Big 12 Basketball power rankings: Iowa State, Texas Tech on the rise
By Joey Loose
8. Oklahoma State (7-5, 0-1)
Without Cade Cunningham, this is certainly not the same Cowboys team that won an NCAA Tournament game last season. Still, this is a very good defensive squad under head coach Mike Boynton, getting great production from Avery Anderson, Bryce Williams, and the Boone brothers, among others. Losing your best player to the NBA Draft is never easy, especially when there isn’t the same level of player left on this Cowboys squad.
Oklahoma State hasn’t exactly had a scintillating start to the season. They dropped a home game to Oakland early on before marching to a 6-1 start, mostly against subpar programs. Over the last month, they’ve lost home games to Wichita State, Xavier, and Kansas, though those last two teams are at least nationally ranked. That Jayhawks loss earlier this week was their first Big 12 game, and the 11-point loss at home (16 points from Isaac Likekele) might be a harbinger of things to come in conference play.
Even with that disappointing record, the Cowboys have the talent to pull off some victories in Big 12 play, especially with a defense that ranks among the top 20 in the nation in defensive efficiency. What’s doomed this squad has been an inconsistent offense, especially struggling in recent losses to talented Houston and Kansas teams.
Oklahoma State is a team capable of pulling off some Big 12 wins on good shooting days (when they come) but isn’t looking like a team we should expect to see competing with that top tier of teams in the league.