson was quiet, while Stewart was a bit more talkative, admitting his head wasn’t completely in it today. Stewart opened up a little and said that having Jackson around, who has dealt with these issues before, has made the grieving process easier.Stewart said he will be attending his brother’s funeral in Seattle Wednesday. He will miss KU’s next game, which is that night in Ames, Iowa – a contest which now takes on added significance given the test which awaits next Saturday at home against Kansas State, the year’s biggest game in Allen.Again, my thoughts and prayers are with both families. I’m sure yours are, too. Rodrick Stewart seemed open to talking about it and shook hands with some media after discussing it briefly before heading to the team bus.KU has now dropped two of three, and the swagger this team once carried on its belt at 20-0 is hard to locate right now. The pieces are working at times, but just not at the same times. That make sense?Bill Self said his team played like one which was distracted, and that’s certainly understandable. But as he likes to say, one loss cannot become two if KU wants a full head of steam going into Saturday.**What went well Saturday**…-Brandon Rush in the second half scored all 12 of his points and showed an incredible amount of fire. His final look was clean and close.-KU rebounded well, grabbing 34 of a possible 55 boards in the game, including 12 on the offensive glass.-The Jayhawks hit 16 of 19 free throw attempts.**What didn’t go so well Saturday**…-Bill Self said at some point he’d hope to have a consistent 27 to 30 minutes from Darrell Arthur. Tonight didn’t start that run for sure. The Jayhawks’ leading scorer on the year was limited to 17 minutes, scoring six points, grabbing two boards and five fouls. His fifth foul seemed to tweak Self a bit, coming against Byron Eaton against the boundary when he was already trapped.-Sherron Collins’ health is an issue right now, as Self said he practiced yesterday for the first time since bruising his knee and only did so for 15 minutes. He was 0-for-1 from the floor Saturday with no points in 11 minutes. This team loses something big without his services at full strength.-The big men were pushed out of the picture in the second half. Darnell Jackson finished with 16 points and 10 boards, but just four and two, respectively, in the second half. Sasha Kaun was just 2-of-3 from the floor in 17 minutes and picked up four fouls. Cole Aldrich was decent in nine minutes with two points and three defensive caroms. He didn’t play the second half, though, for some reason.Even though KU fans may not want to hear it right now, Oklahoma State is a team that is again alive in the NCAA Tourney picture. With four league games left (Oklahoma, Nebraska, Missouri and Texas), three more regular season W’s and a league tourney win could put OSU in the Big Dance. The Cowboys’ last three wins are all of the signature variety – Baylor, Texas A&M and Kansas.I’ll talk to you Wednesday from Ames. Don’t expect Hilton to be any more welcoming than Gallagher-Iba was today.**5:12 p.m.:** **STILLWATER, Okla. -** Be back shortly with postgame notes, numbers and nuggets. Plus some chatter.**5:12 p.m.:** **STILLWATER, Okla. -** Win or lose, Brandon Rush deserves a ton of credit for his play in the second half. He was moderately aggressive in the first half, but was full throttle in the final 20 minutes, with 12 points to this juncture (2:01 to play). He’s also shown plenty of emotion, which no doubt was pent up following an 0-for-5 shooting performance in the first half.Should this game get to overtime, it’s going to be one huge chess match, with both teams having plenty of guys with foul woes. For OSU, Terrel Harris has four, so does Marcus Dove and Byron Eaton has three. For KU, Chalmers has four, then Kaun and Rush each have three.**4:59 p.m.:** **STILLWATER, Okla. -** A fun few minutes for the casual KU observer, especially after KU charged back a bit.First was the entrance into the game of the Big 12’s worst hairdo, that of OSU’s [Tyler Hatch][1]. Looks like an American Idol hopeful to me.Then, after an OSU cheerleader with an oversized Cowboys flag did a lap around the second-level walkway, a KU fan mimicked him with a small Jayhawk cutout, running a pair of laps. This was going on while the wife of former OSU guard Daniel Bobik and her buddy did their dance which CBS loved during the 2004 Final Four while the dance team did their thing on the floor. It was just pure entertainment.Not a bad atmosphere overall.Mario Chalmers’ three out of that timeout gives it away further that he’s the Jayhawks most clutch guy on the road, and he’s going to be the one all eyes should be on here in the stretch. Especially with the season’s leading scorer – Darrell Arthur – now out with five fouls. Rough day for Shady.**4:43 p.m.:** **STILLWATER, Okla. -** So much for Darrell Arthur having a huge impact early in the second half. His fourth foul with just six points to his credit has now taken him out of this game for the next several minutes.KU’s best bets right now offensively are Mario Chalmers and Brandon Rush, no question. After Rush hit his first shot of the game, he let out a scream and fist pump at halfcourt, backpedaling to play defense. Chalmers has shown more poise than anyone in crimson and blue today.Now the noise is going to be a factor, too. It was kinda wine and cheese in the first half, but the three-pointers are making this place absolutely blow apart.