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Oklahoma State Basketball: Cowboys in prime position for NCAA Tournament Selection

By Andrew Miller

Feb 4, 2017; Morgantown, WV, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys guard Jawun Evans (1) drives past West Virginia Mountaineers guard Jevon Carter (2) during the first half at WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 4, 2017; Morgantown, WV, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys guard Jawun Evans (1) drives past West Virginia Mountaineers guard Jevon Carter (2) during the first half at WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Oklahoma State basketball team faces the no. 6 Baylor Bears on Feb. 8 with the chance to continue their winning streak to six games.

After a huge upset of the no. 18 (no. 7 at the time) West Virginia Mountaineers on Feb. 4 in Morgantown, the Oklahoma State basketball program has a ton of momentum. They have now won five straight games, and four straight in the Big 12.

OK State was able to pull away from the Mountaineers on Saturday to seal an 82-75 victory. That marks the biggest victory of head coach Brad Underwood’s tenure with the Cowboys. Moreover, it is the biggest win on OK State’s resume for an NCAA Tournament selection come March.

Star sophomore point guard Jawun Evans fueled the Cowboys’ run over the last five games. He scored in double figures four of the last five games, including 18 points against WVU. Evans now averages 18.3 points per game, 5.4 assists, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.0 steals. OK State needs Evans to continue his solid performance to finish out the Big 12 slate all the way into March Madness.

The Cowboys now have quality wins over quite a few teams. Out of conference victories against the Wichita State Shockers, Arkansas Razorbacks, Georgetown Hoyas, and UConn Huskies, are just the start of the quality victories on the Pokes’ resume. WVU, Texas Tech, and TCU all might be Tournament teams as well, and the Cowboys defeated those teams in three of the five games in their winning streak.

OK State has another chance to defeat one of the best basketball teams in the country as they face the no. 6 Baylor Bears on Feb. 8 at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater. The last time the Cowboys faced the Bears in Waco, they were defeated by a slim margin in a game that could have gone either way.

Underwood leads the Cowboys into their matchup with BU with a 15-8 (4-6 Big 12). The Cowboys are within reach of a .500 record in conference play which seemed like a pipedream just two weeks earlier when the Pokes started Big 12 play losing six straight games.

Next: Oklahoma State Baseball: Cowboys picked to finish second in the Big 12

The entire rotation for the Cowboys was solid through victories against WVU and the Oklahoma Sooners last week. Freshman guard Lindy Waters III earned Big 12 Newcomer of the Week honors while not missing a three-pointer all week. That kind of effort from the entire Cowboy roster is the type of thing OK State needs to continue this winning streak.

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