Cowboys Set To Travel To Youngstown State

Facing Youngstown State- Here's The Scout

The No. 1 overall seed, Oklahoma State men's basketball will travel to Youngstown, Ohio, to take on Youngstown State on Wednesday in the opening round of the 2023 National Invitational Tournament. Tip is set for 6 p.m. CT on ESPN+ with Mark Neely and Jess Settles on the call while Cowboy fans can listen to Dave Hunziker and John Holcomb on the Cowboy Radio Network or Varsity App.
The Cowboys finished the Big 12 Championship with an 18-15 record on the season, including an 8-10 mark in Big 12 play. They also collected three wins against ranked opponents and six quad-1 wins on the year. OSU beat Oklahoma to advance to the second round of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship last week before falling to two-seed Texas in the quarterfinal.
Youngstown State has posted a 24-9 record on the season, including a 15-5 record in the Horizon League Conference. The Penguins entered their conference tournament as the top seed and won their first game against Detroit Mercy but were upset by Northern Kentucky in the semifinals. YSU was tough to beat at home this season, winning 14 of 16 games in the Beeghly Center.
This will be the Cowboys' 13th appearance in the NIT, dating back to 1938. The number one seeding is their highest in program history in the NIT. OSU's last appearance in the tournament was in 2018 as a two-seed, when it made its deepest NIT run in modern program history, advancing to the quarterfinals. The Cowboys are 6-6 all-time in the first round of the NIT.
Youngstown State will combat Oklahoma State staunch defensive with an dynamic and efficient offense. The Penguins rank top-10 in the country in scoring offense (82.5), field goal percentage (49.1) and free throw percentage (77.7). They also led the Horizon League and ranked 34th nationally in assists, averaging 15.5 per game. Leading scorer Dwayne Cohill averaged 17.8 points per game, good for sixth in the conference.

The Cowboys in the NIT

Oklahoma State is set to make its first NIT appearance since 2018, when it advanced to the quarterfinals. The Cowboys will be making their first appearance in a postseason tournament since the 2021 season, when they made the NCAA Tournament.
This will be the Cowboys first time entering the tournament as a one seed in six appearances since seeding began in 2017. Despite the high seeding, the Cowboys will travel to Ohio for their first-round game against Youngstown State. OSU is 0-6 all-time on the road in the NIT.
In 2018, OSU entered the NIT as a two-seed, matching its highest seed in the tournament since seeding began in 2017. The Cowboys got wins over Florida-Gulf Coast and Stanford in the first two rounds before falling to Western Kentucky in the quarterfinals.
OSU is 6-6 all-time in the first round of the NIT, including wins in each of its last two appearances. Before that, the Cowboys lost three-straight opening round games in three-straight years from 2006-08.
Oklahoma State is 3-1 as the higher seed in its last two NIT appearances. In 2018, the two-seed Cowboys made their deepest run in the tournament in program history, advancing to the quarterfinals.

Late-Season Quick Hitters

Woody Newton stepped into a bigger role this season, starting 13 games throughout the year, and averaged 20.1 minutes with 4.9 points and 3.9 rebounds in Big 12 games.
In the absence of Avery Anderson III, Caleb Asberry has started the last 11 games, averaging 13.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 32.5 minutes per game.
After the Wichita State result earlier this season in Wichita, Oklahoma State has held at least one opponent to less than 50 points in a game in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2016.
There have been 17 seasons since the 2000-01 year that OSU had at least one game holding an opponent to less than 50 points while the program has done so in back-to-back seasons 13 times during the stretch.
Only seven teams (UT Arlington, Southern Illinois, TCU, Texas Tech, Kansas State, Kansas and Baylor) scored more than 60 points in GIA this season in 16 home games.
A big part of those numbers? The Cowboys held a 81-32 blocked shots advantage at home, with Cisse leading the way at 27. Boone recorded 20, himself.
For the first time in his career, Kalib Boone was named the Big 12 Player of the Week earlier this season. Boone averaged 21.5 points and 5.0 rebounds as the surging Cowboys won three straight games and five of six.
For his efforts against Iowa State and Oklahoma in January, Oklahoma State's Avery Anderson III was named the Big 12 Player of the Week. He averaged 16.0 points per game. The honor was the first of his career.
The Cowboys have led the Big 12 in blocks most of the season, ranking 20th nationally at 4.9 per game. They also lead the conference in field goal percentage defense, ranking 16th in the nation, holding opponents to just 39.8 percent shooting from the field.
Moussa Cisse surpassed his block total from last season in the win over Texas Tech, now sitting at 58 on the season and counting. He now sits tied for 11th in program history for blocks in a season with a chance to continue moving up throughout the postseason.

