OSU 83 Colorado 73
It was a Good Crowd on Saturday and a good game overall, and to be quite honest, for $10 it’s the cheapest entertainment option around.
OSU trailed briefly by as many as 3 points very early on but took the lead at 12-10 with 12:23 to go in the 1st half and never trailed again.
The Cowboys ballooned their lead to 10 at 43-33 on 2 free throws from Pat Suemnick with 58 seconds to go in the 1st Half and took that lead to the break.
In the 1st Half OSU held Colorado to 1-9 shooting from behind the arc, which helped greatly, especially considering OSU was 4-8 from 3-point range. OSU also shot 26 free throws on their way to a season-high 42 free throw attempts overall for the game. OSU made 31 of those 42 charity tosses, which averages to 74% from the line.
The Pokes and Buffs both scored 40 points in the 2nd Half to make the final 83-73.
Bryce Thompson led the scoring for OSU with 15 points, he had twice as many assists as he did turnovers, had a couple of boards, and made it to the line 9 times where he made 7.
Thompson averages 10.5 points per game, but when he gets going the offense comes a lot easier for this club. I found it interesting that Thompson only took 1 3-point shot, because, IMO, that indicates the discipline the Cowboys played with. That’s because Colorado’s biggest strength is their length, which could bait teams that don’t play with discipline into shooting a bunch of 3s. Something OSU did not do!
OSU shot right at 3 times as many shots from inside the paint as they did shots from 3, and got to the line a season-high 42 times. When they play with that kind of discipline, in terms of the type of shots they’re creating, they have more efficiency. And when they are more efficient in creating shots, like yesterday, they aren’t as prone to the long droughts that have plagued this team in some of its losses.
Well done Bryce, let’s get on a Roll!
Arturo Dean had a point guard line. He didn’t have an incredible point total (5), but he only took 5 shots all day, made a 3-pointer, had 3 times as many assists as he did turnovers, and added 3 steals. When the game called for it, he made his impact!
Robert Jennings Jr. had a really nice game Saturday for the Pokes scoring 9 points, and pulling down 9 boards. But, that just tips the iceberg when describing his contribution.
Colorado was very long, but not overly wide, and wasn’t really physical, so, when Jennings played a very physical brand of basketball, it was a problem for the Buffs. His 8 free throw attempts go to show this, and, more importantly, he made all but 1 of his free shot attempts.
@RJGetBuckets, as he’s known on X, has the potential to be a key piece to this team, because, at 6’7 and 230, he has the size to be physical. But, with that size, he is also athletic, so regardless of the type of player the other team puts on him, he has the ability to match up.
Abou Ousmane is the leading scorer for the Pokes for the year and didn’t disappoint yesterday scoring 14. He needed just 8 shots to get those 14 points, he shot 63% from the floor, and he also added 5 boards.
Suemnick and Jennings played very well yesterday, so his 14 seemed a little quieter because @IamAbouOusmane, as he’s known on X, wasn’t the only one scoring consistently for this team in the paint. So, when I say that, I say it with the utmost positive intent.
Well done Abou, let’s take down the Cats on Tuesday!
Helluva game for Patrick Suemnick who scored in double digits (10), had 4 boards, 3 of which were offensive and led to 2nd chance points, and made all 4 of his free throws.
He was 3-4 from the floor and 4-4 from the line, so it doesn’t get much more efficient than that. When @SuemnickPatrick, as he’s known on X, is as active as he was yesterday, and plays with a physical presence, he has the ability to impact the game rather substantially. Like he did Saturday!
Chi Chi Avery is like a receiver in football that can stretch a defense deep. When you have someone who can force the other team to have to extend their defense it opens up space closer to the rim, and that space OSU used yesterday to score 34 points in the paint.
In fact, despite the length of Colorado, OSU outscored the Buffs 34-30 in the paint, largely because they played with 2 feet, drove the ball to the bucket, and had timely shooters force the defense to extend.
Avery did a little of all of the above!
He made 2 of his 5 3 points attempts, he went to the line 7 times, and he had 7 rebounds, 3 of which were on the offensive end. @Ballout_chii, as he’s known on X, is one that can score in bunches and can score in so many different ways, and his offense is something this team needs a lot of.
Connor Dow can flat-shoot the lights out of the ball, we all know that, and his 2 3-pointers Saturday were huge. But, he also kept balls alive, saved 2 possessions with offensive boards, and was very timely when he scored.
His 6 points went a lot further than just 6 points, in terms of being crucial to putting Colorado away.
What’s Next
With the 83-73 win on Saturday, the Cowboys move to 10-7 on the season and 2-4 in Conference play. The trip to Utah was ugly, there is no reason to sugarcoat that, but, there is a lot of new in this program.
Basically the entire Coaching Staff was new to OSU, the roster was almost completely turned over, so growing pains in the attempt to mesh all that together were to be expected.
But, what’s not new, is most of the players on this roster, in terms of their experience with College Basketball.
Most of the significant contributors have been in College Basketball for several years, and have shown they’re capable on this level, so who knows when the chemistry piece will come together.
And, likewise, who knows how good this team can become when that happens? Hopefully, it starts Tuesday night when the Cowboys host Arizona, a team having a good year, that carries a premium brand with them everywhere they go.
