Cowboys Set For Regular Season Finale In Lubbock

Saturday, March 4

Lubbock, TX

5 P.M. CT

Oklahoma State University

Texas Tech

Photo by: OSU Athletics

March 03, 2023 | Cowboy Basketball

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Facing Texas Tech- Here's The Scout

Oklahoma State men's basketball will head to Lubbock to take on Texas Tech on Saturday to conclude its regular-season schedule. Tip is set for 5 p.m. on ESPN2 with Chuckie Kempf and Lance Blanks on the call while Cowboy fans can listen to Dave Hunziker and John Holcomb on the Cowboy Radio Network or Varsity App.
Texas Tech enters the contest with a 16-14 record, including a 5-12 mark in Big 12 play. The Red Raiders started slow in conference play, dropping their first eight games, but have come on late in the season, winning four of their last six. Two of those four wins came against ranked opponents as they knocked off both No. 12 Kansas State and No. 6 Texas in Lubbock.
Oklahoma State dropped its fifth-straight game to No. 7 Baylor on Monday in Stillwater. It's been a season of streaks for the Cowboys, as their current losing streak comes directly on the heels of a five-game winning streak, their longest of the season. Of OSU's five-straight losses, four have come against ranked opponents, including the last two in which they lost by a combined margin of only 11 points.
The Cowboys lead the all-time series 49-24 and have won five of the last six meetings between the teams. Even though they came out on top, each of the Oklahoma State wins in that stretch came down to the wire as its average win margin was just 3.4 points. Lubbock remains one of the toughest places to play in the conference as the Red Raiders boast an 11-5 record at home this season and have won four of the last five games against OSU in their building.
The first meeting between the teams this season went the way of Oklahoma State. The Cowboys fended off a late Texas Tech push to win 71-68 in Stillwater. The OSU win marked its first and only this season in which it has shot a worse field goal percentage than its opponent. Bryce Thompson scored a game-high 21 points, all of which came in the first half, and freshman Quion Williams added 10 off the bench.

The New Sheriffs In Town

John-Michael Wright, a High Point transfer, brings experience and poise to the Oklahoma State locker room. In the 2021-22 season, his junior year of eligibility, he played and started in all 32 games for High Point while averaging 34.9 minutes per contest. He shot .410 from the field and .363 from behind the arc as he averaged 18.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists.
He finished the year with the eighth-best assist-turnover ratio in the Big South, the ninth-best field goal percentage, had the second-most free throw attempts (third-most made), led the conference in scoring average and had the eighth-most assists.
Alongside Wright from the transfer ranks is Caleb Asberry from Texas State. He started all 29 games during the 2021-22 season, the only Bobcat to do that, as he led the team in scoring with a career-high 13.6 points and also paced the team in minutes played (847), steals (37), three-pointers made (63).
Asberry was notably a two-time All-Sun Belt (2021: Third Team, 2022: First Team) selection.
The lone freshman of the group, Quion Williams, joins the Cowboys from Jonesboro. During his high school career, Williams helped lead his team to two state championships and a 30-3 record.

Late-Season Quick Hitters

Woody Newton has started the last 13 games, marking the first 13 starts of his career, and has averaged 23.1 minutes with 5.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 35.3 percent from three.
In the absence of Avery Anderson III, Caleb Asberry has started the last eight games, averaging 11.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 31.5 minutes per game.
After the Wichita State result earlier this season in Wichita, Oklahoma State has now held at least one opponent to less than 50 points in a game in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2016.
There have been 17 seasons since the 2000-01 year that OSU had at least one game holding an opponent to less than 50 points while the program has done so in back-to-back seasons 13 times during the stretch.
Only seven teams (UT Arlington, Southern Illinois, TCU, Texas Tech, Kansas State, Kansas and Baylor) scored more than 60 points in GIA this season in 16 home games.
A big part of those numbers? The Cowboys have held a 81-32 blocked shots advantage at home, with Cisse leading the way at 27. Boone has recorded 20, himself.
For the first time in his career, Kalib Boone was named the Big 12 Player of the Week earlier this season. Boone averaged 21.5 points and 5.0 rebounds as the surging Cowboys won three straight games and five of six.
For his efforts against Iowa State and Oklahoma in January, Oklahoma State's Avery Anderson III was named the Big 12 Player of the Week. He averaged 16.0 points per game. The honor was the first of his career.
The Cowboys have led the Big 12 in blocks most of the season, ranking 21st nationally at 4.9 per game. They also lead the conference in field goal percentage defense, ranking 24th in the nation, holding opponents to just 40.4 percent shooting from the field.

