Oklahoma State Looks to Defend a lot Better Against Iowa State
STILLWATER – Maybe this is the way it was meant to be and if recent history is a major indicator then yes, why wouldn’t Oklahoma State get their first Big 12 Conference win in Ames, Iowa over an Iowa State team fresh off beating the No. 2 team in the nation and the final unbeaten Division I team in Houston. Just after the Cyclones pulled off the their major upset 57-52 for their first conference win after opening with a loss at OU, Oklahoma State threatened to do the same thing. The Cowboys, like Iowa State, jumped out to an early lead at 14-5 and then 20-11 over Texas Tech, who was fresh off beating Texas in Austin. The Big 12 is topsy turvy and the results include No. 3 Kansas going to UCF this week and losing after leading by 16.
You have to worry about your own team and try to cure your own issues. Iowa State seems as good a place as any for the Pokes to catch a break and win a Big 12 game. They’ve won the last three games over Iowa State and seven of the last eight including the last three in the HIlton Coliseum.
Mike Boynton knows that the Cowboys 8-7 record and 0-2 in the Big 12 is not good enough. He also revealed on Thursday before the team left for Iowa State that he was looking at the video of the 90-73 loss to the Red Raiders and came up with this thought.
"Probably the worst defensive performance we've had, maybe in my time here,” was how Boynton opened the weekly news conference. “We've always been good -- and I'm sure there have been some games where we haven't been good -- But I've never felt like we had no answers… Some of it's immaturity and lack of ability to stay focused for a sustained period of time… We kind of punched first, they hit us back, and we never responded.
“So we've got to keep showing up and doing the work, but understand that that's part of the game -- on the road, in particular,” the head coach in his seventh season continued. ”You know, the (next) place we're going (Iowa State's Hilton Coliseum) is going to be even more difficult, so we've just got to understand the sense of urgency you have to have for every possession."
This week in video sessions, Boynton could teach better defense right off the scout tape because that is what Iowa State is about. The Cyclones are second in the Big 12 in scoring defense allowing 59.47-points per game and they are third in scoring margin with a 23.27-points gap by average. Now, that includes non conference games that aren’t anywhere close to the competition nightly and daily in the Big 12.
“They force a lot of turnovers. That's how they ignite their offense, and obviously they won a bit of a rock fight the other day against another team who I think was No. 1 in defense coming in -- Houston,” Boynton said of the Cyclones. “Anytime you can win a game of toughness against Houston, that tells you a lot about who you are. We'll have to play a lot better than we did the other day to have a chance. But there's also the fact that these guys just have to continue to grow and get better. We've got to play with more consistency."
No one listens to your excuses or even your reality and Oklahoma State, who played great three-point defense and took Baylor to overtime and lost a tough game before losing at Texas Tech 90-73, is playing a lot of young players. Like I said, nobody is listening.
One answer might be to turn to a seasoned vet that has been down on the end of the bench some this season. John-Michael Wright is back playing. He had 14 points in the loss at Texas Tech and the Cowboys have played a four-guard line-up some. Maybe adding some more age to the line-up could help the outcomes.
“I'm a team guy, so I try and encourage my teammates that are playing, because ultimately, it's not about me,” Wright said to the media on Thursday. “It's about the team's success. If the team succeeds, I succeed individually, as well. Yes, it's something I'm not used to, but again, I trust my coaches. I still think that they believe in me, so I just wait my turn. When I get in, I try and be as productive as possible."
Play some defense, because right now that is a sure fire way to get more minutes. The hope for some “Hilton magic” Pistol Pete-style.