In their decade-long dominance of the Big 12, the Kansas Jayhawks have struggled at Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Kansas entered its matchup at Oklahoma State on Saturday, having lost three of the last five games it played in Gallagher-Iba Arena. The Jayhawks looked poised to improve their record at Stillwater, with an 11-point lead at halftime.
But the Cowboys came out of the break with a 14–1 run to take a 44–42 lead with 16 minutes left in the game and hung on during the final minutes to pull off the upset.
After drilling 56 percent of its shots in the first half, Kansas struggled to shoot from the floor in the final 20 minutes, making only 27 percent of its attempts.
Meanwhile, Oklahoma State shot 46 percent from the field in its comeback during the second half and made 75 percent of its free throws in the final frame to close out the win.
Trio of Big 12 team rise in AP Poll
After posting big wins Saturday, three teams from the Big 12 saw their stock rise in the latest AP Poll.
Baylor, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State each jumped at least three spots in the rankings Monday. Oklahoma State made the biggest leap, moving up from unranked to No. 21 after an upset win at home over Kansas.
The Bears moved up three spots to No. 16 following an 18-point victory at West Virginia, and Oklahoma moved up four spots to No. 17 after a win at TCU.
Despite the loss to Oklahoma State, Kansas remained in the top ten at No. 8. Iowa State fell to No. 14 after being trounced by the Jayhawks on Feb. 2.
Texas fell out of the rankings for the first time this season following its overtime loss to Oklahoma State last Wednesday.
Gathers, Hickey take home Big 12 awards
As Baylor rises through the Big 12 and the national rankings, junior forward Rico Gathers is one of its key players. This past week, Gathers dominated the court for the Bears in their wins over TCU and West Virginia, earning the Big 12 Player of the Week award for the second time in three weeks.
Gathers dominated the glass, collecting 17 rebounds in each game. He currently leads the Big 12 in rebounds with 12.5 rebounds per game — four more than the No. 2 player. He also averaged 15.5 points in the two games.
For Oklahoma State, senior guard Anthony Hickey played a key role in its upset over Kansas. Hickey scored 15 points against the Jayhawks — including the last four points for the Cowboys to the seal the win — and took the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week award for the second time this season.
Hickey also posted 15 points in the Cowboys win over Texas earlier in the week and went five-of-nine behind the three-point line. He also snagged six steals and five rebounds during the week.