The Path to the Tournament

Oklahoma State is currently listed in the "First Four Out" section in ESPN's bracketology. The Cowboys final regular-season opponent, Texas Tech, is listed as "Next Four Out."
The Cowboys are 47th in the N.E.T rankings while they rank 44th in the KenPom. Their recent losses dropped them from the 29th spot in both the N.E.T and KenPom two weeks ago. Texas Tech currently sits 50th in both the N.E.T. and the KenPom.
If the season ended today, OSU would enter the Big 12 tournament as the seven-seed. Mike Boynton's teams have fared well in the conference tournament during his tenure, making a run to the title game while knocking off top-ranked Baylor on the way in their last appearance in 2021. Boynton's teams hold a 4-3 record in the Big 12 Tournament in his six seasons at OSU.
Oklahoma State has made one NCAA Tournament appearance during Mike Boynton's six seasons in Stillwater. Not only did the team make the tournament in 2021, but it won its first-round game, marking OSU's first NCAA Tournament win since 2009. The Cowboys would fall in the Round of 32 to Oregon State.

Filling the Void

Oklahoma State guard Avery Anderson III has missed the last eight games and is out indefinitely. In 22 games this season, Anderson III averaged 11.1 points, 3.4 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Anderson III was also one of two Cowboys (Kalib Boone) to be named Big 12 Player of the Week this season.
Anderson III's absence has opened the door for Oklahoma State's other veteran guards to step up. John-Michael Wright has done just that, averaging 14.1 points per game while shooting 43.2 percent from the field and 38.6 percent from three in those eight games.
Bryce Thompson has also taken on a portion of the scoring load, averaging 13.3 points, 2.5 assists and 1.0 steal while playing 32.1 minutes per game in his last eight.
Caleb Asberry has entered the Cowboys lineup during this recent stretch, starting all eight games in Anderson III's absence. Asberry is scoring 11.9 points per game while shooting 43.1 percent from the field in 31.5 minutes per game during this stretch.

1,000-Point Club

Avery Anderson III joined Oklahoma State's 1,000-career point club against Oklahoma earlier this month in Gallagher-Iba Arena. While teammates Caleb Asberry and John-Michael Wright won't count toward the OSU records, as they transferred in at the start of the season, they are both part of the larger club that spans the nation.
Around the league, Kansas State, Iowa State and Texas all have four on their current roster while Oklahoma State and Texas Tech have three. Oklahoma, Baylor, Kansas, West Virginia and TCU have two.
For Wright, he currently has the 43rd-most career points in Division I basketball and is fifth among current Big 12 players.
Against West Virginia, Wright reached 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 300 assists for his career.

The 100 Games Played Club Gained Two More

Oklahoma State's Avery Anderson III and Kalib Boone both played in their 100th game in a Cowboy uniform against Kansas in the Big 12 opener for the Cowboys. In doing so, they became the first two players on the current roster to play 100 college basketball games. John-Michael Wright, who transferred in, played his 100th basketball game against West Virginia.
Other notable members of the club include Darwyn Alexander, Joe Adkins, James Anderson, Markel Brown, Terry Collins, JamesOn Curry, Byron Eaton, Marcus Dove, Phil Forte, Isaac Likekele, Desmond Mason, Ivan McFarlin, Marshall Moses, Keiton Page and more.
Anderson III's first game came on Nov. 6, 2019, in an 80-75 win against Oral Roberts in Gallagher-Iba Arena. He played 13 minutes with five points, two steals and an assist.
Kalib Boone's first game was the same night. He played 10 minutes, bringing in four rebounds and recorded two blocks.

The Winning Formula This Year

In its 16 wins this season, Oklahoma State has four players (Avery Anderson III, Bryce Thompson, Kalib Boone and John-Michael Wright) averaging at least 10 points per game.
The Cowboys have shot 35.2 percent from behind the arc in their victories while allowing their opponents an average of just 60.4 points per game.
For comparison, in 14 losses just three players, Boone, Thompson and Asberry, have averaged at least 10 points or more while OSU has shot 27.9 percent from three. Opponents have still shot only 43.8 percent from the field in Cowboy losses.
Sharing the ball, alongside sharing the scoring, has been key as well. OSU has averaged 13.8 assists per game in wins while averaging 11.4 in losses.
Oklahoma State has fared well when shooting a better field goal percentage than its opponent. The Cowboys are 15-3 this season when shooting a better percentage than their opponent, while they are 1-11 when shooting the same or a worse percentage.
The Cowboys also find success when they rebound well. OSU is 13-6 when it out-rebounds its opponent, as opposed to 3-8 when it doesn't.

