The Oklahoma State Cowboys men's basketball team will play postseason basketball. Even though it's not the NCAA Tournament, the Pokes have a chance to salvage their disappointing season in the NIT. To open the National Invitation Tournament, Oklahoma State will host the Wichita State Shockers of the American Athletic Conference.
The hosting Cowboys are coming into this game with a 15-17 overall record and a 7-13 mark in Big 12 Conference play. In the league tournament, OSU got bounced by Cincinnati in embarrassing fashion, 87-68. On the other hand Wichita State comes into this matchup with a 19-14 overall record. The Shockers posted a losing 8-10 record in AAC play and defeated South Florida in the second round.
Unfortunately, their run in the American Conference Tournament came to an end in the Quarterfinals against evetual champion Memphis. Wichita State has been mediocre all year long but did earn a win over the then ranked No.14 Tigers in February. They've alternated wins and losses over their last four games. That trend can be said about the Cowboys but it went on throughout the whole season. OSU's longest winning streak was going 3-0 to begin this season.
How to watch Wichita State vs. Oklahoma State
Date: Tuesday, March 18 Time: 9:00 PM ET Venue: Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Oklahoma How to watch (TV): ESPN2 Stream: fubo TV Oklahoma State Record: 15-17 Witchita State Record: 19-14
Wichita State vs. Oklahoma State odds, spread, and total
Odds provided by FanDuel Sportsbook
Moneyline:
Wichita State: +205 Oklahoma State: -255
Spread:
Wichita State +5.5 (-102) Oklahoma State -5.5 (-120)
Total:
154.5 (over -115/under-105)
Wichita State injury report
TJ Williams, G: Out (redshirt) Zane Meeks, F: Out (knee)
Oklahoma State injury report
N/A
Wichita State and Oklahoma State Series History
Oklahoma State all-time record vs. Wichita State: 32-11
Wichita State vs. Oklahoma State prediction
Coming into this game, the ESPN Analytics Matchup Predictor gives the Cowboys a 70.7% chance to win this ball game. The hosting sqaud in Stillwater averages 72.6 points per game. That is also the exact same amount of points that the opposing Shockers allow. Offensively, the are led by the front-court duo of Abou Ousmane and Marchelus Avery. The two combine for 23.6 points per game.
Oklahoma State also has senior guard Bryce Thompson averaging 12.2 points per contest. Unfortunately, the offensive production dips after their top three scorers. OSU is not a great shooting team as the squad is shooting 42.6 percent from the field and 32.5 percent from beyond the arc. The aforementioned three stars, along with Connor Dow, Oklahoma State has four players shooting at lest 35% from 3.
However, only Avery shoots a decent amount of long-range shots, averaging five 3-pointers per game. When it comes to their offense, Oklahoma State's speciaty is getting to the charity stripe as they rank 17th in free throws per game and 16th in free throw attempts per game. They also force a good amount of turnovers, evidence by their nine steals per contests. But, they also committ lots of turnovers themselves (34th).
Switching to the other side, Wichita State also has a trio of players that take over the scoring load. They have one of the better veteran back-courts in the country with senior guards Justin Hill and Xavier Bell. The duo combines for an average of 25,4 points a night. Junior Saint Peter's transfer Corey Washington also chips in 13,5 point per game.
An advantage that the Shockers have over OSU is their depth scoring. Center Quincy Ballard gives a few hairs under 10 points per game. Harlond Beverly also averages 9.4 points a night. Wichita State is also a slightly better shooting team, as they make 44.7 percent of their field goal attempts. They also struggle from 3, as the collective shoots just 30.5% from beyond the arc.
When it comes to their defense, the Shockers force 11 turnovers per game. They don't allow their opponents to go crazy with their shot making. The team is allowing opponents to shoot 43.3 percent from the field. They also don't allow many 3-point makes, evidence by their opponents shooting 33.3 percent from long range distances. Both these teams almost mirror each other.
For what to expect in this game, you will see a low-scoring battle. Like said earlier, both teams don't shoot well from the field and both teams don't allow opponents to make a high number of shots. It is a concern for Oklahoma State that the visiting Shockers have a couple of more options for scoring. But, that won't be a problem is the Cowboys can defend well.
The Shockers have played four games against power conference teams. That includes a blowout, 19-point home win over Kansas State. However, two of those other games were at a neutral site and their one road contest against a power confernce opponent didn't end well. That was a 19-point loss to lowly DePaul.
Considering that Oklahoma State is hosting and that they have three dependable scorers, should give them the edge. If Arturo Dean, Brandon Newman, and Khalil Brantley can step up and contribute more offensively, the Cowboys will take the victory and move on to the second round of the NIT.