3 Takeaways From Oklahoma State's Statement Win Over Texas A&M
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Oklahoma State put together a complete performance for its second win of the year.
OSU beat Texas A&M 87-63 on Sunday afternoon in Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, moving to 2-0 this season. In the premier home game of the Cowboys’ nonconference slate, they showed out in front of a rowdy home crowd for another blowout victory.
In getting that blowout win, the Cowboys seized control in the opening minutes, using their defense and fast-paced attack offensively to deliver an impressive performance. While an early three from the Aggies kept it from being a wire-to-wire win, it was the closest thing to that for the Pokes, and a big win over an SEC opponent is a perfect performance for OSU’s first weekend of the season.
3 takeaways from Oklahoma State's win over Texas A&M:
Isaiah Coleman is ready for the spotlight
OSU basketball has been looking for a star since Steve Lutz arrived, and coming into this season, it looked like the Cowboys might have found two. While Anthony Roy is still on the sidelines with an injury awaiting his debut, Isaiah Coleman made his debut on Sunday and shined.
After averaging 15.6 points and 5.3 rebounds for Seton Hall last season, Coleman came off the bench and put up 11 points in the first half on his way to a 15-point afternoon against the Aggies. While he didn’t often get a chance to simply go 1-on-1, his ability to make such an impact within the flow of the offense will make him dangerous throughout the year.
Taking care of the ball leads to success
Although OSU put up 95 points in its season opener against Oral Roberts, it still turned the ball over 13 times. In building a 14-point halftime lead on Sunday, the Cowboys had only one turnover against Texas A&M, a dead-ball turnover where Vyctorius Miller stepped out of bounds.
In giving the Aggies limited opportunities to run in transition, their offense was mostly limited to operating in the halfcourt, with the Cowboys consistently playing solid defense.
That attention to detail offensively waned a bit in the second half, with the Cowboys racking up eight turnovers in the final 20 minutes. Still, an impressive first half of taking care of the ball was more than enough to ride to victory.
Gallagher-Iba Arena is alive
After a few years of mediocrity in the Cowboy basketball program, Lutz’s arrival gave some hope for what the future might hold. While the Cowboys didn’t see the best results in his first season, year two is having a great start, and the Pokes have an engaged crowd behind them.
In Sunday’s game against Texas A&M, the Cowboys had a consistently rowdy crowd ready to explode at any second. Considering how games in Stillwater have looked over the past few seasons, a consistent sixth man at Gallagher-Iba could be crucial for the Cowboys.
Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.