Game Notes: at Texas Tech

Tuesday, January 9

Lubbock, Texas

7:00 PM

Oklahoma State University

Texas Tech

Photo by: Oklahoma State University Athletics

January 08, 2024 | Cowboy Basketball

OSU Notes (PDF)Watch Listen Live Stats Series History

Oklahoma State (8-6, 0-1) at rv/rv Texas Tech (12-2, 1-0)
Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024 | 7:01 p.m. CT
Lubbock, Texas | United Supermarkets Arena

TV: Big 12 on ESPN+ (Ted Emrich & Bryndon Manzer)
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network (Dave Hunziker & John Holcomb)
Internet Radio: okstate.com/listen & The Varsity Sports App
Live Stats: okstate.statbroadcast.com
Series: OSU leads 50-24 (12-16 in Lubbock)
Last: Mar. 4, 2023 in Lubbock (OSU, 71-68)

The Basics:

The Oklahoma State Cowboys (8-6, 0-1) are in Lubbock, Texas on Tuesday night to take on the Texas Tech Red Raiders (12-2, 1-0) in a Big 12 Conference matchup. Tipoff is 7 p.m. CT.
OSU is looking to bounce back from a 75-70 overtime heartbreaker against Baylor and build a breakout performance from freshman center Brandon Garrison who scored a career-high 20 points and was perfect on seven field goal and six free throw attempts.
Texas Tech rides a seven game winning streak after defeating Texas on the road to open up conference play. The Red Raiders are 8-0 this year at United Supermarkets Arena.
The Cowboys swept last year's series by twin 71-68 scores and have won six of the last seven meetings between the schools.

Watch:
The game will air on ESPN+ with Ted Emrich and Bryndon Manzer. Subscribe to ESPN's over-the-top streaming service for $10.99/month ($110/year) or bundle with Disney+ and Hulu for as little as $14.99/month. Visit plus.espn.com for more information.

Listen:
Dave Hunziker and John Holcomb describe the action across the Cowboy Radio Network. Visit okstate.com/radio for a full list of network affiliates. Fans outside the listening area can tune in via the Varsity Sports App or at okstate.com/listen.

Mike Boynton Show:
Hear the latest insights from head coach Mike Boynton Jr. by tuning in to his weekly radio show on the Cowboy Radio Network. The program airs Thursday nights (6-7 p.m.) from the Rib Crib in Stillwater.

Last time on Cowboy Basketball
Jan. 6, 2024 in Stillwater (#18 Baylor 75, OSU 70 in OT):

Despite a career-high 20 points from freshman Brandon Garrison, OSU saw its five-game winning streak come an end with an overtime loss to Baylor in the Big 12 opener for both sides.
Garrison made all seven field goal attempts and each of his six free throws while gathering eight rebounds and four blocks.
Javon Small added 17 points and Bryce Thompson tallied 15.
RayJ Dennis had 18 points for Baylor, which came in shooting a nation-best 44.8% from three but made just 2-of-15 against the Cowboys.
OSU took a 60-56 with lead with less than 2:00 to play in regulation after Garrison converted two flagrant foul free throws and scored on an alley-oop from Small. However, Dennis answered on the next possession with a four-point play to tie the game at 60.
Neither side scored again in regulation. Dennis missed twice in the last 15 seconds, including a game-winning jumper ahead of the horn.
The lead changed hands five times in overtime before Jalen Bridges sank two free throws with a minute left to put Baylor ahead 71-69.

The Notorious BG:

Brandon Garrison was 7-for-7 from the field and knocked down all six at the stripe in the overtime loss to Baylor.
Garrison is the first player in nearly a decade to score 20 points in a Big 12 Conference game without missing a shot (field goal or free throw). Baylor's Royce O'Neale was the last to do it on Feb. 22, 2014 at West Virginia (22 pts, 8/8 FG, 2/2 FT).
Garrison is also the first Cowboy since Bryant "Big Country" Reeves to finish 6-for-6 or better in both the field goal and free throw columns. Reeves was 10-for-10 from the field and made all six free throws in a Dec. 9, 1992 win over Tulsa.

BIg 12 Players w/ 20+ Points, No Free Throw or Field Goal Misses (2010-Pr.):
*Brandon Garrison (OSU) vs. Baylor, Jan. 6, 2024 – 20 pts, 7/7 FG, 6/6 FT
Keyontae Johnson (KSU) at Butler, Nov. 30, 2022 – 20 pts, 9/9 FG, 0/0 FT
*Royce O'Neale (Baylor) at West Virginia – 22 pts, 8/8 FG, 2/2 FT
Robert Lewandowski (TTU) vs. SFA, Nov. 19, 2010 – 20 pts, 9/9 FG, 2/2 FT
Scott Christopherson (ISU) vs. Drake – Nov. 17, 2020 – 29 pts, 11/11 FG, 2/2 FT
Data Source: College Basketball Reference Play Index
* = Big 12 Conference game

Close Encounters:

In five of their six losses this year, the Cowboys have missed game-tying or potential game-winning shots in the last 10 seconds. OSU is 0-5 in games decided by five points or less.
KenPom rates the Cowboys 358th out of 362 teams in its "luck metric", which compares teams' expected winning percentage (based on analytics) with their actual record. Only Mount St. Mary's, Michigan, UCLA and Robert Morris have had it worse.

