Oklahoma State Set to Face Former Cowboy in Big 12 Battle
Oklahoma State will be facing a familiar foe on Saturday, and it needs to slow its former star.
Over the offseason, OSU made numerous changes following its disappointing 12-20 campaign. Along with firing seven-year coach Mike Boynton, the Cowboys saw almost every impact player from the 2023-24 squad exit Stillwater.
With the transfer portal making up the bulk of those departures, OSU was always bound to see some of its former players again. On Saturday, OSU will get its first opportunity to do so in conference play.
Among the players who left the Cowboys over the offseason was the team’s leading scorer, Javon Small. After being the driving force in just about every bright spot for OSU last season, Small entered the portal and committed to West Virginia.
After being a standout at East Carolina and continuing his impressive play in Stillwater, Small is already making a name for himself again in Morgantown. In the Mountaineers’ conference opener at Kansas, Small drew a foul on a jumper in the final seconds and nailed the game-winning free throws to seal an upset win.
This season, Small has blossomed into one of the best players in the entire conference, leading the Big 12 in scoring at 19.2 points per game. With five games of 20+ points in his first 12 tries, Small has established himself as a go-to scorer for West Virginia, something the Cowboys are lacking this season.
While missing out on the development of highly touted freshmen like Brandon Garrison seemed to be the biggest loss, Small has shown his departure is the most crushing for this season. Adding nearly 20 points a night to this OSU team could’ve put the Cowboys into an NCAA Tournament discussion. Instead, Small will have a chance to push his former team into an 0-2 hole in conference play and keep his Mountaineers moving in the right direction.
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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.