Oklahoma State basketball overcame an early nine-point deficit in the first half to knock off North Carolina State on Wednesday night in the final of the 2021 Hall of Fall Showcase in Uncasville, Conn. The 74-68 victory against the Wolfpack came one night after an 80-58 Cowboys win against UMass-Lowell in the same arena.
The Cowboys (4-1) held the Wolfpack to just 30.4% shooting from the field in the victory, which was the 76th win in head coach Mike Boynton’s young career.
Oklahoma State basketball knocked off its fourth consecutive ACC opponent since 2016 with its 74-68 win against N.C. State.
It was just the second meeting all-time between the two teams, with the only previous encounter coming in the second round of the 1991 NCAA Tournament — also a Cowboys win. That year’s OSU squad was a No. 3 seed and advanced to the Sweet 16 in Eddie Sutton’s first year as head coach.
Here are three takeaways from last night’s OSU victory against N.C. State:
3. OSU is capable of beating quality teams.
N.C. State is a decent ACC program that, although it’s not a national heavyweight like Duke or UNC, has a couple of first-round draft picks in Sweet 16 appearances within the last decade. The Wolfpack typically reach 20 wins and contend for an NCAA Tournament berth.
The Cowboys needed this confidence booster after dropping their second game of the season to mid-major foe Oakland (Mich.) at home. With this November win against N.C. State at a neutral site, OSU has proven that it can compete against and beat power conference teams with Cade Cunningham now in a Detroit Pistons jersey.
The Cowboys have now defeated four consecutive ACC opponents since November 2016, including wins against Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Florida State.