STILLWATER – Youth on this Oklahoma State squad as been a talking point since the start of the season. Mike Boynton brought in two senior transfers in Bryce Williams and Ferron Flavors, but before that, junior guards Isaac Likekele Dee Mitchell were the oldest players after Yor Anei transferred out.
Boynton and Co. had four sophomores return, Avery Anderson III, Chris Harris Jr., and Kalib and Keylan Boone, brought in a sophomore transfer in Bernard Kouma and a whole host of freshmen. Led by the top player in the class, who quickly became on of the best players in the country in Cade Cunningham, he’s joined by Donovan Williams, Rondel Walker and Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe.
Yes, this is an incredibly young squad. In fact, a graphic put out by FOX College Hoops shows the Cowboys are the fourth most-inexperienced team in the NCAA tournament.
However, when you look through the games the Cowboys played this season and their results, it’s pretty evident the guys grew up rather quickly.
“I think we played 16 games that were decided by five points or less, or in overtime,” said head coach Mike Boynton. “We’re 4-0 in overtime games and we won 11 of those 16 games overall. Usually that record is flipped with a young team; if you win five of them and you play that many close games with a young team, you just hope that they learn it for the next year. This team has shown that they can figure it out in these moments and that they understand what it takes, no matter the situation is, to come out successful.”
Looking back through the season, it’s certainly been a fun one to watch. It all started with the exciting road win over a tough Marquette team, then beating two tournament teams in ORU and Wichita State in a row. They beat a tough No. 13 Texas Tech team in overtime on the road in Lubbock, a salty No. 6 Kansas team in Stillwater, one of the best the SEC has to offer in Arkansas. Then the Pokes finished the season knocking off a No. 6 Texas in double-overtime, No. 18 Texas Tech in overtime for the second time, two-straight against OU, ranked No. 7 and No. 16 at time, then back-to-back over WVU, No. 6 and No. 10 at the time and then knocking off No. 2 Baylor in the Big 12 semifinals.
Sure, this is a young team, but as Cade Cunningham said in his Zoom presser on Tuesday afternoon, these Pokes are certainly battle-tested and tournament ready.
“We’re young, but we’re battle-tested and I think that’s what really matters whenever it comes to March Madness because all of these games are going to be battles,” said Cade Cunningham. “Everybody’s going to compete, everybody’s going to give their best shot and seeing that we’ve already taken people’s best shots and been able to persevere through those. As long as we’re going out there and doing what we’re supposed to be doing, playing our game and things like that, then I don’t like age is really going to matter too much. I know we’ve played a bunch of basketball and we’re all excited for this moment.”
Cunningham led the league in scoring this season averaging 20.2 points per game, earning him the Big 12 Freshman and Player of the Year awards. He also posted 6.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.8 blocks per game and became Oklahoma State’s first First Team AP All-American in program history.
Boynton and Co. also had stellar play out of Avery Anderson III, Kalib Boone and Rondel Walker. It was Anderson out of those three who had the better season and should’ve been tabbed the Big 12’s most-improved player. He finished the regular season averaging 11.1 points and 4.0 rebounds per game, including dropping a career-high 31 points in the upset of West Virginia.
So yeah, if you look at the birth year of each player on the score card, you’re going to see a youthful team. However, if you look at who this team beat this season, you’d think you were looking at a veteran-laden team.
