3 Things OSU Must Fix Before The Start Of Big 12 Play

The Oklahoma State Cowboys have had an electric start to the season as they sit at 11-1 with only one game remaining before the start of Big 12 play.

OSU has done many things right, as it has had its best start to a season since 2013-14. The Cowboys are hoping to continue this momentum all the way into Jan. 3 when conference play opens against Texas Tech.

However, the Big 12 is a completely different animal compared to the teams Oklahoma State has played up to this point. To compete, OSU will need to continue to utilize its strengths, but will also have to overcome several weaknesses that have appeared in its first couple of games.

The Pokes have a couple of glaring issues that could be a serious problem against top-tier teams. If they want to be competitive this year, they will have to find an answer to these problems, and fast.

Here are three things the Cowboys must fix before the start of Big 12 Play

1. Turnover problems

Oklahoma State loves to play fast and has benefited from all the points in transition and on fast breaks. However, this fast style of play has also caused the Cowboys to make more mistakes with the ball than they would like.

OSU averages 13.7 turnovers a game, which puts them as one of the worst in the country. This also ranks them at the bottom of the Big 12, and the Pokes can’t afford for this to continue. With the Big 12 having some of the top-ranked teams in the country, little to no mistakes can be allowed. Especially when the mistakes offer more possessions to the opposing team.

2. Not allowing offensive rebounds

Another issue Oklahoma State has faced is allowing opponents to crash the offensive boards. The Cowboys allow 9.3 offensive boards a game, and have seen this keep teams in games with them.

Especially since OSU can no longer rely solely on Parsa Fallah, the Cowboys must make sure they crash the boards harder than ever. When the Cowboys make a great defensive stand, they cannot afford for explosive Big 12 teams to have another chance by grabbing an offensive board.

3. Defending the perimeter

Oklahoma State is a hard team to score in the paint against, but teams don’t seem to have much trouble from beyond the arc. The Cowboys are allowing opponents to make more than nine threes per game against them, and it's gotten them into some shootouts.

This was part of the reason for Oklahoma State’s one loss this season, as Oklahoma made 13 threes against the Pokes. The lack of perimeter defense can not get the Cowboys behind in Big 12 games, or else they’ll have a hard time crawling back.