STILLWATER – After nearly a three-week hiatus, Oklahoma State basketball will be back out on the court as they open Big 12 play against the Kansas Jayhawks in Stillwater on Tuesday, January 4. This will also be the first time Cowboy guard Bryce Thompson will be going up against his former team.
“I really just try to take it as another game,” Thompson said of playing Kansas. “They’re a good team and I have a lot of respect for them. Like you said, I know those guys but at the end of the day, I want to go in and I want to win.”
Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT and will be televised on ESPN2.
Related: Watch Mike Boynton’s media availability ahead of the Big 12 opener against Kansas
The Cowboys’ last game was a 72-61 loss to Houston on the road in Fort Worth on Dec. 18. The Cowboys were set to face USC in Oklahoma City on Dec. 21 and open Big 12 play on the road in Lubbock against Texas Tech on Jan. 1, but the USC game was canceled, and the Tech game postponed until Jan. 13 due to a COVID-19 outbreak in the OSU program.
“I don't think we'll have everybody available,” said coach Mike Boynton. “I'm always kind of gun shy about saying that before I know for sure anyway, but certainly under these circumstances. It's been a challenge to get enough bodies to practice, to be honest. We normally would come back on the 26th of December. And instead, we had a zoom call. We only had three able bodies to practice. So, there was really no need to come back and try to practice on the 26th. On the 27th we did come back; we had four guys. We did a little ball handling, shot some and that's about it. The guys we're exhausted after 30 minutes that. The first day we had 10 bodies was Friday, and that included three walk-ons and Chris Harris, who’s still coming back from injury, so really six able bodies. So, it's just part of the deal. I'm certainly not complaining; I hope it's not coming across as that, it's just the reality of where we all are and dealing with this stuff and we'll have enough to play tomorrow.”
Without going into too much detail, coach Boynton said only two coaches and four players were available. So, it’s certainly been a long road back for the Pokes and the game against Kansas could be a rather difficult one from a stamina standpoint.
The Jayhawks enter the game ranked No. 6 in the country and 11-1 on the season. They’ve played two games since Dec. 18, an 88-61 win over Nevada on Dec. 29 and a 76-67 win over George Mason on Jan. 1. They’re biggest win of the season so far came in the season-opener, an 87-74 win over Michigan State.
The Jayhawks have three players averaging in double figures in the first 12 games of the season: Ochai Agbaji is leading the team with 20.6 points a game, with Christian Braun second with 17.0 points and Remy Martin third with 10.7 points. Braun’s currently leading the team in rebounds with 6.2 a contest, with David McCormack in second with 5.3.
As for the Cowboys, they’re led by Avery Anderson III and Bryce Thompson, who’s averaging 12.5 and 12.0 points a game respectively. Both Isaac Likekele and Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe are leading the team with 5.5 rebounds a game each.
As for Bryce Thompson, he’s averaging 8.5 points a game.
“I’ve very excited,” said Thompson. “I’m ready to get back out there with the guys; we haven’t played in a long time, or it feels like it with the break and our previous game cancellations, so I’m just ready to get out there and compete.”
