Why Oklahoma State Could Cause Issues for Unbeaten Wildcats
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Last Saturday, the No. 1 ranked Arizona Wildcats found themselves tied with Arizona State at 38 a piece in a physical half of basketball. By the end of that game, Arizona took firm control and cruised to an 87-74 victory in hostile territory at Desert Financial Arena, preserving their undefeated record and making program history by passing the 2013-2014 team with the best start in the program's history.
The Wildcats will now attempt to move on to a 23-0 record by defeating the Okalhoma State Cowboys at home in McKale Center. Although the Wildcats have beaten every team in their path so far, the Cowboys should not be overlooked as the games will continue to get more challenging as the season goes on.
With Arizona's next game right around the corner, we will be taking a look at its next opponent, all their strengths and weaknesses and its clearest path to victory.
Breaking down OK State's schedule
Although the Cowboys are sitting at ninth place in the Big 12, they are no team to take lightly as they boast a 16-6 record and riding a two game winning streak, beating Utah and BYU. OK State's signature victory of the season came this past Wednesday, when it beat the No. 16 ranked Cougars 99-92 at home in
The Cowboys currently hold a strong 13-2 record when playing at home, but have struggled on the road, winning one game out of four that were played on the opposing team's court. OK State has also struggled in the conference portion of its schedule, going 4-5 against its Big 12 adversaries.
OK State's strengths
The Cowboys will be coming into Tucson with the second best scoring offense in the Big 12, averaging 86.5 points per game behind the play of their leading scorer Anthony Roy. In OK State's latest upset win over BYU, Roy scored 30 points in 35 minutes of play.
Brayden Burries, Arizona's talented freshman shooting guard should be a tough matchup for Roy, given they are both incredible scorers who are averaging above 10 points per game. Both front courts on each team will be a highly contested matchup.
The Cowboys' defense will also be coming off an impressive outing, where it forced the Cougars to turn the ball over 16 times, 11 of those coming from the first half. On average, Arizona turns the ball over 11.5 times per game. Arizona's mix of polished freshmen and experienced veterans should give the Cowboys a hard time on defense, especially when it comes to forcing turnovers.
The Cowboys' weaknesses
As high octane as the offesne of the Cowboys' has been, they have struggled heavily on the defensive end of the court. OK State currently sits as the No. 13 ranked team as a scoring defense, while Arizona is ranked first as a scoring offense. Both the front and back court should have success in finding their shots againist the Cowboys.
While the Cowboys shoot the ball well, their rebounding has been lackluster at times during the season. Nonetheless, they are still the seventh best rebounding team in the Big 12. Arizona ranks first in the Big 12 when it comes to cleaning up the glass, which will give the Cowboys a huge problem in Saturday's matchup.
OK State has also had trouble against teams that thrive when attacking the rim. Through the first 22 games of the season, Arizona has dominated teams when it gets close to the rim. Wildcat fans should look for both Tobe Awaka and Motiejus Krivas to have a big game in the Wildcats' return to McKale Center.
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Nathaniel Martinez and a set of shoulder pads at 7 years old. He later graduated from Pima Community College in 2023, where he began writing for the Pima Post. He is working to achieve a Bachelor’s in Mass Communication and Media Studies.