**4:17 p.m.:** **STILLWATER, Okla. -** Really not even sure how to describe that first half, but it sure looks on the surface like a week away from game action didn’t do a ton to help KU shake its rust.The blame in that first half goes to several different points.There’s Brandon Rush’s scoreless showing on 0-for-5 shooting. He wasn’t all that aggressive either. There was the two fouls apiece for Arthur, Collins, Chalmers and Kaun.There’s Oklahoma State getting off 13 clean three-point looks, hitting five.Lets look at what KU did well, though, and how things could turn around.A 23-11 rebounding advantage is a good place to start. Russell Robinson and Mario Chalmers found some success in driving and hitting short runners and floaters. Also, lots of pressure, in my mind, on Darrell Arthur to start the first half well. He had five points on 1-of-3 shooting in the first half in nine minutes of play with two fouls. He needs a huge start to the half.A few first half numbers before the second stanza starts.-Byron Eaton was 10-of-10 from the stripe. OSU as a team was 15-of-17. KU was a very good 12-of-13. Right on par. He also has just one turnover, giving him a total of five in his last 2.5 games.-Darnell Jackson has 12 points and eight rebounds, playing well despite the tragedy his family has had to overcome this week.-Terrel Harris was limited to three minutes after picking up three fouls. He had four points and was hot offensively while he was in there. He could be a big second half x-factor.**3:49 p.m.:** **STILLWATER, Okla. -** Best unintentional comedy yet.The ref along the right sideline stopped the game because of something some fan in the cozy über-rich person seats along the court did. Not sure what it was, but he tossed the middle-aged man from the game.As the guy left the arena, he only made himself look more stupid, pulling the ‘Raise the roof’ maneuver, signaling back a late 90s pop culture reference which now is nothing but cliche and very, very, very lame. Should have been more creative. No question.**3:43 p.m.:** **STILLWATER, Okla. -** I certainly didn’t expect KU’s big men to be phased out offensively like this, but the Jayhawks have at least found something to replace that missing offense with – the dribble-drive penetration from the guards.Mario Chalmers has done it twice and Russell Robinson now once, putting it on the floor and heading right down the gut through the paint and hitting runners. OSU’s guards are being pretty careful because foul trouble – specifically three on Terrel Harris – has hindered the Cowboys, who suffer from depth issues as it is.This is setting up to be a big Chalmers game.Also…no Gus Johnson. I’m disappointed. Wonder what happened there.**3:15 p.m.:** **STILLWATER, Okla. -** Well, I completely overestimated the atmosphere, because it’s really not all that loud and there’s certainly a few empty seats.But KU still looks frazzled in the opening minutes. In the 4:07 leading up to the first TV timeout, the two teams combined for nine turnovers (six committed by KU). Bill Self has used the term ‘sped up’ for his team when they have had ugly stretches this year, and that is without doubt the case right now.It’s obvious this won’t be a high-scoring game, so maybe KU would be better-suited slowing it down a bit, running some clock and lulling the Cowboys to sleep. It’s been fast-paced, but more helter-skelter than the fast-paced play KU usually plays, which includes much more finesse.I’d be shocked if either team scores more than 60 points. Especially after that little tiff under the OSU hoop.**2:42 p.m.:** **STILLWATER, Okla. -** It’s worth pointing out that both Rodrick Stewart and Darnell Jackson look to be working around like they normally do during warmups, fooling around with teammates and whatnot.About 18 minutes until tip and it’s a slow-filling crowd here at Gallagher-Iba. The students are more focused on the OSU women’s game vs. Oklahoma playing on the scoreboard than razzing KU at the moment. Therefore, not too hostile. Not yet, at least.Also, Eskimo Joe’s was just as delicious as I remembered. Like Bill Self normally does there, I opted for a ‘Fowl Thing’ off the menu. Just flat-out tasty.**1:09 p.m.:** **STILLWATER, Okla. -** First, some news on the KU hoops front. According to Rivals.com, [Tyrone Appleton][2] a junior college point guard from Midland (Texas) CC has scheduled a 5 p.m. press conference at the school Monday evening. He is expected to announce his decision as far as where he’ll play next year. He’s being pursued by the likes of Kentucky, Kansas, Iowa State, Texas and San Jose State.Just sat down in Gallagher-Iba. My seat has provided me with without question the steepest experience of my life, even steeper than my first venture into the upper deck of new Comiskey on the south side.But the layout of this place simply adds to the charm. THis is without question the best football-basketball combo in terms of facilities in the Big 12. Both are amazing, and they’re joined at the hip, essentially. I’ll get some photos up in a few minutes hopefully.Also, not sure how I forgot to mention this in the initial entry, but last night I saw a first – a drive-thru liquor store. It was called ‘The Barn’ I believe, and it was located at the lip of what equates to Mass. St. in Stillwater. It’s shaped like a barn with flashing lights around its edges. It has a drive-thru middle with freezers lining the walls. Simply incredible. Wonder if cops sit at the other end waiting to pick off those without enough common sense to wait until they get home to crack one open.Be back in a few. Gonna down some Eskimo Joe’s and try to gather some pregame photos.