Postgame Report Card: Kansas 90, Oklahoma State 85

By Matt Tait     Mar 4, 2017

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Kansas guard Josh Jackson (11) gets in for a lob dunk during the first half, Saturday, March 4, 2017 at Gallagher-Iba Arena.

Quick grades for five aspects of KU’s 90-85 road win at Oklahoma State in the regular season finale in Stillwater, Okla.

Offense: A+
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90 points, 55.7 percent from the floor, 42.9 percent from 3-point range and 76.5 percent from the free throw line (11 percentage points better than their season average), all in a hostile environment. The Kansas offense was terrific from start to finish and, perhaps most importantly, had an answer every time OSU made a run.

Defense: B
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KU surrendered 85 points, but part of that was the product of Oklahoma State just flat-out playing. The Cowboy’s offense was nearly as good as Kansas’ but one of the biggest differences in the game was KU’s ability to string together stops. OSU shot 42.3 percent from the floor and made just 12 of a season-high 36 3-point attempts. Kansas also out-rebounded Oklahoma State, 42-30.

Frontcourt: A
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Landen Lucas was rock solid, especially as a scoring threat in the post, and he even got help from Carlton Bragg Jr., in this one. Bragg finished with 11 points and 3 rebounds in 18 minutes and served as the perfect complement to Lucas, who finished with 10 points and 7 boards in 29 minutes.

Backcourt: A
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Mason, Graham and Jackson all had big nights and Lagerald Vick’s only blemish on a 9-point, 8-rebound night was his three turnovers. Still, KU’s guards carried the day, all with another sub-par performance from struggling junior Svi Mykhailiuk, who finished with 3 points on two shots, four fouls and one turnover in 12 minutes.

Bench: B+
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If KU gets the rest of the way what it got from Bragg and Vick in this one, the Jayhawks will be tough to beat. Both came off the bench and provided energy, production and a little spark in helping KU holding off the Cowboys.

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Written By Matt Tait

A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.