March Madness 2021: 6 biggest takeaways from Round of 64 action

By Matt Melton | Mar 21, 2021

WEST LAFAYETTE, INDIANA - MARCH 19: E.J. Liddell #32 of the Ohio State Buckeyes looks on after losing to the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles in the first round game of the 2021 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Mackey Arena on March 19, 2021 in West Lafayette, Indiana. Oral Roberts defeated Ohio State 75-72. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

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Avery Anderson III Oklahoma State Cowboys (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

Oklahoma State Wins Despite Cunningham Struggles

4-seed Oklahoma State hung on to defeat 13-seed Liberty 69-60 on Friday night in a game where star freshman Cade Cunningham struggled offensively at times.

Cunningham finished the game with 15 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 1 block for the Cowboys. While the star freshman was 7/9 from the free-throw line, Cunningham was 3/14 from the field, 2/8 from three, and committed a team-high 4 turnovers.

Oklahoma State however received a game-high 21 points and 7 rebounds from Avery Anderson III, 9 points and 9 rebounds from Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe, and a 10-6-4 line from Isaac Likekele. The Cowboys also held Liberty to 37.5% shooting from the field, as well as forcing 18 turnovers.

While this wasn’t an overly impressive performance from the Cowboys, a win is a win this time of year no matter how it looks. It was however encouraging that Oklahoma State can win a big game even if Cunningham isn’t playing his best. Expect a bounce-back performance from the star freshman in the Round of 32 matchup against 12-seed Oregon State.

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