Oklahoma found itself atop the newest AP Poll on Monday. Hours later, the Sooners lost on the road to No. 19 Iowa State 77-82.
Oklahoma senior guard Buddy Hield had 27 points, six rebounds and four assists while fellow senior guard Isaiah Cousins scored 26 points to go with seven rebounds. However, three of Iowa State’s starters scored 20 or more points, including senior forward Georges Niang with 22, which pushed the Cyclones over the Sooners.
The loss continues the trend of the No. 1 team in the country being from the Big 12 and losing — West Virginia beat then-No. 1 Kansas last week.
Kansas upset by Oklahoma State
A day after losing its No. 1 ranking, No. 3 Kansas lost on the road to Oklahoma State 86-67 on Tuesday. The Cowboys shot 50 percent from the field and were led by freshman guard Jawun Evans, who had 22 points, six rebounds and eight assists. Kansas, meanwhile, made just 6-of-22 threes and shot 52 percent from the free-throw line. This snaps a four-game losing streak for Oklahoma State and gives Kansas its second loss in the past two weeks.
Evans wins second newcomer of week award
Evans may have helped Oklahoma State down Kansas, but he was also honored for his play last week. Evans won his second Big 12 Newcomer of the Week award after averaging 27.0 points, 6.5 assists and 7.5 rebounds in two games last week.
Evans helped the Cowboys come back from 23 points down to nearly beat Texas on Jan. 16, notching 12 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. He also scored 42 points in a losing effort against the Sooners.
Isaiah Taylor wins weekly honor
Texas junior guard Isaiah Taylor won Big 12 Player of the Week honors for the first time in his career. Taylor averaged 23 points, four rebounds and five assists in Texas’ two wins last week. He had 28 points, including five in overtime, in Texas’ 94-91 win over then No. 17 Iowa State — the second ranked team Texas beat this season.
Taylor is averaging 22.2 points per game in five Big 12 games this season and is the Longhorns’ leading scorer overall with an average of 17.2 points through 17 games. He’s the fourth Texas player to win a weekly award this season — senior guard Javan Felix and senior center Cameron Ridley won Player of the Week earlier in the season while freshman guard Eric Davis Jr. earned Newcomer of the Week.
