STILLWATER, Okla. — Kansas basketball went on the road Wednesday, Feb. 18, in Big 12 Conference play and picked up an 81-69 win against Oklahoma State.
Here’s what Cowboys coach Steve Lutz had to say postgame to reporters, according to the press conference available on OSU’s YouTube account, after the loss against the No. 12 Jayhawks (20-6, 10-3 in Big 12).
Steve Lutz considers Kansas a national title contender
Lutz said Kansas has proven it’s a quality team that can be one of the teams that is competing for a national title at the end of the season. In the game itself this week, he saw KU freshman Darryn Peterson get the Jayhawks off to a tremendous start. And as much as Peterson is a standout talent, Lutz did note that Oklahoma State has to take ownership of the fact it could have defended Peterson’s 3-point shooting more effectively.
Peterson didn’t play for much of the second half, but did finish the game 6-for-10 on shots from beyond the arc. He scored 20 of his team-high 23 points before halftime.
What Steve Lutz saw in Oklahoma State’s slow start
Lutz thought for 35 minutes his team fought and battled, but those first five minutes saw the Cowboys dig themselves a hole that is hard to recover from — especially against a team like Kansas.
In those first five minutes, KU built a 17-6 lead. The contingent of Jayhawks fans in the building were certainly noticeable in those moments, as well as in other points of the game.
Lutz did detail that Oklahoma State missed a lot of open shots at the beginning of the game. As much as they executed some things they wanted to execute early, they didn’t finish those possessions. Then, add on the fact OSU was going up against a defense that Lutz considers to be one of the best in the nation.
How Steve Lutz views Darryn Peterson
Lutz described Peterson as someone who’ll be a professional for a long time. Ahead of the game, Lutz said Oklahoma State talked about making him a pull-up jump shooter instead of just being able to catch-and-shoot. Considering how much Peterson’s proven to be a good 3-point shooter, Lutz didn’t think the Cowboys were there defending on the catch as much as they should have been — which falls on everyone, staff included.
Speaking generally about the Big 12’s high-profile group of freshmen, Lutz described it as one of the reasons the margin for error is as limited as it is in the conference. That, as well as the overall well-coached and talented teams. He also gave credit to Kansas for having the resources to recruit Peterson, a potential No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He was the 2022 National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Oklahoma State coach Steve Lutz reacts to loss vs Kansas basketball