STILLWATER – It’s an exciting time for Oklahoma State basketball and fans as the Cowboys are preparing to face West Virginia in the opening round of the Big 12 tournament. Tipoff for the game is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. CT and will be televised on ESPN2.
Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship Quarterfinals
[5] 12/14 Oklahoma State (18-7, 11-7) vs. [4] 10/9 West Virginia (18-8, 11-6)
Date: March 11, 2021
Tipoff: 10:30 a.m. CT
Site: T-Mobile Center
Series: WVU leads 10-9 (First postseason meeting)
Last: OSU won 85-80 on March 6 in Morgantown
TV: ESPN/2 (Bob Wischusen, Fran Fraschilla, Holly Rowe)
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network (Dave Hunziker, John Holcomb)
It was a rather uneasy last few months regarding the Pokes’ postseason play, but with Cade Cunningham being tabbed the conference’s Player of the Year, as well as the NCAA using Cunningham in its NCAA tournament promos, it all but secures the Pokes’ postseason hopes.
The Cowboys are fresh off an 85-80 upset of the No. 6 Mountaineers this past weekend, and they did so without the help of both Cade Cunningham and Isaac Likekele.
Sophomore point guard Avery Anderson III led the way with a career-high 31 points.
This will be the third match-up this season between the two teams, the second coming in less than a week. The Pokes were up 19-points over WVU back in January to lose 87-84. So, does a third game pose problems for Boynton and Co.?
“There’s clearly some adjustments that both teams will make, but I think more of the adjustments happen in-game then I think people give credit. These games are so different in many ways and personnel matters and who’s playing well for you. But then you get into the game and some of that stuff gets thrown out the window pretty quick. You’ve just kind of got to adjust to what you see and feel from your guys.”
After a report from CBS Sports, head coach Mike Boynton confirmed both Cunningham and Likekele will be available for the game in the morning.
“We’ll kind of monitor both [Cade Cunningham and Isaac Likekele],” said coach Boynton. “Obviously, Ice is more of a monitor situation because he’s been out for longer, so for him it’s where’s the stamina, which I think will be fine. Then, obviously, finding a rhythm offensively with him back. Cade hasn’t missed much; he missed one game and really, he’s kind of a guy you can plug into any kind of lineup and figure it out. The plan is for both of them to be available and play as much as they can and give us a chance to win and I’m certainly glad to have them back.”
It’s unclear if Likekele will start against the Mountaineers, but Boynton said he’ll make the decision in the morning ahead of the game.
Cunningham currently leads the Big 12 in scoring with 19.7 points per game, a performance which lead the Big 12 coaches to name him the Big 12 Player of the Year, as well as the Freshman of the Year. He also picked up multiple national All-America honors on Tuesday.
As for Likekele, he’s averaging 9.8 points and 6.9 rebounds per game in 18 games this season. His 6.9 rebounds per game leads the Cowboys this season.
Pokes Report will have full coverage of the game on the site.
