Cowboys Facing First Road Test Against Strong Charleston Squad

• Game Center
Oklahoma State (2-0, 0-0 Big 12) at Charleston (2-0, 0-0 CAA)
Date / Tipoff: Nov. 13, 2019 / 8 p.m. CT
Site: TD Arena (5,100)
Tickets: cofcsports.com
Series: OSU leads 2-1 (first meeting in Charleston)
Last: OSU won 70-58 on Nov. 18, 2018 in Stillwater
Broadcast: CBS Sports (John Sadak, Pete Gillen )
Webcast: CBSSports.com/Live
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network (Dave Hunziker, John Holcomb)
Satellite Radio: SiriusXM online 975
Live Stats: okstate.statbroadcast.com
Oklahoma State Game Notes

• The Basics
Oklahoma State dominated the paint and the glass in a 69-51 win over Kansas City on Saturday to improve to 2-0 on the young season. The win set up a Wednesday showdown with undefeated Charleston, which is coming off an impressive 84-80 win over the 2019 Sun Belt champions, Georgia State. With a career average of 17.9 points per game, Charleston senior Grant Riller has proved to be one of the nation's best guards. The reigning CAA Player of the Year is leading the Cougars in scoring (24.5), assists (4.0) and steals (3.5) this season. This will be OSU's first road trip of the season and marks the return of Mike Boynton to the Palmetto State for the first time as a head coach.

• On the Air
The showdown between Oklahoma State and Charleston will air on CBS Sports at 8 p.m. CT. John Sadak has the play-by-play duties alongside color analyst Pete Gillen, a veteran of 392 career victories as the head coach at Xavier, Providence and Virginia. The webcast can be seen at CBSSports.com/live. Dave Hunziker and John Holcomb will have Cowboy Radio Network call from TD Arena, which can also be heard on the TuneIn app.

• Swat Team
Led by the Big 12's top shot blocker, Yor Anei, Oklahoma State has the ability to dominate the lane. The Cowboys have blocked 27.3 percent of their opponent's 2-point shots this season - second nationally according to KenPom - and opponents are shooting just 45.8 percent (22-of-48) in the paint. OSU blocked 12 shots in the opener against Oral Roberts, which are the fifth most in program history. Kansas City adjusted their game plan and attempted just 19 total shots in the paint, but OSU still blocked six of them. OSU's 9.0 blocks per game rank third nationally. In all, the Cowboys have blocked six or more shots in six straight games dating back to 2018-19.

• Paint Protector
Yor Anei's unique ability has a suffocating effect on opposing offenses. When he is on the floor, Anei is responsible for blocking 24.8 percent of the opposition's 2-point field goal attempts, a figure that ranks third nationally according to KenPom. Yor rejected eight shots in the opener against Oral Roberts and held the Golden Eagles to just 44.8 percent in the paint. Last season, Anei ranked fourth nationally with a block percentage of 13.65 while racking up 85 rejections. The Preseason Just a sophomore, the All-Big 12 honorable mention selection already owns two of the three biggest single-game block totals in school history, tied the single-season blocks record with 85 in 2018-19 and already 11th in career blocks with 94.

• Scouting Charleston
The Cougars feature the Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year in senior guard Grant Riller, who averaged 21.9 points per game last year. The do-it-all guard not only led the Cougars in scoring but was their top play maker with 134 assists on the year, their top shooter from the field (53.8%) and free throw line (80.6%). He was also second on the team in steals (41), 3-pointers made (46) and dunks (18). In last season's meeting, OSU excelled in part because it held Riller to seven points on 2-of-14 shooting.

• The Series With Charleston
This is just the fourth meeting between Oklahoma State and the Charleston, and the first to take place in Charleston, South Carolina. The Cowboys took both meetings in Stillwater, including last year's 70-58 win on Nov. 18, 2018. The lone Cougars victory came in the semifinals of the Great Alaskan Shootout on Nov. 29, 2002. That day, the Cougars took down a star-studded Cowboy squad led by All-American Tony Allen. That OSU squad would go on to post a 22-10 record and the bulk of that lineup would return the following year to advance to the 2004 Final Four. That Charleston squad would go on to win 25 games, the SoCon South Division title and advance to the second round of the NIT.

• Leading The Cougars
Now in his sixth season in charge in Charleston, Earl Grant is responsible for the makeover of the CofC program. Only the second coach to lead Charleston to the NCAA Tournament, Grant is the 2017 CAA and NABC All-District coach of the year. He and the Cougars have won at least 24 games in each of the last three seasons.

Cowboys Facing First Road Test Against Strong Charleston Squad

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Players Mentioned

Yor Anei

Oklahoma State University Athletics