3 Keys to A Cowboy win over UCF

OSU is gearing up to take on the Golden Knights in enemy territory.

Oklahoma State Cowboys guard Christian Coleman (4) rebounds the ball in the first half of a NCAA men’s basketball game between the Cincinnati Bearcats and Oklahoma State Cowboys, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, at Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati. | Frank Bowen IV/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Oklahoma State Cowboys can sweep the season series against a tournament team. 

OSU is hitting the road to take on the UCF Golden Knights in Orlando, Florida. The Pokes took the first game of the series at home, knocking UCF out of the rankings, as they were No.25 at the time. 

The Golden Knights might not be in the top-25 this time around, but they are currently listed as an eight-seed in the latest ESPN Bracketology. A win against UCF would give Oklahoma State a momentum push before the Big 12 Tournament, and could even result in them moving up a seed in the conference rankings. 

Beating the Golden Knights on the road will be a lot more difficult than it was to beat them at home, but the Cowboys have shown they have what it takes to take UCF down. 

Here are three keys to a Cowboy win over UCF. 

1. Limit offensive rebounds

Oklahoma State had trouble limiting its opponents' offensive rebounds in the last game without Parsa Fallah, and unfortunately, they struggled to limit UCF even with the big man. UCF grabbed 13 offensive boards compared to the Cowboys' five in the last matchup, but it didn’t stop the Cowboys from taking care of business.

However, with Fallah now unable to take the court for the Cowboys, this issue could get a whole lot worse. In their last game, the Cowboys let Cincinnati grab 15 offensive rebounds without the presence of Fallah, and it hurt OSU horribly. 

The Pokes will have to find a way to limit the Golden Knights’ offensive rebounds, or else this game could get out of hand quickly. 

2. Suffocating Defense

The reason OSU was so successful the last time these teams met was UCF’s struggle to make shots. The Golden Knights shot 38% from the field and 21% from three in Stillwater. UCF shoots a lot of shots from deep as they attempted 33 three-point shots in the two teams last matchup. 

This was more than usual, but the Golden Knights still attempt almost 22 threes per game. Making sure their three-point percentage is low will be imperative for the Cowboys, and could be the thing that wins them the game. 

3. Anthony Roy

The Pokes' leading scorer has to get back on track for the Cowboys to win this game. Roy only put up four points in OSU’s last outing, and it was detrimental to Oklahoma State’s success. Roy has only scored 20 points combined over the last three games and will need to be his old self for the Cowboys to take down UCF. 

Roy scored 15 points in the last outing against the Golden Knights and shot 57.1% from three. This is the type of performance OSU will need from its leading man, or else the Cowboys won’t have much of a shot in this bout.