The Big 12 Championship - A Recap

Oklahoma State entered the Big 12 Championship as a seven seed, pairing them up against 10-seed Oklahoma in the first round. It was the first appearance in the tournament for OSU since making a run to the title game in 2021.
The Cowboys beat Oklahoma, 57-49, Wednesday night in the first round of the tournament, giving them three-straight wins in Big 12 Championship openers. The win was also OSU's third against the Sooners this season, marking the first time it has beaten the same opponent three times in a season since the 2011-12 season, and the first time Oklahoma State has done it against OU since the 1964-65 season.
The 49 points allowed by the Cowboys against Oklahoma matched the lowest total given up all season, along with the 49 Wichita State scored on December 17th. They also held the Sooners to 20 points in the first half, marking Oklahoma's lowest scoring half of the season.
After winning its first round game, Oklahoma State advanced to face two-seed Texas Thursday evening. The Cowboys fell, 61-47, ending their run in this year's Big 12 Championship. Despite the loss, OSU held the Longhorns to just 37.3 percent shooting from the field and 31.6 percent from three while out-rebounding Texas 45-33.
Texas would go on to win the Big 12 Championship with wins over Oklahoma State, TCU and Kansas.

Defending With Purpose

Oklahoma State has boasted one of the, if not the, most fierce defenses in the Big 12 throughout the season. The Cowboys rode their defense to eight conference wins this season and a win in the Big 12 Championships.
OSU's defensive effort begins with protecting the paint. The Cowboys rank first in the big 12 and 20th nationally in blocks, averaging 4.9 per game. First-Team All-Big 12 Defense big man Moussa Cisse has led the charge when healthy, blocking two shots per game. Kalib Boone has added 1.2 blocks a game himself.
Opposing teams have also had a hard time finding open shots against Oklahoma State, as the Cowboys rank first in the Big 12 and 16th nationally in field goal percentage defense. Opposing teams are shooting just 39.8 percent against OSU this season, while the Cowboys have held 22 of their 33 opponents below 40.0 percent shooting this season.
Oklahoma State remains one of the toughest teams to score against in the conference, ranking second in scoring defense, allowing just 66.1 points per game. The Cowboys have held 10 opponents to below 60 points this season, going 9-1 in those games.
A key part of OSU's defensive success has been finishing possessions, as it ranks first in the Big 12 in rebounds per game (36.8) and second in rebound margin (3.2). The Cowboys have out-rebounded their opponent in their last four games and carry a 15-7 record when managing to out-rebound opponents this season.

Filling the Void

Oklahoma State guard Avery Anderson III has missed the last 11 games and is out indefinitely. In 22 games this season, Anderson III averaged 11.1 points, 3.4 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Anderson III was also one of two Cowboys (Kalib Boone) to be named Big 12 Player of the Week this season.
Anderson III's absence has opened the door for Oklahoma State's other veteran guards to step up. John-Michael Wright has done just that, averaging 12.2 points per game while shooting 37.5 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from three in those 11 games.
Bryce Thompson has also taken on a portion of the scoring load, averaging 12.8 points, 3.0 assists and 2.5 rebounds while playing 32.7 minutes per game in his last 11.
Caleb Asberry has entered the Cowboys lineup during this recent stretch, starting all 11 games in Anderson III's absence. Asberry is scoring 13.6 points per game while shooting 41.7 percent from the field in 32.5 minutes per game during this stretch.

Conference Recognition

A pair of Cowboys earned All-Big 12 recognition as a result of their play against conference opponents this season. Kalib Boone was named to the All-Big 12 Third Team while Moussa Cisse earned Big 12 All-Defensive honors, becoming the first Cowboy to earn the honor in back-to-back seasons since Marcus Smart.
Boone led OSU in scoring in conference play at 12.4 points per game to go along with 5.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. The senior logged 10 games of double-figure scoring, including three 20-point games and a career-high 27 points against Kansas. Other notable games included a 16 point, 10 rebound and six block performance against Texas, and a 25 point and six rebound game to lead the Cowboys to an upset No. 15 TCU.
Despite missing four games, Cisse was named to the All-Defense team for the second-straight season. The seven-footer ranked third in the conference with 1.4 blocks per game while also collecting 5.8 rebounds per game. Cisse recorded a block in all but two Big 12 games and had two or more in five of his 14 games played. He recorded his most against a Big 12 opponent when he had four in the Cowboys' win over Texas Tech in the regular-season finale.

