Kansas’ Big 12 title streak in jeopardy after loss at Iowa State
Throughout its 11-year reign as Big 12 champions, Kansas has always shown a knack for nabbing a big win whenever its grip on the league appears to be loosening.
The Jayhawks will need that trait to reemerge during the next six weeks if they have any hope of extending their remarkable run of dominance.
An 85-72 loss at Iowa State on Monday night puts Kansas’ Big 12 title streak in serious jeopardy only eight games into the league schedule. The fourth-ranked Jayhawks now trail top-ranked Oklahoma, Baylor and West Virginia by a game in the loss column, and they have a tougher remaining schedule than the Sooners.
Oklahoma (16-2, 5-2) has already finished its season series against Iowa State and played both Kansas and Baylor on the road. Kansas still has road games left against the Sooners and Bears as well as tricky home games remaining against Iowa State and West Virginia.
What that means is that Kansas likely has very little margin for error if it wants to extend its league title streak to 12 and move within one of UCLA’s all-time record of 13. The Jayhawks may need to either win in Norman on Feb. 13 or have Oklahoma slip up unexpectedly a couple times against lesser opponents.
Kansas can’t expect to win the league playing at the level it did in the second half Monday night. Iowa State outscored the Jayhawks 43-22 over the game’s final 15 minutes because the Jayhawks committed far too many turnovers and took far too many ill-advised quick shots, both of which fueled the Cyclones’ lethal transition attack.
Iowa State point guard Monte Morris scored 21 points, dished out nine assists and repeatedly made shrewd decisions with the ball in his hands, especially for a game played at breakneck speed. Georges Niang had 19 points and Matt Thomas scored 13 including a pair of critical 3-pointers during the decisive second-half run.
While Iowa State’s lack of depth and inability to defend dribble penetration are concerns, the Cyclones have shown the ability to defeat anyone on their home floor this season. They’ve toppled Kansas, Oklahoma and in-state rival Iowa — all of whom are in contention for No. 1 seeds.
It won’t be easy for Iowa State to overtake Oklahoma and win the Big 12 since the Cyclones still visit Baylor, Kansas and West Virginia this season. Nonetheless, the Cyclones don’t face nearly the pressure that Kansas does to achieve that feat.
The Big 12 title has been all but a birthright for Kansas. Now this year’s Jayhawks are in danger of letting it slip through their fingers.
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