Working Overtime:

Saturday afternoon against Baylor, OSU played its 17th overtime game under seventh-year head coach Mike Boynton Jr. Nationally, only 16 schools have played more bonus basketball over that span.
Only 16 schools have played more bonus basketball than OSU since the start of the 2017-18 season (Boynton's first). The Cowboys have had a league-high 12 overtime games in conference play.
The Cowboys have lost six straight and seven of their last eight overtime affairs going back to 2021-22 season. Prior to that, they had won six in a row.

Doing it with Defense:
The Jan. 3 win over Chicago State marked the 102nd time under seventh-year head coach Mike Boynton Jr. that the Cowboys have held their opponent under 40% from the field. OSU and Texas Tech (104) are on a list of just eight programs that have done it 100+ times in that span. The Cowboys are 80-22 in those games and a perfect 6-0 this year.

Since 2017-18 // Most Opponents Held Under 40% FG:
1. Houston – 145
2. UC-Irvine – 120
3. Tennessee – 115
4. San Diego St. – 113
5. Virginia – 109
6. Michigan St. – 105
7. Texas Tech – 104
8. Oklahoma St. -- 102
Through 1/7/2024

Also Trending:

OSU freshman Brandon Garrison shares the Big 12 lead with 28 total blocks (2.0 per game). A Cowboy has led the league in that category three times in the last five seasons: Moussa Cisse in 2022 (1.9) and 2023 (1.9) and Yor Anei in 2019 (2.7).
OSU is 8-0 this year when leading at the half but 0-6 when tied or trailing.
Going back to last year, OSU has held 23 straight opponents under 80 points.
Over the last two seasons, OSU is 26-5 when outshooting its opponent.
Five different Cowboys have posted a double-double this year: Quion Williams (x2), Eric Dailey Jr. (x2), Brandon Garrison, Mike Marsh and Javon Small.

The Series with Texas Tech:

The Cowboys have won just over two thirds of the matchups in this series (50-24), which began in 1937 and became an annual occurrence some six decades later when Texas Tech joined the Big 12 Conference.
OSU has won three straight and six of the last seven installments. All six of those victories came by five points or less and two were in overtime.
Mike Boynton Jr. is 7-5 against Texas Tech. Five of his wins have come over Red Raider teams that were nationally-ranked.
The Cowboys are 0-1 against Grant McCasland. His North Texas team dealt OSU a season-ending loss in last year's NIT quarterfinals (65-59 in overtime) at GIA.
2023-24 marks the 28th consecutive season that the schools have played each other home-and-home. It's OSU's second-longest active streak behind Oklahoma (1935-36 to present).
Similar home-and-home streaks with former Big 12 South rivals Baylor and Texas ended this year due to the league's unbalanced schedule.
OSU swept last year's series by identical 71-68 scores. Caleb Asberry hit seven threes to lead the Cowboys to a road victory in the regular season finale. In Stillwater, Bryce Thompson scored 21 points and John-Michael Wright converted a game-winning three-point play with 0.4 seconds left.
OSU is 12-16 in Lubbock (10-14 at United Supermarkets Arena) with wins in two of its last three visits.
OSU is 27-5 against the Red Raiders at GIA (23-4 Big 12 era) with victories in four straight and 18 of the last 20.
The Cowboys are 6-1 against Texas Tech in Big 12 tournament matchups with five straight wins, highlighted by a 72-68 victory in the 2005 championship game at Kemper Arena.

Last 3 Meetings with Texas Tech:

Mar. 4, 2023 in Lubbock (OSU, 71-68):
Caleb Asberry knocked down seven 3-pointers and OSU held on late to beat Texas Tech in their Big 12 regular season finale… Asberry hit three 3s early in the second half to push a three-point lead to 13 with under 14:00 to play… Moussa Cisse's dunk made it a 58-46 game with 9:00 to play… The Red Raiders answered with a 9-0 run to cut the deficit to 58-55. D'Maurian Williams' deep three tied it at 60 with 4:00 to go, and Jaylon Tyson connected on another to give Tech its only lead of the night, 63-62 with 2:19 left… Asberry (24 points on 7-of-12 three-point shooting) responded with a corner three, then found Cisse on a pick-and-roll for a dunk… Bryce Thompson added 19 points to go with Tyreek Smith's 11.
No Red Raiders scored in double-figures, although four starters finished with nine points.

