Blowouts Becoming a Problem for Cowboy Basketball
Losses are understandable in a tough conference, but constant blowouts are another story.
Oklahoma State’s season has been one of its worst in recent history. After a rough start and entering Big 12 play only three games above .500, things have never improved.
OSU’s latest loss came at No. 5 Houston with a final score of 79-63. It was also the latest of OSU’s blowout losses throughout the season.
Although OSU had many disappointing nonconference losses, only one was uncompetitive. Meanwhile, OSU has been unable to compete in a number of its Big 12 contests.
With losses of at least 16 points in five Big 12 games, the Cowboys' uncompetitive battles make up half of their conference slate thus far. That includes three games with margins of at least 20 points.
Many of these blowouts are back-and-forth games through the first few minutes. But typically, disaster strikes for the Cowboys in the form of a scoring drought.
OSU’s offense is among the worst in Big 12 play. Ranking 13th in field goal percentage and points per game, OSU can’t get out of its way in most cases.
Those problems are not getting any easier with the news of Bryce Thompson’s right shoulder injury. Considering Thompson, OSU’s second-leading scorer, might not play again this season, getting contributions from others is vital.
OSU received larger outputs than usual from Quion Williams and Jamyron Keller in the win against Kansas State, but those types of contributions were nowhere to be seen against Houston. That is a step up in competition, but OSU’s offensive struggles have translated to defense as well.
The Cowboys, whose strength is supposed to be on defense, allow teams to shoot 50.9% from the floor in conference play, the worst in the Big 12. When the Cowboys’ lack of offensive talent combines with their inability to get stops, winning even two conference games seems like a miracle.
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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.