Can OSU Get Its Offensive Rhythm Back Against Texas?
STILLWATER – It’s been a tough month for Oklahoma State basketball. They started the season 7-0, and have since gone 2-6 since the start of December. Some of that has been because of the absence of Isaac Likekele for the month of December, then Thomas Dziagwa out with the flu for a week, but the offense just hasn’t been there for the Pokes.
Head coach Mike Boynton said that he doesn’t have a very confident team right now.
“We’re a better shooting team than we’ve shot,” Cowboys coach Mike Boynton said after OSU was stifled by TCU 52-40. “We’ve got some psychological issues right now.”
It’s a frustrating stretch for the Pokes because they’ve got two of the better shooters in the country in Lindy Waters and Thomas Dziagwa, and a due of sophomores in Isaac Likekele and Yor Anei that were electric last season, and in the seven games to start this season. But something’s changed in this team, from the top of the roster to the bottom and something has to be done.
“I don’t know if there’s anything specific as much as the ball going in the basket,” said head coach Mike Boynton. “We’ve had long stretches here of late, even with guys we know are proven shot makers, then it kind of becomes a thing. Basketball’s so much about confidence and positive energy that you get some other stuff in there and it really makes things hard. Because the truth is, I really feel like our defense is as good as it’s been since I’ve been here and that includes the year that I was an assistant coach and we had the No. 1 offensive efficiency team in the country. This is the best defensive team that we’ve had, but you can’t score 40 [points] and win, that’s the bottom line. So, we’ve got to find a way to get these guys believing in themselves a litter bit more. Hopefully, Wednesday will be a start to that.”
If there’s been a positive takeaway from the last two Big 12 games it’s the fact that the Pokes have played great defense. They held West Virginia to 55 points and TCU 52 points. If you’re able to hold an opponent to under 55 points, you should win the game.
The Cowboys have another tough challenge ahead of them as Texas comes to come on Wednesday, Jan. 14. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
Will being back on their home court do anything to help get they’re scoring average up?
“Yeah, I don’t know; it’s not like we’ve played significantly better at home,” coach Boynton said about being back on their home court. “So, I don’t want to put it on the venue, it’s just a matter of the guys feeling bad about what they’re doing. Right now, we’ve played like a team that doesn’t believe we’re going to make any shots. There’s a lot of evidence, the last two games specifically, to make them feel that way. But, you’ve just got to play your way through it. Basketball’s a long season. You can’t get too high when thing’s go well, and you certainly can’t kill yourself when you’re not playing as well. We just need a few guys to make a few [buckets] and then it spreads.”
The Longhorns enter this game averaging 66.5 points a game on the season. They’re 11-4 on the season, 1-2 in Big 12 play and are coming off a 64-50 home win over Kansas State. They’re led by junior point guard Matt Coleman III who’s averaging 12.3 points a game on 44 percent shooting and 4.3 assists per game.
Texas is also getting great play out of sophomore guard Courtney Ramey and junior forward Jase Febres, who’s averaing 11.1 and 10.2 points per game respectively.
There’s a couple of factors that are hopefully going to play in the Pokes’ favor tomorrow night. Mike Boynton scheduled a 45-minute ‘target practice’ before the start of practice on Monday. Essentially, it was a mandatory 45-minute team shooting session to try and help the Pokes get back on track. Another benefit is that both Isaac Likekele and Thomas Dziagwa should be close to, if not back to full health from being out with illnesses. When both Likekele and Dziagwa were on, the Pokes were one of the best teams in the country.
Again, tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. in GIA, with the game being broadcasted on ESPN+. The Cowboys desperately need to find their offensive groove again and try and end this skid their on.
