Kansas Basketball: Biggest Takeaways from Showdown with Iowa State

If Kansas thought it was going to cruise to another Big 12 title, Saturday's game was a harsh wake-up call.

Iowa State handed the Jayhawks their first conference loss of the season, winning 86-81 at Hilton Coliseum to announce itself as a favorite in arguably the toughest league in the nation. 

Although these teams are now tied at 3-1 in the conference standings (with Kansas State technically in first place at 4-1), the Cyclones have to be taken seriously as contenders. As for Kansas, it's important to learn from this experience and try to improve going forward.

With the team having another tough contest Monday night against Oklahoma, it better figure out what went wrong quickly.

There were certainly a number of positives and negatives in the recent outing, but here is a look at the top takeaways from the recent loss.

Getting Lost in Transition Will Kill You Every Time

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There are always many factors that decide a game, but without question the biggest difference in the matchup against Iowa State was points in transition.

According to C.L. Brown of ESPN.com, the Cyclones scored 31 fast-break points in the win, a total that is simply unacceptable.

Seth Davis of Sports Illustrated was shocked by the effort (or lack thereof) as he tweeted, "Pretty amazing to see a Kansas team play such poor transition defense. Jayhawks getting beat repeatedly down the floor."

Whether there was a make or miss, Iowa State simply pushed the action to create easy layups on the other end of the court. Stopping this has nothing to do with talent or athleticism but simply focus and effort.

If this issue isn't fixed, Kansas will lose a lot more games this year.

Cliff Alexander Is Still a Work in Progress

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While he certainly has shown signs of promise, Cliff Alexander has been a bit of a disappointment this year compared to his lofty expectations.

Despite finishing with six points and six rebounds Saturday night, the loss had to qualify as a low point for the freshman, as he only managed two minutes of playing time in the second half. After the game, Bill Self noted it was due to a lack of defensive effort.

“I think the big thing is you’ve got to play with a motor," the head coach explained to Jesse Newell of the Topeka Capital-Journal. "When you’re guarding a guy that’s active on the perimeter, you’ve got to at least close out or be in a stance and do some things to try and guard them. I didn’t think that was the case at all."

Alexander had some notably awful defensive efforts throughout the game while failing to respect the outside shooters.

The forward has obvious talent and could really help this team over the course of the year. However, he will need to have a better commitment on the floor if he wants to get more playing time.

Hopefully, this benching will be a turning point for the young man going forward.

Perimeter Defense Can Be a Problem

Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press

One of the reasons Iowa State is so difficult to defend is the fact anyone on the court can shoot.

The Cyclones went 9-of-20 from three-point range with seven of the eight players on the team at least attempting a shot from behind the arc.

While Bill Self's teams are usually known for their great rotations and on-ball defense, there were way too many open shooters in the most recent game. Meanwhile, guards were once again capable of getting into the lane and getting easy baskets in the half court.

This has been an issue for the Jayhawks at various times this year, although they are often able to get away with it. Obviously, Iowa State made them pay on Saturday.

Going forward, Kansas will need to come through with some better perimeter defense, whether this means going smaller or simply having a better commitment from each person on the floor.

Perry Ellis Can Be a Go-to Option

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Even in the loss there were some positives for Kansas, most notably the strong play by junior Perry Ellis.

The forward has been extremely inconsistent this season, having some good games but also disappearing a few times. Ellis has been held to five or fewer points on four different occasions this year, including both previous losses.

However, he showed up against Iowa State with 19 points and 11 rebounds. This was his fourth double-double of the season and the most points in a game since he scored 24 in a November win over Tennessee.

If the Jayhawks are going to be successful this year, they will need more games like this one from their most veteran scholarship player.

Ellis has skill and experience to be a go-to option for this squad. He just needs to come through on a more consistent basis for it to be effective offensively.

This Could Be the Start of a Dangerous Stretch

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One road loss against a very good opponent is not something to be too concerned about in normal circumstances. However, Kansas could be in trouble if it doesn't turn things around quickly.

Just two days after the loss to Iowa State, the Jayhawks will have to bounce right back with a home game against Oklahoma. This will be followed by road games at Texas and at TCU.

According to KenPom.com, Kansas is only a slight favorite in the first game, while the next two are projected losses.

The Big 12 is clearly going to be full of tough battles every single week with just about every team competing for a conference title. A few defeats in a row can really set a team back in this race.

Although this league will not be won or lost in January, Kansas has to avoid putting itself in a deep hole by struggling through this difficult stretch.

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