Cowboys To Play Host To Xavier On Sunday

The Cowboys

The 2021-22 Cowboys will attack the season with a 17-man roster, including five newcomers and four returning starters from last year's squad.
Speaking of new - Oklahoma State welcomes three new assistant coaches (Terrence Rencher, Larry Blunt and David Cason) and a new strength coach (Mark Mitchell).
The Cowboys return four starters from last season's squad that returned OSU to the postseason and have added four key transfers with ambitions of pushing past the NCAA Round of 32. Setting its sights on a deep run in March, Oklahoma State returns 73 percent of its points from a year ago, 94 percent of its offensive rebounds and 74 percent of its assists.
Oklahoma State is set to compete in 17 games against 2021 NCAA Tournament foes.

Facing Xavier - Here's The Scout

Oklahoma State is set to remain home in Gallagher-Iba Arena to play host to Xavier on Sunday afternoon. Tip is set for 4 PM on ESPN2 with Mark Neely and King McClure on the call. It will also air on the Cowboy Radio Network.
The two foes are set to meet for the first time ever on Sunday afternoon as part of the Big 12/Big East Battle. Oklahoma State is 43-38 all-time against the conference.
Xavier is under the direction of fourth-year head coach Travis Steele, who was highlighted alongside OSU head coach Mike Boynton by The Athletic in its "40 Under 40 Rising Stars in Men's Hoops." Steele, 39, is 51-37 in three seasons, including a 13-8 mark in the COVID-shortened season of 2020-21. Steele led XU to a 19-13 record in the 2019-20 season, which was cut short prior to postseason play by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Xavier comes into the game with a 6-1 record, but has yet to face a true road game with a 5-0 mark at home and is 1-1 at neutral sites.

Through Eight - Where We're At And Where We're Going

Oklahoma State moved to 6-2 on Wednesday with the loss to Wichita State.
The Cowboys have punished teams in two main areas - points in the paint (326 thus far) and points off the fast break (171). 55 percent of all of OSU's points this season through eight games have come inside the paint.
Another key to OSU's success this year? Bench production. The bench unit's two lowest scoring outings this year have been 25 points against Oakland and 12 against Wichita State. Overall this year, 51 percent of the Cowboys' scoring has come off the bench.
On the defensive side of things, watch out when you go in the paint. Moussa Cisse is recording a 14.7 block percentage according to KenPom, which ranks 14th in the country.

Oklahoma - Where The Points Come Sweeping Down The Plain

Oklahoma natives posted a combined 128 points over the past four games against NC State, Charleston, ORU and Wichita State - which accounts for 43 percent of OSU's points.

Defense First - Because It Wins Games

Oklahoma State has allowed just one opponent to score more than 70 points in a game this year and has held four teams under 60.
A big key, the Cowboys are forcing a turnover on 27.1 percent of their defensive possessions, which according to KenPom ranks seventh in the country.
According to KenPom's adjusted defense, the Cowboys have posted the eighth-best defense thus far, trailing just Houston, Michigan State, VCU, LSU, Saint Mary's, Baylor and San Diego State.
Another struggle for opposing players? OSU is recording a block on 19.6 percent of its defensive outings, which is good enough for seventh-best in the country. That of course is when OSU hasn't already taken the ball, as it is recording a steal on 15.2 percent of its defensive possessions (seventh best in the country).

The New Sheriffs In Town

2021 American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year and former five-star big man Moussa Cisse certainly stands out in this year's group of newcomers. Listed at 7-0 and a springy 225 pounds, Cisse started every game for Memphis as a freshman in 2020-21 and helped lead the Tigers to the NIT Title.
Joining Cisse is 2020 McDonald's All-American and former Kansas standout Bryce Thompson. A unanimous five-star talent, he finished his time at Tulsa's Booker T. Washington High School as the nation's No. 19 recruit according to Rivals. He comes to Stillwater as the seventh-highest rated Cowboy signee in the recruiting rankings era (since 2003).
Former Texas Tech Red Raider and four-star recruit Tyreek Smith will be complementing the duo. The 2021 Academic All-Big 12 Conference selection was the 2018 TAAPS 5A Player of the Year for Trinity Christian High School in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, where he averaged 17.9 points, 12.3 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game as a senior.
Rounding out the highly-anticipated class is Woody Newton. A former Rivals four-star recruit out of District Heights, Maryland, Newton is coming off a freshman campaign at Syracuse in which he posted a 46.4 shooting percentage, 38.9 percent clip from 3-point and averages of 3.5 points and 1.8 rebounds per game.

Streaks And Trends

OSU has forced at least 10 turnovers 138 times under Mike Boynton
OSU has made at least one three-pointer in 705 consecutive games dating back to Jan. 13, 2001, which is the 24th longest current streak in college basketball.
Oklahoma State has held six of its last eight opponents to 60 points or fewer.
The Cowboys have used the same starting lineup the past six games. The Cowboys used one lineup six-consecutive games last season (Avery Anderson III, Bryce Williams, Rondel Walker, Cade Cunningham, Kalib Boone) in the games against Kansas State, Iowa State, Texas Tech, Oklahoma back-to-back and Baylor.
Oklahoma State has made 10 or more free throws in a game six times this year. The only two games they didn't were Oakland and Wichita State.
Although it hasn't hit the mark the past two games, OSU has finished with double-digit assists six times this year.
OSU has yet to allow an opposing team to shoot better than 43 percent from the field this year (ORU) and has held six below 40 percent (UT-Arlington, Oakland, Prairie View A&M, UMass-Lowell, NC State and College of Charleston) while holding one to just 29 percent from the field (Charleston).

Oklahoma State University Athletics