1st Half
The Cowboys got embarrassed Saturday at home against Texas Tech, and it was obvious they wanted to do something about that. OSU came out and played the best offensive game in the Steve Lutz era Wednesday night scoring 104 points.
Eight different Cowboys scored in the first 40 minutes and OSU made 53% of its shots.
Many were off the dribble!
The defense wasn’t perfect, but the Cowboys forced UCF into 15 turnovers in the 1st half, and those turnovers led to 20 points. OSU outscored the Knights 20-0 in points off of turnovers in the 1st half.
Meanwhile, OSU had 13 assists and just 4 turnovers, so there’s an argument to make that this is the best half of offensive basketball in the Steve Lutz era.
the Cowboys scored 53 points, had a 13-point lead at the break, and never looked back en route to a 104-95 win Wednesday night.
Stats
OSU shot 47% from the floor, but just 22% from 3-point range. So, the offense was all about finding the right shots, and not just jacking up long bombs. That’s very pleasing to see.
The Cowboys got to the line 35 times and made 28 of their charity tosses, which is good for an 80% mark, which is absolutely awesome. The Pokes also had 17 assists but just 7 turnovers. So, they shared the ball to find high-percentage shots and were simultaneously careful with it.
The Pokes have the 2nd most steals of any team in the Big 12 (221), only behind Iowa State, and the effort against UCF only helped that statistic. OSU had 14 steals and turned that into 26 points off of turnovers. The Cowboys ended the night outscoring the Knights by 21 points in that category, which was the difference in the game.
OSU grew its lead to as many as 19 but also saw UCF inch to within 5 at the 4:37 mark before taking control for the final time from that point on.
OSU moved to 13-13 overall and 5-10 in Conference, and while that’s not where we want this program to be, it is progress over last year.
The Action
Do NOT get careless with the basketball around Arturo Dean because he’ll steal your lunch money.
OSU is 2nd in the Big 12 in steals (221), mainly because Arturo Dean has 52 thefts, the 4th most of any player in the Conference.
Dean had 3 thefts last night, 16 points, was 5-9 from the field, had 4 assists, 7 rebounds, and just 1 turnover. When you get 16 points from the point guard, a 4 to 1 assist/turnover ratio, 7 boards, and 3 steals, winning gets a lot easier.
Last night was another great game as part of a great Senior campaign for Bryce Thompson. Thompson is in the top 25 all-time scorers at OSU and is finishing a career that hasn’t been perfect but has been great.
The proud Booker T. Alum had 25 points, 3 assists, 0 turnovers, 3 boards, and a blocked shot against UCF. He’s scored in double digits in 11 of his last 13 games and averaged 14 points and 29 assists in that span.
Thompson is a great player who has used the process of OSU to find the best version of himself…much respect!
Abou Ousmane checked in with 17 points, 3 steals, a block, and 4 rebounds. He was also 4 of 5 from the charity stripe, 6 of 12 from the field, and 1 of 3 from downtown.
When Ousmane squares up a trailing 3 from the top of the key, it’s straight bottoms, as his 50% from downtown for the year shows.
He can take defenders out on the floor, post them up, make mid-range jumpers, and score with both hands around the bucket. And, he’s left-handed, which makes defending him seem like learning a new language.
Ousmane always brings great emotional energy and an “edge” when he takes the court.
Robert Jennings Jr. was just 1 point shy of double digits last night and pulled down 5 boards, all in just 16 minutes. He was also 5 for 5 from the free throw line, which is big because he is very physical and can draw fouls.
Jennings has averaged 8 points a game over the last 4, and that’s in a little over 16 minutes per game. He’s also averaged 4.5 rebounds per game in that span, so he’s really taken advantage of his opportunities.
Jamyron Keller did not have a huge scoring night, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t affect the game. He had 4 steals, 3 assists, no turnovers, and 4 rebounds, so his floor game was a substantial factor. OSU built a lead and then kept UCF at arm’s length, and Keller was a big reason.
Dude also brings toughness and grit to the floor, which is invaluable for this squad.
Chi Chi Avery poured in 10 points and had 6 rebounds in just 16 minutes last night against his former team, UCF. Avery is instant offense off the bench and has never seen a shot he didn’t like.
Not gonna lie, when he took the long 3 late in the game with OSU in the lead, I was like No No No…Yes Yes Yes.
That’s who he is though!
He has so much confidence in his shot-making ability, it’s hard for any coach to surrender the type of freedom, but he needs that to be his best version. And, when that happens, his results are infinitely more positive than they are negative, so you just kind of have to smile and trust the process.
Glad he was with OSU this time around and not UCF Chi Chi!
Khalil Brantley…Atta Boy! Brantley scored 15 points in 24 minutes, had 5 assists, just 1 turnover, 2 boards, and 2 steals. Between him, Dean, and Keller, the guard play was phenomenal on the offensive end.
Last night was the 2nd highest scoring output for Brantley, and the highest since he had 16 against Florida Atlantic back in November, so it’s not a stretch to say he had his best game of the year.
I also wanted to mention that he was 7 for 8 from the free throw line and didn’t make a 3-point shot all night, so ALL of his points came through high efficiency.
