Oklahoma State-North Texas Gives Players Opportunity to Face Former School
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Oklahoma State and North Texas punched their tickets to the NIT quarterfinals and have set up an opportunity for two players to face their old team.
Tuesday will be a reunion of sorts for one player on each side of the NIT quarterfinal matchup in Stillwater. With OSU hosting North Texas, there comes an obvious flashback to when the two teams met in the NIT quarterfinals in 2023. That game saw North Texas win an overtime battle 65-59 en route to winning the NIT title.
Of course, one of the main storylines in that matchup was the absence of Abou Ousmane for the Mean Green. After starting every game that season, Ousmane entered the portal during the NIT and wasn’t on the floor for most of North Texas’ run.
Still, Ousmane’s time with the Mean Green was notable, and he was a key part of their success. He spent the first three seasons of his career there before transferring to Xavier in 2023. In his junior year, Ousmane averaged 11.1 points, six rebounds and 1.3 blocks.
Now with the Cowboys for his final college season, Ousmane has been one of the most consistent offensive options for OSU. He’s averaged 12.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, one steal and one block.
While Ousmane started elsewhere and is finishing his career with OSU, a North Texas starter has gone the opposite route. Rondel Walker is in his final season of college basketball and his second with the Mean Green. Walker made his way to North Texas in 2023 after one year with TCU, but he spent the first two seasons of his career in Stillwater.
Walker was a key part of OSU’s most recent NCAA Tournament team in 2021, averaging 7.8 points as a freshman alongside Cade Cunningham. While his springy athleticism and knack for being everywhere on the floor gave him huge potential, he was never able to reach his best form.
In his second season with North Texas, Walker has started every game but has been limited offensively. He’s averaging 3.5 points and has become a defensive and hustle specialist.
While Ousmane and Walker’s careers didn’t go as originally planned, both have seemed to find their home as their careers are in the last stage.
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.