3 Intriguing Numbers From Oklahoma State's Exhibition vs. SMU
Oklahoma State has a new look under its new coach.
On Saturday, OSU took the floor for the first time under Steve Lutz in an exhibition against SMU. The Cowboys won 89-78 and played well against another power conference team.
While the game doesn’t count toward anything, the Cowboys’ win was an encouraging sign. After going 12-20 last season, OSU is hoping its new coach and mostly new roster can make this season different.
Intriguing stats from OSU’s win against SMU:
14 3-pointers
Against SMU, the Cowboys shot 14-of-28 from beyond the arc. While OSU got 28 shots from outside up a few times last season, it only hit 14+ 3-pointers in three games, all in nonconference play.
Although SMU is a nonconference opponent, and this game doesn’t count, showing the ability to knock down outside shots against a power conference team is important. If OSU can play a modern game and consistently hit shots from beyond the arc, it could have a better offense than any season in Mike Boynton’s tenure.
7 turnovers
Along with scoring 89 points and hitting shots from the outside, OSU also took care of the ball. The Cowboys’ offense was fluid and finished the game with only seven turnovers.
OSU also allowed only six points off those turnovers. If the Cowboys can generally take care of the ball and play well defensively after turning it over, they could take a leap this season.
Only two of OSU’s seven turnovers were live-ball turnovers, leading to zero fast break points for SMU. While hanging onto the ball is the goal, dead-ball turnovers are the least costly turnovers.
Bryce Thompson’s 24 points
After missing the final 11 games of the 2023-24 season, Thompson was back on the floor Saturday. In his first action in nearly nine months, Thompson scored 24 points while shooting 9-of-12 from the floor.
Perhaps the most encouraging part of his performance was his outside shooting. While OSU shot well overall, Thompson was the leader in that area, shooting 5-of-5 from 3-point range.
In 18 games last season, Thompson scored in double figures nine times but never scored more than 20. While his five makes from outside tied his season-high from 2023-24, if he can be an efficient scorer for the Cowboys, he could have a positive impact.
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Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.