Oklahoma State Can't Hang With Arizona in Big 12 Loss
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Oklahoma State’s struggles continued against Arizona.
On Tuesday, OSU lost 92-78 to Arizona at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater. The loss dropped OSU to 2-5 in conference play and pushed it into a deeper hole in the Big 12 race.
Although OSU couldn’t come out on top, it battled well throughout the first half before letting go in the second. OSU led for a good part of the first half before Arizona began to seize control in the final minutes before halftime. Multiple 8-0 runs by Arizona helped the Wildcats build their lead into double digits.
Arizona’s margin stayed at 10 or more for almost the entire final 16 minutes. Eventually building their lead to 20, the Wildcats showed they were clearly a head above the Cowboys.
One of the main points of emphasis from Steve Lutz earlier in the season was that his team would need to have a defensive identity in Big 12 play and that his team wouldn’t be able to score 80 points a night. While OSU’s 78 points nearly proved his second point wrong, the idea that OSU is unable to outscore its opponents in a high-scoring affair has held true.
Despite having some of their best shooting numbers in Big 12 play, the Cowboys were thoroughly outdone by the Wildcats’ offense. Shooting 56.1% from the floor, Arizona also had fewer turnovers and shot nearly identical to the Cowboys from beyond the arc and at the line.
Another issue for the Cowboys was their lack of an inside presence defensively. Not only did the Cowboys tie their season-low with one block, Arizona shot 16-of-22 on layups. While that might just seem like a solid finishing night, it is an area where OSU has been outmatched all season, with the team shooting 7-of-18 on layups on Tuesday.
Of course, not everything was bad for the Cowboys on the scoring side. Bryce Thompson and Marchelus Avery each scored 21 points, with Abou Ousmane and Brandon Newman also finishing in double figures.
With 78 points and a 43.5% mark from beyond the arc, OSU’s offense continued to show signs of life after failing to score more than 50 in its first two Big 12 contests. Still, OSU’s chances of winning rely heavily on its defense, which didn’t do its job against Arizona.
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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.