5 Thoughts on Oklahoma State's First Round Win Over Liberty
The term Cardiac Cowboys has definitely carried over into the NCAA tournament as Oklahoma State found a way to hold on late to beat a tough Liberty team, 69-60. With the win, they’ll face Oregon State in the second round on Sunday.
There’s certainly plenty of storylines to talk about following the game, so let’s dive straight into it.
Cowboys kept turnovers under season average
One of the main storylines this season for the Cowboys have been turnovers. They’ve averaged 15.8 turnovers a game this season, but they were able to overcome that against Liberty and kept it to just 13 turnovers. While that’s not an admirable number, and certainly not a goal to strive for every game, it’s a number the Pokes will live with in the interim. They were also able to force 18 turnovers on the other end, a number nearly double what Liberty averaged on the season. I like the Pokes’ chances with limited turnovers moving forward.
Avery Anderson was a shining star (again)
In a rare under-performing game for superstar Cade Cunningham, sophomore point guard Avery Anderson rose to the occasion once again and led the way for the Pokes. He finished with 21 points on an impressive 8-of-14 shooting from the floor, seven rebounds, four steals and a block to boot. This game marked Anderson’s third 20-plus scoring performance in the last five games and his eighth double digit scoring game in the last nine. Even when, not if, Cade turns it around on Sunday and plays a solid game against Oregon State, if Avery continues to play like this, the Pokes will be absolutely lethal.
Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe helped pick up the slack down low
The freshman out of Ontario, Canada has had some trouble staying out of foul down the stretch of the season. He’s combined for 16 fouls in the last six games, fouling out of two of those games. This time, however, it was sophomore Kalib Boone who was in foul trouble. He picked up three quick ones and played just 12 minutes, finishing with just four points and three rebounds. Moncrieffe was solid down low as he finished with 10 points and nine boards, one shy of a double-double, and two blocks. Oh, and he finished with ZERO fouls, huge for a guy who’s fourth on the team in fouls committed. Moncrieffe will need to continue to stay out of foul trouble moving forward because it (obviously) gets tougher from here.
They found a way to win while struggling from the outside
Certainly not a great 3-point shooting team on the season, but the Pokes were better than what they did tonight. They averaged 34% from beyond the arc on the season but shot a chilly 20% against Liberty. They just couldn’t get anything to fall from outside. Which is a pretty huge testament to their win as Liberty plays a rather staunch pack line defense that keeps teams from scoring in the paint. The Pokes posted 32 of the 69 points in the paint and found 20 from the free throw line.
The Cowboys will face a familiar face in the second round
No, I’m not referring to the time Mike Gundy and Co. traveled up to Corvallis and beat Oregon State rather handily. I’m talking about a basketball face, a former Cowboy to be exact. Maurice Calloo, after being dismissed from the program and transferring to Cleveland State, actually landed at Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, Iowa before transferring to Oregon State. He’s averaged 5.2 points and 2.3 rebounds per game this season for the Beavers.
