3 Keys To A Cowboy Basketball Win Over Kansas State

The Oklahoma State Cowboys have a great chance to walk away with a Big 12 win.

The Pokes are welcoming Kansas State to town for a 9 p.m. matchup on Saturday. The Cowboys are looking to win their second Big 12 game of the season, whereas the Wildcats are looking for their first.

After two straight conference losses, Oklahoma State can not afford to drop another game behind in the Big 12 rankings. OSU walks into this bout as the favorite and must take this advantage, as well as home court advantage, and run with it. They have every reason to win this game and must make sure they do the little things right, so an upset doesn’t occur in Stillwater.

Here are three keys for a Cowboy basketball win over Kansas State.

1. Defense

The three conference losses Oklahoma State has suffered have been largely due to the Cowboys' inability to play solid defense over the full duration of the game. Kansas State won’t be an easier challenge, as the Wildcats average 85.6 points per game this season.

The Wildcats also shoot the ball well, as they shoot 47% from the floor this season, but have struggled with shots from beyond the arc, as they’re only shooting 36.3% from deep.

If Oklahoma State can put together a solid game defensively and not get left behind due to defensive switches and overpursuits, the Cowboys have a good chance for a successful outing.

2. Balanced attack

The Cowboys have loved Parsah Fallah and Anthony Roy taking over games, but sometimes it just isn’t enough. OSU will need everyone on its squad to carry their own weight and help toward a Cowboy victory.

Vyctorius Miller and Christian Coleman are two names that come to mind when you think of players who can give the team a spark. Coleman has had multiple 20-point outings and is one of the most athletic players on the court at all times. Miller is the third leading scorer for the Cowboys, but hasn’t had the fire he had before his brief stretch out with an ankle injury.

If the Cowboys as a whole can rally together and play a well-balanced game, then the Wildcats will not be able to stop what is headed their way.

3. Stop P.J. Haggerty

P.J. Haggerty is Kansas State basketball. The Wildcats lean on him for the majority of their offensive production and can not be successful without him.

Haggerty is averaging 22.9 points per game and is the sixth leading scorer in college basketball. He’s putting up these numbers on 49.3% shooting and has 4.9 rebounds and 4.6 assists to add to his resume. Haggerty is the real deal, but if the Pokes can make him quiet, the Wildcats won’t be making much noise either.