Oklahoma State Basketball: Cowboys take care of Texas Tech before last road game
The Oklahoma State basketball team defeated Texas Tech 80-63 before they face Iowa State and Kansas to finish the regular season.
The Oklahoma State basketball team travels to Ames, Iowa, tomorrow to face the Iowa State Cyclones at Hilton Coliseum. It is the Cowboys last road game of the 2016-17 regular season. Tip-off is 8 p.m. CT and you can watch the game on ESPN2.
ISU and OK State are two of the hottest teams in the country right now. The Pokes won five straight and 10 of their last 11. Meanwhile, the Clones won five in a row and six of their last seven, including a victory over no. 3 Kansas.
OK State enters tomorrow’s contest with a 20-9 (9-7 Big) record. They defeated the Texas Tech Red Raiders last weekend by a 17-point margin in Gallagher-Iba Arena. The 80-63 thrashing of TTU gave the Cowboys their first 20 win season since 2014-15.
Head coach Brad Underwood looks to have the Cowboys on track to double their win total from last season, where they finished the season 12-20. Underwood also has a chance to bring home the award for Big 12 Coach of the Year in his first season with OK State.
If the Cowboys defeat ISU and KU to finish the regular season and either Baylor or West Virginia lose their last two games, they can finish in the top four. However, the chances of that happening are slim.
Considering OK State once sat at 0-6 in the Big 12, the fact they are 9-7 right now stands to be nothing but astounding. Yet, they dropped earlier games with ISU and KU this season. Both teams sit in the top three in the Big 12 standings.
ISU’s big three is every bit as impressive as OK State’s. Monte Morris, Naz Mitrou-Long, and Deonte Burton all average at least 14.0 points per game. Moreover, all three grab at least 4.4 rebounds per game and steal the ball at least 1.2 times per game.
Sophomore point guard Jawun Evans draws the matchup against Morris. That is sure to be one of the best matchups at the point of any Big 12 game this season.
Senior forward Leyton Hammonds saw his hot streak cool down quite a bit against TTU. He shot 1-10 from the field, only scoring six points. Hammonds had scored in double figures three of the four games previous, including two games with at least 18 points. OK State needs him to pick up the pace again helping against Burton.
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Stay tuned for tomorrow’s official prediction for the Oklahoma State Cowboys and Iowa State Cyclones on Pokes Post. Both teams are battling for seeding in the Big 12 Tournament and for the NCAA Tournament. Hilton Coliseum is sure to be wild in preparation for the Cowboys.