Preview: OSU Hosts Wichita State on Wednesday Night
Mike Boynton and staff were not taking things easy during Monday’s practice. A practice that was supposed to end at around 4:30 ran well into the five o’ clock hour, with the team not wrapping up until close to 5:30.
It was an intense practice, but the schedule ahead is equally intense.
Cowboy Basketball is sitting at 6-1 and coming off of a 78-77 overtime victory at Oral Roberts but things are heating up, starting on Wednesday night when Wichita State comes to town.
The Shockers are 5-1, coming off a close win against Missouri. They are a very different team than they once were though. Long-time WSU coach Gregg Marshall was fired last year following allegations. Former assistant Isaac Brown stepped in as interim coach and led Wichita State to an AAC regular season title.
This year, the Shockers are picked to finish 4th in their conference, but guard Tyson Etienne was voted as preseason player of the year after winning POTY honors in the AAC last year.
Etienne is averaging 18.6 points per game so far this year while shooting 35% from the field and 33% from 3. He’s somebody that OSU needs to keep their eye on.
“Really hard-working kid whose going to a place where he can have great success and it’s working out for him,” coach Mike Boynton said.
For the Cowboys, it’s much more balanced. The depth on this year’s team is unprecedented. That leads to many different lineup combos and more distributed scoring.
Bryce Williams and Kalib Boone were both unavailable to start the season but have since worked back and shined early on.
Boone scored 20 points in OSU’s win over NC State a couple weeks ago. Williams led the Pokes in scoring against ORU with 21 and his role, especially on offense, is very important.
“If you watch our team, the ball moves a lot better when he’s on the court,” Boynton said. “And if you ask our guys, all 17 of them, who needs to be on the court for us in crunch time, I think he’d show up on 17 ballots.”
The offense has struggled in several ways to start the season. Inconsistent shooting, communication and execution errors have been the main concerns. A lot of that has to do with the new personnel.
“They don’t intentionally try to get in each other’s way,” Boynton said. “They’re not always conscious of where they are in relation to their teammates. So, having the right combination of guys that can complement each other is critical to that.”
But, just like what we’ve seen from the football team, it’s the defense that has potential to carry the load.
OSU ranks 12th nationally in defensive efficiency. That’s 4th best in the conference behind Texas Tech, Iowa State and Baylor.
“I think this could be far and away the best defensive team I’ve ever coached, and maybe have ever been a part of even as a player,” Boynton said.
Wichita State has yet to score over 80 points in a game this season. For the Shockers to win on Wednesday, they’ll need a great game from Etienne.
After WSU, Oklahoma State hosts Xavier on Sunday. After that, Houston and USC are on the horizon. Tip-off is Wednesday at 7 p.m.