Cowboys Hoops Notebook: Offensive Woes Continue in Loss to TCU

Oklahoma State's offensive problems continue as they drop their third-straight Big 12 game

Another tough day at the office for Oklahoma State as they drop their third-straight Big 12 game, this time 52-40 to TCU in Fort Worth.

The Pokes have now dropped sixth out of the last eight games and have moved to 9-6 on the season.

It was another head-scratcher game for the Pokes as their offensive woes continued. Over the course of the last three games, the first three conference games of the season, the Cowboys have combined for 131 points. That's the lowest point total in three consecutive games since the 1967 season.

It was a decent game for Isaac Likekele (12pts), Cameron McGriff (11pts) and Avery Anderson III (8pts) as they led the way for the Pokes in points, but it was a terrible game for Lindy Waters and Thomas Dziagwa. The duo went a combined 0-13 from the field, and 0-10 from 3-point range.

This marked the first game for Waters since March 7, 2017 that he didn't score a point. In fact, this marks the first time that both Waters and Dziagwa combined for zero points since the 2017 season.

It happened three times that year, Jan. 18 against Kansas State, Feb. 8 against Baylor and March 9 against Iowa State in the Big 12 Tournament.

In the last two games, the Pokes are a combined 3-of-39 from 3-point range, a stat that's just unheard of for this group of players.

“The kids are playing hard, they’re doing the things that we’re supposed to do specifically as it relates to our defense,” said head coach Mike Boynton on the Cowboy Radio Network. “We had a few breakdowns, but go on the road and hold a team to 52 points and 33 percent field goal shooting, you’ve got to find a way to score more than 40 [points] to give your self a real chance because at 40, you don’t really have much of a chance. That’s my job, that’s our staff’s job. The effort’s there, but there’s got to be production on the other side of that.”

The games dating back to December just don't make a lot of sense. This team started the season incredibly hot as they were one of the best teams in the country with a 7-0 start.

But since Isaac Likekele missed a month due to an illness, this team just hasn't been the same. I understand that Likekele still isn't back to full strength and that Dziagwa was out Monday against WVU with the flu, so he's not back to full health, but the struggles today from Lindy Waters and Yor Anei just didn't make sense.

Throughout the course of the game, Oklahoma State went 14 minutes without scoring a point. That's a tough way to win a ball game. They also shot just 30 percent from the field and 11 percent from 3-point range.

Coach Boynton mentioned in his post-game interview that the guys just don't have the confidence right now, and it's showing. This is a team that has the capability of scoring against good teams. They put up 74 against Georgetown, 78 against Ole Miss and 86 against Syracuse.

“Our main job right now as a staff to our kids some confidence and infuse it into these guys minds and games, so that they can play better on the offensive end,” said head coach Mike Boynton on the Cowboy Radio Network.

However, the Pokes' defensive play has been solid the past two games. They held West Virginia to just 55 points, and then TCU this afternoon to 52 points.

While they were out-rebounded 39-32, they still held their own with Anei on the court for less than 17 minutes. While they turned the ball over 13 times on the offensive end, they also forced 13 TCU turnovers

They also held the Horned Frogs to 33 percent shooting from the field. They marks the 11th time this season that the Cowboys held their opponents to under 40 percent shooting.

There's no doubt that Oklahoma State has great shooters on the team. Senior captains Lindy Waters and Thomas Dziagwa are prolific shooters. They've proved over the course of their careers that they can hang with the best shooters in the country, especially from beyond the 3-point line.

If they can continue their defensive pressure, the wins are going to come for the Pokes.

The Cowboys are back in action this coming Wednesday as they're set to host Texas in Stillwater. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. and is being broadcasted on ESPN+.