Oklahoma State Caps Three-Game Road Trip on Saturday Against Baylor

Oklahoma State is looking to right the ship a bit on Saturday against Baylor following two rough outings against West Virginia and Texas Tech. The Cowboys lost to West Virginia 70-60 on Tuesday and 78-57 to Texas Tech on Thursday to drop to 8-7 on the season, 1-3 in Big 12 play.

Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT and will be televised on ESPN.

“The past game [against West Virginia] we didn’t play good, and now, this game we didn’t play good,” Isaac Likekele said on the Cowboy Radio Network following the loss to Texas Tech. “To me, we’re in a bad place right now, mentally, really. And that’s easy to overcome because I believe in everybody on this team right now … but we have to have a better mental focus coming into the game, including myself. I have to set the tone for our team, from my mental focus standpoint.”

The game on Saturday against the No. 1 Bears is going to be a tough one. The Bears are 15-1 on the season, 3-1 in Big 12 play, and enter the game averaging 81.5 points a game, while giving up just 59.8 points a game.

The Bears have four players scoring in double figures, but are led by Arizona transfer guard, James Akinjo. The senior out of Oakland, CA is averaging 14.6 points a game while shooting 45% from the field and 38% from 3-point range. He has, however, turned the ball over 52 times on the season.

As for the leading rebounder, he’s a familiar face in Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua. He’s averaging close to a double-double on the season with 8.1 points and 7.8 rebounds a game.

Baylor’s coming off a 65-62 upset loss to Texas Tech earlier this week, but will be looking to bounce back. A stat to keep an eye on is the turnover margin. The Bears are forcing 18 turnovers a game, while just giving it up 13 times. The Cowboys turned the ball over 15 times against Tech on Thursday night.

“It’s not being a tough team,” Likekele said. “Fifteen turnovers compared to their 12. Even though it’s just a three-turnover difference, that’s a big difference in this league. That’s possessions you’re not getting shots up.”

Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT and will be televised on ESPN.