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Oklahoma State Basketball: How bad is the Cowboys’ situation

By Andrew Miller

Jan 4, 2017; Austin, TX, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys head coach Brad Underwood reacts against the Texas Longhorns during the second half at the Frank Erwin Center. The Longhorns won 82-79. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 4, 2017; Austin, TX, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys head coach Brad Underwood reacts against the Texas Longhorns during the second half at the Frank Erwin Center. The Longhorns won 82-79. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Oklahoma State basketball team has now lost two in a row following their 82-79 loss to the Texas Longhorns in Austin.

The Oklahoma State basketball team is off to a rough start in Big 12 play. They lost their second consecutive game last night against the Texas Longhorns 82-79. Combining that with the 92-75 thrashing the Pokes took at home against the West Virginia Mountaineers, some fans might be getting uneasy. Moreover, the Pokes got off to a promising start this season with a 10-2 record before conference play started, including wins over UConn, Georgetown, Tulsa, and Wichita State. But the Pokes own a record of 10-4 (0-2 Big 12) after losing two straight.

OK State faces their toughest test of the season in their next game against the no. 2 Baylor Bears on Jan. 7 in Waco. It’s a great opportunity for the Cowboys to get a signature to gain some momentum for the rest of the Big 12 schedule. Yet, the games don’t get any easier as the Pokes travel to Lawrence to face the no. 3 Kansas Jayhawks on Jan. 14.

The Pokes are quickly losing their shot at a NCAA Tournament bid. Head coach Brad Underwood had a good turnaround going for a while. It took a turn for the worst rather quickly.

Senior shooting guard Phil Forte had another bad game against the Horns. He shot 2-12 from the floor with only nine points. Forte’s fortunes looked better over the last few games, scoring in double figures in the three games previous. He averages 13.1 points per game this season, the lowest total since his freshman year.

Sophomore point guard Jawun Evans slowed down after a red-hot start. However, he still put up 19 points and four assists last game. But he did turn the ball over more times than he assisted his own team. It was also the second straight game where Evans turned the ball over five times. If OK State is going to have any chance at competing in the Big 12, it has got to be behind the leadership of Evans.

One of the lone bright spots right now is junior forward Jeffrey Carroll. He put up 24 points and seven rebounds against the Horns. Carroll is second in scoring for the Pokes behind Evans.

Next: Oklahoma State should be the Big 12 favorites in 2017

Only two games into the 18 game Big 12 slate, it’s way too early for OK State fans to start panicking. But the Pokes expected to win at least 10 games in conference this season. Let’s give it a few weeks to see if the Pokes can generate any momentum by getting a big win against either KU and BU.

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