ESPN broadcaster Fran Fraschilla called No. 15 Kansas’ 72-61 win over Oklahoma in the Sooners’ Big 12 home opener. It was the first game the OU men's basketball team has dropped at home but it may prove a costly one.

The loss to the Jayhawks was the Sooners’ second in as many games, and third in its last four. Oklahoma lost earlier in the week, 87-49, to No. 6 Missouri in Columbia, which remains the team's worst performance of the year.

Early in the game versus Kansas though, the Sooners seemed to have shrugged off the defeat as it took a 34-33 lead into halftime Saturday afternoon in Lloyd Noble Center. But with the start of the second 20 minutes, the game took on the persona of the title of Chinua Achebe’s 1958 novel, “Things Fall Apart.”

The Jayhawks opened second-half scoring with a 7-0 run that would indicate the Sooners’ demise. With 12:07 left to play, Kansas (12-3, 2-0) led Oklahoma, 56-38.

It also didn’t help the Sooners that Kansas junior guard Travis Releford had the best scoring game of his career with 28 points on 9-of-13 shooting. Junior forward Thomas Robinson scored 18 points and led the Jayhawks in rebounding with nine boards.

“A win like this adds up to a conference championship,” Robinson said. “Coach told us we have to go undefeated at home and be able to scrape up some wins on the road.”

Oklahoma (10-4, 0-2) would find itself late — but too late. The Sooners closed the gap to 12 with 48 seconds left to play, and the fraction of a minute proved to be an inefficient amount of time to put together one last run at the Jayhawks.

OU coach Lon Kruger might have known the game’s result was lost, but all was not. He subbed in junior forward Casey Arent and freshman point guard James Fraschilla with 1:24 left to play.

For James’ father, Fran, it was all he could do to keep his emotions in check as he watched his son play regular season Big 12 basketball for Oklahoma — the same school James was a ball boy for when Taj Gray and Drew Lavender wore the same crimson and cream on their backs.

Fran said he even warned his broadcast team against mentioning his son’s name and family relationship unless it’s late in the game. He said he felt the game should take precedent. He’s a pro, and that’s how pros behave, he said.

“It’s fun, but when I’m doing an ESPN game, I’m here to do a job,” Fran said.

After his broadcast duties were finished, Fran gushed about his son and seeing the student, athlete and man he’s become.

“I’m just proud that he’s worked hard to be a part of the Oklahoma basketball program,” he said. “Anytime you see your son out on the court, it’s special. It’s fun that he came to Oklahoma, it’s even more fun that he’s being coached by one of the classiest guys in basketball in Lon Kruger. He’s learning a lot.”

James said he was well aware that he would play in front of his father if Kruger called his number, but he still isn’t used to knowing that simple truth.

“It was kind of weird,” James said. “I’ve kind of grown up around him broadcasting games. I’ve gone to his games. And now I walked out of the tunnel, and he’s there. It was a little different, but it was cool.”

James’ time in the game ended abruptly. He needed to be subbed out after just one minute in the game.

Why? Because that was the length of time it took for him to acquire a bloody nose.

“I was pressuring him, and I got a little too close,” James said. “He hit me with an elbow. I tried to come back in, but it was bleeding too much.”

He said he wanted to come back for the last 24 seconds, but men’s basketball trainer Alex Brown wouldn’t allow it.

“It was just an elbow though,” James said. “It’s not broken or anything.”

While James’ dad called the game courtside, junior forward Romero Osby’s grandparents watched the game from the stands. Pearl and James Osby made the trip from Meridian, Miss., to Norman this season for the second time to watch Romero play against Kansas.

Romero's grandparents said they enjoyed watching his nine-point, nine-rebound performance, though they would have liked to have seen Oklahoma come away with the win.

“It’s exciting,” Pearl said. “He had nice game, though I was hoping they could pull it out. During the first half it felt like we were going to do it. But we really wanted to see this game.”

The junior knew his grandparents were among Oklahoma’s near-sellout crowd of 9,415.

Pearl said she and her husband will try to make it back to see OU take on Texas but will settle for traveling to Stillwater for the Sooners' third Big 12 game of the season on Monday. There, Romero said he will do his best to help his team get that victory.

“It felt good to have them in the crowd,” Romero said. “It would be better to be able to give them a win, but we’ll just have to bounce back for the Oklahoma State game.”

Indeed, the Sooners will have to bounce back against one of the league’s weaker teams this season. What’s left of their schedule are teams that among the best in the country.

And when they do, their families will have their backs.