Cowboy Basketball Welcomes Oakland To Stillwater Saturday

Saturday, December 5

Stillwater, OK

6:30 p.m.

Oklahoma State University

Oakland

Cowboy Basketball Welcomes Oakland To Stillwater Saturday

December 03, 2020 | Cowboy Basketball

• Game Center
Oakland (0-5) at Oklahoma State (3-0)
Date: Dec. 5, 2020
Tipoff: 6:30 p.m. CT
Site: Gallagher-Iba Arena (13,611)
Series: First meeting
TV: ESPN+ (Mike Wolfe, Bryndon Manzer)
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network (Dave Hunziker, John Holcomb)
Satellite Radio: XM 389
Live Stats: okstate.statbroadcast.com
Oklahoma State Game Notes

• The Basics
Oklahoma State passed its first big test with flying colors in a 70-62 road win at Marquette on Tuesday night. OSU's length and aggressive zone defense turned the Golden Eagles over 24 times - the most by a Cowboy opponent since 2016 - and held them to 33.9 percent shooting and 27.6 percent from deep. The newcomer combo of Bryce Williams and Rondel Walker proved the spark off the bench, and combined for 29 points on 47.1 percent shooting. OSU is now riding a seven-game win streak and turns its attention to Oakland, which has endured a grueling schedule to open 2020-21. This is the first-ever meeting between the Cowboys and Grizzlies.

• Winning Ways
Dating back to last season, Oklahoma State has won 11 of its last 14 games and seven straight overall. The last time OSU won eight consecutive games was during an 11-game win streak to open the 2006-07 season. The Cowboys have also won six straight at home and four straight away from Stillwater. OSU last won seven straight games in GIA during a nine-game streak that overlapped the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons.

• Defense-First Squad
OSU's star power has grabbed all the headlines, but the team's efforts on the defensive end of the floor have proven headline-worthy as well. The Cowboys have been able to fluster opponents with both man and zone fronts, and currently rank 20th nationally in defensive efficiency according to KenPom. Oklahoma State has limited its opponents to 22.9 percent from 3-point, which ranks 24th in the NCAA. In the Mike Boynton era, OSU is 36-11 when holding an opponent under 70 points and 35-8 when holding a team under 40 percent shooting, and no opponent has reached either of those marks so far this season.

• The New And Improved (!!!) Ice
Isaac Likekele was an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection as a sophomore last season, but has taken his all-around game to new heights in 2020-21. The Arlington, Texas native spent the offseason working on his shot mechanics, and the results speak for themselves - 58.8 percent shooting overall and a 3-of-5 (.600) clip from 3-point. He's also entering lofty company in the OSU record books that speaks to his versatility. For his career, Likekele already has 267 assists, 334 rebounds and 97 steals, which means he is about to become just the seventh Cowboy (and the first since Marcus Smart in 2014) to ever record 250 assists, 300 boards and 100 steals. Boynton praises Likekele's "competitive stamina," which seems to intensify as the game heats up, and has led to a team-high +/- of +40.

• Against Oakland / The Horizon League
This will be the first meeting between the Cowboys and the Grizzlies, who hail from Rochester, Michigan. Oklahoma State is facing a team from the Horizon League for the first time since 2014 when the Cowboys took down Milwaukee, 82-68, in GIA. OSU owns a 15-6 record overall record and an 11-1 home mark against the current members. OSU's only home loss to a Horizon League squad came in a 1955 loss to Detroit.

• Oakland's Schedule
Oakland is off to an 0-5 start that is due in large part to a grueling road trip to begin the season. The Grizzlies fell to Xavier (101-49), Toledo (80-53) and Bradley (74-60) at the three-game Xavier Invitational at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Grizzlies took No. 25 Michigan to overtime before falling, 81-71, and then lost at Purdue on Tuesday, 90-53. After leaving Stillwater, Oakland will travel to Michigan State for a Dec. 13 game before beginning Horizon League play on Dec. 19.

• Preseason Polls
Oakland was picked to finish sixth in the 2020-21 Horizon League Men's Basketball Preseason Poll, which was voted on by the league's head coaches, SIDs and media members. The Golden Grizzlies finished the 2019-20 season in sixth place with a 14-19 overall record and an 8-10 league record. Wright State was picked to win the Horizon League, receiving 37 first-place votes. Youngstown State received three first place votes, picked to finish second, while defending Horizon League Tournament Champion Northern Kentucky was picked third.

• Standout Guard
Oakland's Rashad Williams earned preseason All-Horizon League accolades, being named second team all-league. The junior guard is coming off a 2019-20 campaign where he led the team in averaging 19.5 points and 3.1 rebounds per game.