Been a while since I’ve been able to do one of these but I had some free time this week so let’s get prepped, shall we? Bit of an oddity getting this game at home on a Sunday, I cannot recall the last time the Red Raiders played on a Sunday but here we are.
Oklahoma State is currently sitting at 14th in the Big 12 with a conference record of 2-5, a direct opposite of the record the Red Raiders have in the same amount of games.
As it stands currently in KenPom, the Cowboys are the worst team in the Big 12 looking at the metrics, seated at No. 112 on the site. It is a similar story in the NET, which has Oklahoma State also ranked 112th in the land, while EvanMiya seats the Pokes at No. 103 in their rating systems.
It is largely a new team, the only recognizable name I can see on the Cowboys roster is Bryce Thompson, who in the last five games he has played against the Red Raiders has averaged 16.4 points.
The Cowboys are 12th in the Big 12 in scoring, averaging 66.9 points a night in the conference slate, while also allowing 75.4 per game. OSU is on the heels of a loss to Arizona, 92-78, which I find to be a rather impressive scoring output from the Pokes even in a loss.
As you may or may not remember, the Cowboys are in their first season under Steve Lutz, who took over after Mike Boynton was fired after seven seasons leading the program. In his two previous head coaching spots at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Western Kentucky, Lutz was able to lead his squads to NCAA Tournament bids, though it seems he has quite the rebuild ahead of him at Oklahoma State.
As far as personnel goes, here is what I expect to see from the Cowboys Sunday.
OSU will be led by 6-foot-10 big man and Xavier transfer Abou Ousmane, who leads the Cowboys averaging 12.8 points per game and pulling down a team-leading 5.8 rebounds a night. What you’re getting from Ousmane is a thick presence in the lane. He’s listed at 245 pounds and is built with a sturdy frame.
A fifth-year senior, Ousmane has decent footwork around the rim but is mainly going to bullyball his way into open looks. We’ve seen JT Toppin have some ups-and-downs guarding bigger players down low so I think this will be a great test for him again. Ousmane had them boys from Manhattan helpless as his best performance came against Kansas State Jan. 7 when he posted 27 points, five rebounds and two blocks.
Off the bench is what I figure to be one of OSU’s more talented players in Marchelus “Chi Chi” Avery, a fifth-year transfer who has spent time in JUCO, New Mexico State and most recently UCF. Avery is a bit different than his starting counterpart Robert Jennings, who I’m sure we are all familiar with. Unlike Jennings, who’s main limitation offensively was his inability to space the floor, Avery brings a distinct combo of length and stretch factor on the court.
Avery has shot the most threes of anyone on the OSU squad– 93– and shoots around 36 percent from range. At 6-foot-8, 210 pounds, he is a bit lankier than most at his size but he is plenty athletic, as well.
Those two are who I believe will be the reason if Oklahoma State can compete in this game or not. You can throw Bryce Thompson in that conversation as well, as he and Avery are coming off 21 point performances each against Arizona. The Cowboys hung in there against the Wildcats, only trailing by four at halftime, but as the second half wore on you could tell they ran out of gas.
While the Cowboys aren’t statistically terrible, I find myself questioning their athleticism and how well-rounded (or not) they are offensively. I can see this game shaking out similarly to how Tech’s most recent contests have, like a bit of a slug fest for most of it but I do believe the Red Raiders will pull away with this one.
Oklahoma State is currently sitting at 14th in the Big 12 with a conference record of 2-5, a direct opposite of the record the Red Raiders have in the same amount of games.
As it stands currently in KenPom, the Cowboys are the worst team in the Big 12 looking at the metrics, seated at No. 112 on the site. It is a similar story in the NET, which has Oklahoma State also ranked 112th in the land, while EvanMiya seats the Pokes at No. 103 in their rating systems.
It is largely a new team, the only recognizable name I can see on the Cowboys roster is Bryce Thompson, who in the last five games he has played against the Red Raiders has averaged 16.4 points.
The Cowboys are 12th in the Big 12 in scoring, averaging 66.9 points a night in the conference slate, while also allowing 75.4 per game. OSU is on the heels of a loss to Arizona, 92-78, which I find to be a rather impressive scoring output from the Pokes even in a loss.
As you may or may not remember, the Cowboys are in their first season under Steve Lutz, who took over after Mike Boynton was fired after seven seasons leading the program. In his two previous head coaching spots at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Western Kentucky, Lutz was able to lead his squads to NCAA Tournament bids, though it seems he has quite the rebuild ahead of him at Oklahoma State.
As far as personnel goes, here is what I expect to see from the Cowboys Sunday.
OSU will be led by 6-foot-10 big man and Xavier transfer Abou Ousmane, who leads the Cowboys averaging 12.8 points per game and pulling down a team-leading 5.8 rebounds a night. What you’re getting from Ousmane is a thick presence in the lane. He’s listed at 245 pounds and is built with a sturdy frame.
A fifth-year senior, Ousmane has decent footwork around the rim but is mainly going to bullyball his way into open looks. We’ve seen JT Toppin have some ups-and-downs guarding bigger players down low so I think this will be a great test for him again. Ousmane had them boys from Manhattan helpless as his best performance came against Kansas State Jan. 7 when he posted 27 points, five rebounds and two blocks.
Off the bench is what I figure to be one of OSU’s more talented players in Marchelus “Chi Chi” Avery, a fifth-year transfer who has spent time in JUCO, New Mexico State and most recently UCF. Avery is a bit different than his starting counterpart Robert Jennings, who I’m sure we are all familiar with. Unlike Jennings, who’s main limitation offensively was his inability to space the floor, Avery brings a distinct combo of length and stretch factor on the court.
Avery has shot the most threes of anyone on the OSU squad– 93– and shoots around 36 percent from range. At 6-foot-8, 210 pounds, he is a bit lankier than most at his size but he is plenty athletic, as well.
Those two are who I believe will be the reason if Oklahoma State can compete in this game or not. You can throw Bryce Thompson in that conversation as well, as he and Avery are coming off 21 point performances each against Arizona. The Cowboys hung in there against the Wildcats, only trailing by four at halftime, but as the second half wore on you could tell they ran out of gas.
While the Cowboys aren’t statistically terrible, I find myself questioning their athleticism and how well-rounded (or not) they are offensively. I can see this game shaking out similarly to how Tech’s most recent contests have, like a bit of a slug fest for most of it but I do believe the Red Raiders will pull away with this one.
