Oklahoma State Upsets (5) Kansas, 72-65 - East Idaho News
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Oklahoma State Upsets (5) Kansas, 72-65

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Getty S 092812 NCAA%20LOGO?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1393773280311Joe Robbins/Getty Images(STILLWATER, Okla.) — Oklahoma State guard Marcus Smart took his team on his back and scored 20 of his 21 points in the second half to upset No. 5 Kansas on Saturday, 72-65.

Smart struggled in the first half, but went after shot blocker Joel Embiid in the second.

“I was always taught that you’ve got to attack the shot blocker,” Smart said. “You’ve got to attack his body and chop him down a little bit. Take his legs from under him and that makes him a little shorter.”

Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford had confidence that Smart would be able to get things going after the first half.

“After the game, I told him he’s a piece of work,” Ford said. “You have to stick with him, because he’s going to make plays. He’s a competitor. That’s what he did. He was huge down the stretch.”

Markel Brown chipped in with 21 of his own points and Le’Bryan Nash added 16 in the victory.

“What’s frustrating to me is we had the game where we wanted it and then we didn’t make competitive plays down the stretch to give us the best chance to win,” Kansas head coach Bill Self said after the loss.

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