Feb. 8, 2023 in Sillwater (OSU 71, TT 68):
Bryce Thompson scored 21 points and John-Michael Wright converted a game-winning three-point play with 0.4 seconds left… The Cowboys led by as many as 14 near the 14:00-mark of the second half, but a De'Vion Harmon layup knotted things up at 68 with 18 seconds left… On the final possession, Thompson's jumper hit the back of the iron, but Wright was already in the air for the putback… Thompson was 9-of-16 from the field and made three triples. Quion Williams added 10 points… OSU shot 44% but made struggled at the foul line, hitting just 58% including 9-of-18 in the second half.
Jaylon Tyson scored 20 points and Harmon and Kevin Obanor added 19 and 15 respectively for Texas Tech.

Mar. 5, 2022 in Stillwater (OSU 52, #12 TT 51):
Bryce Thompson made a go-ahead triple with 19.4 seconds left and the Cowboys eliminated No. 12 Texas Tech from Big 12 title contention… Terrence Shannon missed a jumper closely contested by OSU's Tyreek Smith just before the buzzer, and the Cowboys – banned by the NCAA from postseason play -- celebrated a win in their season finale… Tech needed a victory and losses by Baylor and Kansas to finished tied for the Big 12 lead but shot 35.2% and went extra cold late in the game… Kevin Obanor led Red Raiders with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Rondel Walker (12 points) and Thompson (11) paced OSU, which won despite shooting 32.8%... OSU erased a 10-point deficit over the final 10:00. Walker's three-point play tied it at 49 with 51 seconds to go. Tech ended a string of 10 straight misses on Davion Warren's go-ahead tip-in with 28.3 remaining, setting up a wild finish.

Scouting the Red Raiders:

Texas Tech (16-16, 5-13 last season) is under new management, but its reputation as a defensive stalwart is likely to continue.
Grant McCasland takes the wheel after a six-year run at North Texas that included a pair of Conference USA regular season titles (2020 & 2022), a first-round win in the 2021 NCAA tournament and an NIT championship last spring.
McCasland's UNT teams led the nation in scoring defense in each of his last two seasons (55.7 in 2022, 55.8 in 2023).
Winners of seven straight, the Red Raiders defeated Texas on the road to open Big 12 play. Their last loss came nearly six weeks ago at Butler (103-95 in overtime).
The Red Raiders have won all eight of their home games by an average of 20.0 points. Their last loss at United Supermarkets Arena came to OSU in the 2022-23 regular season finale.
Tech has leaned heavily on its lone returning starter, 6-2 sophomore guard Pop Isaacs. The former Big 12 All-Freshman pick is averaging a team-best 16.2 points and has posted the league's highest shot percentage (31.7%) and usage rate (29.3%).
Isaacs is joined by a core of five transfers (four of them graduates). All played prominent roles on 2023 NCAA tournament teams.
6-foot senior Joe Toussaint (West Virginia) has excelled as both a scorer (14.4 ppg) and distributor (4.1 apg, 2.07 A:TO ratio).
7-footer Warren Washington (Arizona State) averages 9.5 points on 62.2% shooting and is the team's top rebounder (8.0) and shot-blocker (25).
6-6 sophomore wing Darrion Williams (9.4 ppg, 6.7 rpg) was the 2023 Mountain West Freshman of the Year at Nevada.
6-3 guad Chance McMillan (Grand Canyon) has been a three-point weapon off the bench, averaging 9.4 points and 2.1 threes on 43.5% accuracy.
The other transfer, 6-6 forward Devan Cambridge (10.5 ppg) suffered a season-ending knee injury in early December.
Tech has converted 77.7% of its free throws (13th nationally) and also averages 8.8 threes on 36.2% accuracy.
Just seven teams have committed fewer fouls than the Red Raiders (13.5). Consequently, their opponents average just 9.4 points off free throws (seventh-fewest nationally).
OSU was the last team to beat Texas Tech at United Supermarkets Arena, 71-68 in the 2022-23 regular season finale (Mar. 4, 2023). The Red Raiders have won all eight home games this season by an average of 20.0 points.

A Cowboy win would...

Even their Big 12 record at 1-1 and boost their overall mark to 9-6.
Be their fourth straight over Texas Tech and seventh in eight tries.
Make them 13-16 all-time in Lubbock and give them back-to-back wins there for the first time since the 2012 and 2013 seasons.
Make them 1-1 in true road games.

Up Next: at Iowa State
Saturday, 5 p.m. CT (ESPN2)

The Cowboys are in Ames this weekend to take on Iowa State (11-3, 0-1) inside Hilton Coliseum.
The Cyclones dropped their Big 12 opener at Oklahoma last Saturday (71-63) and will play host to Houston on Tuesday night.
ISU ranks among the national leaders in scoring margin (3rd, +24.6), forced turnovers (5th, 18.6), scoring defense (6th, 59.9), A:TO ratio (10th, 1.72) and field goal percentage defense (14th, .386).
OSU has won seven of the last eight meetings including three straight in Ames.