3 Takeaways From Oklahoma State’s Big Win in Tulsa

The Cowboys’ defense stole the show in Tulsa, literally.

Oklahoma State beat Tulsa 76-55 on Wednesday night at the Reynolds Center in Tulsa to secure a win in its first game since the Charleston Classic. OSU finished the night with a season-high 16 steals and earned 32 points off Tulsa’s turnovers.

OSU’s defense was stifling, even beyond the impressive steal numbers. The Cowboys forced Tulsa to shoot only 36.2%, the lowest of any opponent this season. Tulsa also finished with only eight assists, the lowest of any OSU opponent this season.

Let’s dive into three lessons that can be learned from yesterday’s game.

OSU wants to play inside

The Cowboys finished with a season-high 48 points in the paint against Tulsa. While some of that was OSU’s ability to get out in transition, the Cowboys still managed to get into the paint consistently in the halfcourt.

That was by design.

Steve Lutz made a point of wanting his team to get inside and get shots at the rim. That emphasis also meant the Cowboys had only eight 3-point attempts. While that is a staggering number in 2024 by itself, OSU had taken at least 20 shots from beyond the arc in its first six games.

Long breaks mean sloppy basketball

OSU’s game on Wednesday was its first action since a Nov. 24 matchup against Nevada to cap the Charleston Classic. With 10 days between games, there was some rust for the Cowboys in the first half.

Through eight minutes, the teams had already combined for nine turnovers. OSU steadily became better and more secure with the ball as the game progressed. However, the sloppy play early set the tone for Tulsa’s entire game.

The Golden Hurricane had 22 turnovers and never got anything to work offensively. While OSU overcame its early struggles to finish with a win, the game was never pretty to watch.

Free-throw shooting could be a work in progress

On Wednesday, the Cowboys shot 21 free throws, which is around where they have been in most games. However, they converted only 13 times, marking a season-low in makes from the foul line.

The game in Tulsa marked the second time this season OSU has failed to make at least 70% of its free throws. Still, Bryce Thompson continued to get to the line, shooting 5-of-5 from the stripe and being OSU’s bright spot from there.

“It kind of settles you down, especially when those are your first couple points,” Thompson said. “It kind of gets you in a groove. You see a couple go in, and then from there, you can kind of just play.”

While it is somewhat cliche, the Cowboys need to take and make free throws to get into a groove offensively. Although it didn’t burn them against Tulsa, the Cowboys will need to hit more than 13 free throws on a consistent basis when Big 12 play rolls around.

While it wasn’t always pretty, the Cowboys took care of business against a team it should beat, something they struggled with last season. As the new coach and roster continue to get more comfortable, the Cowboys could become a surprise team in the Big 12. OSU will look to improve to 6-2 and surpass last season’s road win total when it travels to face Seton Hall on Sunday.

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