The last time Kansas saw Oklahoma State on the basketball court, the Jayhawks struggled through arguably their worst performance of the year and Cowboys freshman Jawun Evans seemed unstoppable.
Since then, OSU has dropped 5 of 7 games, and Evans is out indefinitely with a right shoulder injury.
Poor Pokes. They enter Allen Fieldhouse for a Big Monday rematch at exactly the wrong time. The Jayhawks (21-4 overall, 9-3 Big 12) remember well how poorly they executed on both ends of the floor in Stillwater, in an 86-67 loss.
And KU is back to playing at a high level after a bit of a January funk.
Without Evans, Oklahoma State (12-13, 3-9) might be the worst team in the Big 12. And teams in that conversation tend to get dismantled in Lawrence.
Give Travis Ford and his team some credit. They have gone 1-2 without Evans in the lineup, thanks to an overtime home win against inconsistent Kansas State on Saturday. But they also lost at TCU last week, giving the Horned Frogs their second Big 12 victory of the season.
OSU has won exactly one true road game this season, at Auburn, in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. How bad is Auburn? According to kenpom.com: 202nd in the nation.
Here is how the Cowboys have fared away from Gallagher-Iba Arena in the Big 12:
*- at Baylor, 79-62 L*
*- at West Virginia, 77-60 L*
*- at Texas, 74-69 L*
*- at Kansas State, 80-73 L*
*- at Texas Tech, 63-61 L (OT)*
*- at TCU, 63-56 L*
Although Ford is the only current Big 12 coach who can say he beat a Bill Self-coached team at the fieldhouse, this version of the Cowboys sure doesn’t look like a squad that is going to end KU’s 37-game home winning streak.
Here’s a look at what Oklahoma State (which, by the way, also lost Phil Forte to an elbow injury before the season) is missing, and what’s left, as the Cowboys face what figures to be an angry bunch of Jayhawks.
**WHAT OSU IS MISSING**
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*No. 1 — PG Jawun Evans | 6-0, 175, fr.*
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*Jan. 19 vs. KU: 22 points, 7/11 FGs, 1/1 3s, 7/8 FTs, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, 6 turnovers, 2 steals in 32 minutes*
– Freshman dynamo Jawun Evans was off to a great season before getting hurt. The three-time Big 12 Newcomer of the Week was averaging 12.9 points, 4.9 assists and 4.4 rebounds and shooting 47.5% from 3-point range.
**OKLAHOMA STATE STARTERS**
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*No. 11 — G Jeff Newberry | 6-2, 185, sr.*
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*Jan. 19 vs. KU: 13 points, 5/10 FGs, 1/1 3s, 2/2 FTs, 1 rebound (offensive), 2 assists, 1 turnover, 1 block, 1 steal in 27 minutes*
– While OSU’s 273rd-ranked scoring offense isn’t going to put fear in opponents, the Cowboys do have some players who defend well, starting with senior guard Jeff Newberry, who averages a league-leading 2.1 steals a game in Big 12 play.
– Newberry went for 10 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks to assure the Pokes of a home win over K-State this weekend. He nearly ended the game in regulation, but the 3-pointer he hit at the end of the second half left his hands after the game clock hit zeroes.
– Ford on Newberry: “What makes him great is when he’s locked in on defense and rebounding. He’s one of the few players (for OSU) that can affect the game in a lot of different ways.”
– Averaging 10.6 points and 3.5 rebounds in Big 12 play, and has shot 13 of 37 from 3-point range (35.1%).
*No. 23 — F Leyton Hammonds | 6-7, 215 jr.*
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*Jan. 19 vs. KU: 6 points, 2/8 FGs, 2/6 3s, 3 rebounds, 1 turnover in 32 minutes*
– Probably the most dangerous OSU scorer now that Evans is out, junior Leyton Hammonds has come on of late, scoring double figures in each of his last 6 games. In that stretch, Hammonds is averaging 12.8 points and 5.8 rebounds, and hitting 35% of his 3-pointers.
– On the season, Hammonds has made 32 of 97 3-pointers — 33%.
– Had one of his best games of the season on the road, at Texas: 18 points, 9 rebounds (4 offensive).
– Shooting 41% from the floor in Big 12 play and 18 of 58 from 3-point range (31%).
*No. 30 — G Jeffrey Carroll | 6-6, 205, soph.*
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*Jan. 19 vs. KU: 11 points, 3/4 FGs, 3/4 3s, 2/2 FTs, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal in 26 minutes*
– Sophomore guard Jeffrey Carroll’s numbers have gone up in the past 3 games, with Evans unavailable: 11.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 50% shooting from 3-point land.
– On the year, Carroll averages 8.4 points and 4.4 rebounds, while making 34.4% of his 3s.
– In a 5-point home loss to Iowa State, Carroll scored a career-high 18 points and made 4 of 7 from downtown.
– In Big 12 play, he is 16 of 48 on 3-point attempts.
*No. 41 — F Mitchell Solomon | 6-9, 240, soph.*
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*Jan. 19 vs. KU: 6 points, 0/1 FGs, 6/6 FTs, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, 4 fouls in 15 minutes*
– The second-year big man only plays 17.6 minutes a game in Big 12 action, contributing 3.2 points and 3.3 boards.
– Solomon has more offensive rebounds (23) than defensive rebounds (17) in conference games.
*No. 2 — PG Tyree Griffin | 5-10, 165, soph.*
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*Jan. 19 vs. KU: 5 points, 1/3 FGs, 1/2 3s, 2/2 FTs, 2 rebounds, 2 assists in 10 minutes off the bench*
– Sophomore guard Tyree Griffin’s season changed when Evans suffered his injury. Griffin went from an OSU backup to a guy playing at least 36 minutes in 3 straight starts.
– Since taking over Evans’ spot, Griffin’s best game came at TCU: 12 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists. He has only made 1 of 8 3-pointers since the switch.
– In Big 12 games, Griffin has connected on just 3 of 19 from long range, and averages 4.9 points and 3.2 assists.
**OKLAHOMA STATE BENCH**
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*No. 31 — F Chris Olivier | 6-8, 230, sr.*
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*Jan. 19 vs. KU: 8 points, 3/5 FGs, 2/4 FTs, 4 rebounds (2 offensive) in 9 minutes off the bench*
– A transfer from Eastern Illinois, senior Chris Olivier scored 17 points off the bench in a home loss to Baylor.
– The backup big man is OSU’s most effective scorer inside, shooting 52.6% from the floor (without an 3-point attempts) in Big 12 play.
– Olivier averages 6.5 points and 2.3 rebounds in 15.1 minutes in league play.
*No. 5 — G Tavarius Shine | 6-5, 205, soph.*
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*Jan. 19 vs. KU: 8 points, 3/7 FGs, 2/5 3s, 2 rebounds, 1 turnover in 24 minutes off the bench*
– A backup sophomore guard, Tavarius Shine scored the first 5 points of overtime in OSU’s Saturday win over K-State, and tallied 11 total.
– Got hot at Texas and made 4 of 5 from 3-point range on the way to 14 points.
– Shine’s Big 12 numbers: 5.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 33.3% on 3s.