Kansas Hands Iowa State First Loss of Season in Allen Fieldhouse Beatdown
LAWRENCE, Kan. - If there’s one thing Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger preaches with the consistency of a seasoned veteran, it’s this: win the turnover battle, and you give yourself a chance to win the game. But on Tuesday night inside the always-hostile Allen Fieldhouse, that mantra unraveled early - and fast.
No. 2 Iowa State, undefeated through its first 16 games, coughed the ball up six times in its first 11 possessions.
That’s not just uncharacteristic - it’s a red flag for a team that’s built its identity on discipline and control. By halftime, the Cyclones had more turnovers (10) than made field goals (8), shooting a frigid 24 percent from the floor on 33 attempts.
“We got sped up. We didn’t finish through contact.
We didn’t keep our composure to play later in possessions and move the basketball,” Otzelberger said postgame. “We appeared a little bit spooked and panicked.
And the moment got us, and we weren’t able to recover.”
Kansas made sure they didn’t. The Jayhawks handed Iowa State its first loss of the season in emphatic fashion, 84-63, behind a relentless defensive effort and a physical tone that rattled one of the nation’s most composed teams. Kansas won the turnover margin 12-9, but the impact went far beyond the numbers - it was about how and when those turnovers came.
Senior forward Joshua Jefferson, a likely All-American and the engine of Iowa State’s offense, was particularly disrupted. He turned the ball over five times in the first half alone, often losing control in traffic or misfiring passes under duress. The Cyclones couldn’t get into any kind of rhythm, and with Kansas locking down the paint, the margin for error vanished.
It was, by far, Iowa State’s worst offensive half of the season. They managed just 0.676 points per possession, went 28 percent from three, and looked out of sync against a Kansas defense that played with purpose.
“They protected the paint really well,” said Iowa State’s Milan Momcilovic. “And Bidunga is a really good five-man, affected a lot of shots down there.”
That would be Flory Bidunga, Kansas’ sophomore center, and the quiet star of the night. While freshman phenom Darryn Peterson poured in 16 points and drew plenty of attention, it was Bidunga who changed the game with his presence in the paint. He drew the Jefferson assignment early and never backed down, using his length and timing to block shots, alter drives, and make the Cyclones think twice every time they ventured near the rim.
“I’m not sure what his wingspan is, but 7-foot plus,” Momcilovic added. “He affected a lot of shots, had four blocked shots.
Every time we got down there, we’ve got to be better playing off two feet, or pump fake, try to get a foul on him. He affected the game a lot tonight.”
Kansas head coach Bill Self agreed.
“How many blocked shots did we have in the first half? Four?
And we had seven steals,” Self said. “You add those together, that’s 11.
That’s 11 in a half when we haven’t averaged 11 in a game for the year. The large part of that is, obviously, Flory.
I thought Flory did a great job protecting the basket.”
By halftime, Iowa State trailed 44-23 - eerily reminiscent of last season’s visit to Lawrence, when the Cyclones were down 35-19 at the break. But unlike that game, where they clawed back and made it a fight, this one slipped away.
To their credit, Iowa State came out swinging after the break. A 19-9 run cut the Kansas lead to 53-42 with just over 13 minutes to go, and for a brief stretch, it looked like the Cyclones were about to flip the script. That’s been their pattern all season - slow burn early, then a second-half surge that overwhelms opponents.
But Kansas didn’t blink. Self called a timeout, regrouped his team, and the Jayhawks responded with a knockout punch: a 14-3 run, including a 10-0 burst that pushed the lead to 71-47. Any hope of an Iowa State comeback was extinguished right there.
“We didn’t come out and start the second half like we should have,” Self admitted. “Other than that, seven minutes to start the second half, I thought we played pretty well the whole time.”
The loss ends Iowa State’s perfect start, but let’s not get it twisted - this team is still very much in the thick of the Big 12 title race. Sitting at 16-1, the Cyclones have a golden opportunity to stack wins over the next few weeks with a manageable stretch ahead: at Cincinnati, vs.
UCF, at Oklahoma State, vs. Colorado, at Kansas State, vs.
Baylor, and at TCU.
That’s the calm before the storm. Starting February 14, Iowa State hits a gauntlet that includes Kansas again, plus Houston, BYU, Utah, Texas Tech, and Arizona - four of those teams currently ranked in the top 15 nationally. It’s a stretch that will define the Cyclones’ season, and why building momentum now is crucial.
Otzelberger didn’t mince words after the game.
“That was an absolute beatdown tonight from the start in their favor, unfortunately,” he said. “So a lot for us to learn from and continue to move forward.”
And that’s the key. Losses like this one sting - especially when they come with the nation watching and an undefeated record on the line.
But they also reveal what needs fixing. For Iowa State, that starts with poise under pressure, smarter possessions, and, yes, winning the turnover battle.
As for Kansas? They reminded everyone why Allen Fieldhouse remains one of the toughest places to play in college basketball.
The Jayhawks win there - it’s what they do. But it was the way they won on Tuesday night that turned heads.
They didn’t just beat Iowa State. They broke their rhythm, their confidence, and their streak - and they did it with defense, toughness, and a sophomore center who owned the paint.