If You Haven't Watched Us This Year

Oklahoma State finished the season with an 18-15 record, including an 8-10 mark in America's toughest conference. The Cowboys compiled six quad-1 wins to go along with their three wins over ranked opponents.
OSU went 8-4 in non-conference play, including wins over DePaul, Wichita State and the Southland Conference champion, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The Cowboys' losses include No. 11 UConn and Virginia Tech while their average margin in losses was only five points.
Oklahoma State began conference play winning just one of its first five games, with all four losses coming against ranked opponents. The lone win came against a West Virginia team that was receiving votes at the time.
After the tough start to Big 12 play, the Cowboys hit their best stretch of the season. Beginning with the first of its three wins over Oklahoma, OSU rattled off seven wins in eight games, including a season-best win streak of five. During this stretch, the Cowboys swept a top-12 Iowa State team and took down No. 15 TCU in Stillwater.
Oklahoma State would close the year losing five of its last six heading into the Big 12 Championship. As the seven seed, the Cowboys beat Oklahoma for a third time to advance past the first round before falling to two-seed Texas in the quarterfinals.

The 100 Games Played Club Gained Two More

Oklahoma State's Avery Anderson III and Kalib Boone both played in their 100th game in a Cowboy uniform against Kansas in the Big 12 opener for the Cowboys. In doing so, they became the first two players on the current roster to play 100 college basketball games. John-Michael Wright, who transferred in, played his 100th basketball game against West Virginia.
Other notable members of the club include Darwyn Alexander, Joe Adkins, James Anderson, Markel Brown, Terry Collins, JamesOn Curry, Byron Eaton, Marcus Dove, Phil Forte, Isaac Likekele, Desmond Mason, Ivan McFarlin, Marshall Moses, Keiton Page and more.
Anderson III's first game came on Nov. 6, 2019, in an 80-75 win against Oral Roberts in Gallagher-Iba Arena. He played 13 minutes with five points, two steals and an assist.
Kalib Boone's first game was the same night. He played 10 minutes, bringing in four rebounds and recorded two blocks.

An Oklahoma State Win Would...

Improve the Cowboys to 1-0 in the Youngstown State series.
Improve the Cowboys to 10-13 all-time in the NIT.
Improve the Cowboys to 7-6 in the first round of the NIT.
Improve the Cowboys to 1-6 on the road in the NIT.
Improve the Cowboys to 9-6 in the postseason in the Mike Boynton era.
Advance the Cowboys to the second round in three-straight NIT appearances.
Be Mike Boynton's 106th win at OSU, putting him one shy of Paul Hansen for fourth most in program history.

Streaks and Trends

OSU has made at least one three-pointer in 760 consecutive games dating back to Jan. 13, 2001.
The Cowboys have posted 10 or more assists in 27 of 33 games this season, including four of the last six.
Dating back to last season, OSU has held 32 of its past 37 opponents below their season scoring average.
Oklahoma State reached double-digit second chance points in 13 of 18 conference games this season, with a high of 16 against Kansas State and Baylor.
As a team, the Cowboys have reached at least three blocks in 28 of 33 games this season. OSU leads the Big 12 with 4.9 blocked shots per game, which ranks 20th in the country.
OSU has held 22 of its 33 opponents to 35 percent shooting or less from the three-point line while 16 of 33 have shot less than 30 percent.
The Cowboys have made 10 or more free throws in 23 of 33 games this season after doing so in 18 of their 30 games last season.
OSU has forced 10 or more turnovers in 21 of its last 22 Big 12 games.
Oklahoma State has recorded at least five steals in 25 of its 33 games this season.
Caleb Asberry has started the last 11 games for the Cowboys. In those starts, Asberry is averaging 13.6 points on 2.1 made threes per game.
Asberry has made at least one three in 13-straight games and 17 of 18 conference games.
OSU recorded five or more blocks in seven of its 12 road games this season.
Bryce Thompson continues to shoot the three at a high clip in conference play, making 39.3 percent of his attempts while averaging 1.8 makes per game.
The Cowboys have shot better than 40 percent from the field in 12 of their last 16 games.
Oklahoma State is 17-3 when they shoot the same percentage or better than their opponent from the field this season. They are 1-12 when their opponent has a higher field goal percentage.
The Cowboys are 14-5 this season when out-rebounding their opponent. When getting out-rebounded, they are 3-8.
OSU has reached double-digit offensive rebounds in four of its last six games. The Cowboys' 22 against Baylor was their most in a game since 2011.
Moussa Cisse has blocked three or more blocked shots in nine games this season.

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Players Mentioned

Avery Anderson III

Caleb Asberry

Kalib Boone

Moussa Cisse

Isaac Likekele

Woody Newton

Bryce Thompson

John-Michael Wright

Oklahoma State University Athletics