**10:58 p.m.:** **STILLWATER, Okla. -** First, we need to start today’s gameday blog by observing a quick moment of silence for the families of Darnell Jackson and Rodrick Stewart, both of which are [suffering from losses][3] this week……………Thank you. Our thoughts and prayers go out to both players and their families.Now that I’m charged up this morning with the delightful Hampton Inn breakfast goodness (seriously, best hotel breakfast around that costs you nothing), lets dish…Fans watching this KU-OSU game at home today are in for one helluva treat, in my opinion. That’s because calling the action on today’s CBS telecast is none other than [Gus Johnson][4] – my favorite play-by-play guy around, honestly.My reason for liking his work so much is because I think that he more than any PxP guy around resembles the attitude of the fan sitting on his couch, not going hysterical, but completely in-tune with the emotion of the game being played. That make any sense?If you don’t buy me there, Here’s a few clips brought to you by the wonder that is YouTube to display what makes him so unique. [Here][5], [here][6], [here][7] and [here][8] (It pains me to include a pair of Ohio State game-changers in there, but a point must be proven).I’m hoping this game comes down to a last-second shot, either way. Just to have something fun to watch on YouTube for years to come…**On to the game**Some might freak out and yell at the top of their lungs ‘I’ll take that bet any day!’ when seeing that KU enters today’s action as an 11-point favorite over Okie State.’Pokes covering? I could certainly see it happening.Kansas is 3-2 on the road this Big 12 season and has really only been dominant for 1.5 of those five games (Both halves at Nebraska, second half at Colorado). Gallagher-Iba, don’t forget, will be far from a friendly environment. Behind Bramlage Coliseum, it’ll be the second-loudest atmosphere KU has seen on the road this year (yes, this place blows Texas’ Erwin Center away).But if you’re a casual college basketball fan watching this game with no vested interest in either side, Okie State is one of those teams you watch which can drive you nuts. So much talent, such meager results.The Cowboys aren’t quite dead yet mathematically in terms of NCAA Tournament hopes. A 13-12 overall record is far from impressive, and at 4-7, Sean Sutton’s crew probably would have to win four of its final five games and a contest in the league tourney to even have a chance. Those five games include both KU and Texas, with that game against the Longhorns being played in Austin to close out the regular season. Okie State’s best hope at making a real statement is by winning today. The team certainly has enough momentum coming in, with back-to-back wins leading into this one over two teams that could be March Madness participants themselves – Baylor and Texas A&M.Looking at the box scores from those games, it’s pretty obvious who holds the key for OSU’s success – Byron Eaton.In the two victories, the junior former McDonald’s All-American teammate of Mario Chalmers totaled 42 points, 13 assists and just four turnovers. On the year he’s averaging 10.6 ppg, 3.2 apg and 2.1 turnovers a night. That means his two recent showings were better than the norm for the stocky point guard, built similarly to Sherron Collins.Like I said earlier, lots of talent on the OSU bench. Mostly in the 1-3 positions. Between Eaton, Terrel Harris, James Anderson, Obi Muonelo and Marcus Dove, I think OSU has as good a set of perimeter talent and athleticism as anyone in the Big 12. Anderson, a freshman who chose OSU over KU, is the big scorer, and Dove is as solid a lockdown defender as you’ll find in the league.The one thing OSU lacks, however, is a true post player.**That’s what leads me to this prediction:** KU 73, OSU 65Okie State’s gonna hang around. I have no reason to not believe that given what an insane atmosphere this place presents. Insane atmospheres have certainly not helped (nor can you assume they hurt) the Jayhawks in Manhattan and Austin earlier this year. But I’m thinking Darnell Jackson could have big numbers today. He’s dealt with so much in his personal life of late that I believe he’s learned how to turn negatives into positives and he’s more equipped at this stage in his life to deal with what he’s faced this week. Add in the homecoming factor with plenty of relatives in place, emotions could pace him to a huge showing, [just as they did at Boston College][9] in January. I’ll say he has a huge 18 and 11 today.Sherron Collins being banged up takes away a bit from KU’s quality of depth in the backcourt, but my sleeper today is Russell Robinson. He’s due a big game after a couple of tough outings since the Baylor win.Talk to you from the arena in a couple hours.42, 13 and 4 [1]: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/si_blogs/basketball/ncaa/uploaded_images/hatch-748344.jpg [2]: http://rivalshoops.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=28907&sport=2 [3]: http://www2.kusports.com/news/2008/feb/23/two_jayhawks_shaken_relatives_deaths/?mens_basketball [4]: http://cbs.sportsline.com/cbssports/team/gjohnson [5]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBFFJb9KSdc&NR=1 [6]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgeqrYxu_YM [7]: http://youtube.com/watch?v=e4YQxsoZfnk [8]: http://youtube.com/watch?v=6npKFKU4fmc [9]: http://www2.kusports.com/news/2008/jan/06/ballin_and_bawlin/?mens_basketball
