KU Basketball: Iowa State Cyclones Suck the Wind Out of Lawrence

Feb 4, 2017; Lawrence, KS, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self talks with official Darron George during the second half against the Iowa State Cyclones at Allen Fieldhouse. Iowa State won 92-89. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 4, 2017; Lawrence, KS, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self talks with official Darron George during the second half against the Iowa State Cyclones at Allen Fieldhouse. Iowa State won 92-89. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /
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KU basketball saw their nation leading home court win streak snapped at 54 games. The Jayhawks lost to the Iowa State Cyclones 92-89 and are now 20-3 on the season.

Home Not So Sweet Home

The Jayhawks looked poised at multiple points in the game to pull away and make this one a laughter, but the Cyclones came in with other ideas and battled fiercely to the end.

Iowa State trailed by as many as 15 only to recapture the lead 75-73 at the 6:20 mark in the second half. The game went back and forth as the team battled into overtime.

The Cyclones just flat out played KU basketball in the second half and in overtime. They defended and shot better down the stretch to close out an overtime thriller. This was only the tenth time Bill Self has lost at home in his 14 seasons as KU basketball’s head coach (216-10).

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Frank Mason continues to be one of the best players in the nation.

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His scoring and leadership led the Jayhawks to their third straight win. Mason hit a career high before the end of regulation and continued to pour it on in overtime. He was the leading scorer in the game finishing with 32 points.

There is no one else playing better in the country right now, but alas it was not enough to deliver the team a win.

The Jayhawks could not keep the Cyclones from scoring from beyond the arc. They drained bucket after bucket from outside.

Iowa State hit 18 three-pointers in comparison to the ten that KU made. Many of the shots were contested, but there were also quite a few were the Jayhawks were slow to close out.

Turnovers and sloppy plays allowed ISU to climb back in the game.

More than once sloppy passes were forced into Landen Lucas in the post late in the game. Plenty of the turnovers were the Jayhawks own doing because of unforced errors.

KU basketball got a stop in overtime and had a chance to regain the lead only to have the ball thrown away once more. Twenty-one turnovers against any opponent will kill you, let alone one that’s scorching hot from three-point land.

Next: Top Ten KU Quarterbacks of All-Time

Looking Forward

The Jayhawks end their two-game home stand and head on the road to take on the Kansas State Wildcats. The game will air on Monday at 8:00 on ESPN.

The Jayhawks are 8-2 against KSU in their last ten match ups. Since the turn of the century, the Hawks own a 12-5 record in Bramlage Coliseum, otherwise known as Allen Fieldhouse West.