LAWRENCE, Kan. – Big 12 Conference play begins on New Year’s Eve as the No. 22 Kansas Jayhawks head to Stillwater, Oklahoma, to face the Oklahoma State Cowgirls on Saturday afternoon at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. CT and the game will be televised on Big 12 NOW, with Mike Wolfe and Latricia Trammell on the call. Jayhawk fans can also listen to the game on the Jayhawk Radio Network from Learfield, with Steven Davis calling the action.
Kansas returns to action for the first time since suffering its first defeat of the season, an 85-79 setback in triple overtime at Nebraska on Dec. 21. The Jayhawks are now 10-1 on the year after putting together the fourth 10-0 start in program history. The Jayhawks remain in both national polls for the third-consecutive week, checking in at No. 22 in the Associated Press Top 25 and No. 25 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. The Jayhawks moved into the rankings on Dec. 12 for the first time since 2013, entering at No. 22 in the AP poll and No. 24 in the coaches poll.
Kansas is led by senior center Taiyanna Jackson, who recorded her seventh double-double in 11 games with 18 points and a career-high 21 rebounds at Nebraska. Jackson leads the Big 12 in rebounding (11.5) and field goal percentage (66.4), ranks second in blocked shots (29) and fourth in scoring (15.8). She is currently seventh on KU’s all-time blocks list with 124, two shy of earning a spot in the top five.
Senior guard Zakiyah Franklin set a new career-high with 27 points in KU’s triple overtime contest at Nebraska. That game came on the heels of Franklin being the first Jayhawk since 2019 to be named Big 12 Player of the Week when she earned the honor on Dec. 19 after matching her previous career-high with 26 points in KU’s 81-62 win over Tulsa. Franklin is second on the team in scoring, averaging 15.7 points per game for the season and she’s scored 10 or more points in eight-straight games.
Oklahoma State finished non-conference play with a record of 10-2 after defeating Air force 62-44 on Dec. 20. The Cowgirls have won four straight games and six of their last seven heading into Saturday’s conference opener.
Kansas has faced Oklahoma State 78 times in program history, with OSU leading the all-time series 41-37. Last season, KU swept the season series with OSU for the first time since 1996 by earning a 68-54 victory in Stillwater followed by a 65-56 victory in Lawrence. The Jayhawks are 14-18 all-time in Stillwater following last year’s win, which was KU’s first at Gallagher-Iba Arena since 2012.
Up Next
Kansas returns to Allen Fieldhouse for the first game of 2023 as the Jayhawks host Texas Tech on Wednesday, Jan. 4, in the first of two consecutive Big 12 home games for the Jayhawks. That game will tip off at 7 p.m. CT and be broadcast on Big 12 NOW.