The Upcoming Schedule

Oklahoma State is positioning itself for the postseason with only one game left in its regular-season schedule. The Cowboys will travel to Lubbock on Saturday to take on Texas Tech in its season finale looking to snap a five-game losing streak.
Before losing its last five, Oklahoma State had won five-straight games, its longest streak of the season. The streak began with a dominant win over Ole Miss in the Big 12/SEC Challenge before the Cowboys completed a sweep of Oklahoma in Norman. They then returned home to knock off then No. 15 TCU and beat Texas Tech. The fifth win in a row took place in Ames, where the Cowboys completed a season sweep of Iowa State for the second time in the last three seasons.
The Cowboys have dropped the last five games, but will need to rebound quickly as the postseason nears. Four of Oklahoma State's last five losses have come against ranked opponents. Their next game comes against a Texas Tech team that is 11-5 at home this season and has moved into the top 50 in both the N.E.T. and KenPom rankings.
Mike Boynton's teams have a history of peaking this time of year, as they are 16-7 in March in his six seasons as head coach at Oklahoma State, including a 4-3 record in the Big 12 Tournament. The Cowboys will need a strong start this March as they sit on the bubble for an NCAA Tournament bid.

An Oklahoma State Win Would...

Improve the Cowboys to 50-24 in the Texas Tech series dating back to 1937.
Improve the Cowboys to 12-16 against the Red Raiders in Lubbock.
Improve the Cowboys to 8-6 in games directly following a loss this season.
Improve the Cowboys to 5-7 on the road this season.
Give it six wins in its last seven games against the Red Raiders.
Snap a five-game losing streak.
Be the Cowboys' third sweep of a Big 12 opponent this season.
Be Mike Boynton's 104th career win, putting him three shy of Paul Hansen for fourth-most in school history.
Be the Cowboys' eighth conference win this season, matching their total from last season.

Streaks and Trends

OSU has made at least one three-pointer in 757 consecutive games dating back to Jan. 13, 2001.
The Cowboys have posted 10 or more assists in 25 of 30 games this season, including three of the last four.
Dating back to last season, OSU has held 27 of its past 34 opponents under their season scoring average.
Oklahoma State has reached double-digit second chance points in 11 of 17 conference games this season, with a high of 16 against Kansas State and Baylor.
As a team, the Cowboys have reached at least three blocks in 27 of 30 games this season. OSU leads the Big 12 with 4.9 blocked shots per game, which ranks 21st in the country.
OSU has held 20 of its 30 opponents to 35 percent shooting or less from the three-point line while 15 of 30 have shot less than 30 percent. The Cowboys rank 51st in the country in three-point defense, holding opponents to 31.3 percent.
The Cowboys have made 10 or more free throws in 21 of 30 games this season after doing so in 18 of their 30 games last season.
OSU has forced 10 or more turnovers in 20 of its last 21 Big 12 games.
Oklahoma State has recorded at least five steals in 24 of its 30 games this season.
Kalib Boone has scored 13 or more points in 10 of his last 16 games and has scored 18 or more in six of the last 11.
John-Michael Wright has scored at least 12 points in six of his last eight games. During this stretch, he is averaging 2.8 made threes per game on 38.6 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
Boone has averaged 11.6 points per game while shooting 23-40 from the field in his last five games.
OSU has recorded five or more blocks in six of its 11 road games this season.
Bryce Thompson continues to shoot the three at a high clip in conference play, making 38.5 percent of his attempts while averaging 1.8 makes per game.
The Cowboys have shot better than 40 percent from the field in 11 of their last 13 games.
Oklahoma State is 15-3 when they shoot the same percentage or better than their opponent from the field this season. They are 1-11 when their opponent has a higher field goal percentage.
OSU has made at least 14 free throws in six of its last seven games.
The Cowboys are 13-5 this season when out-rebounding their opponent. When getting out-rebounded, they are 3-8.
OSU has reached double-digit offensive rebounds in three of its last five games. The Cowboys' 22 against Baylor was their most in a game since 2011.