Cowboys Look To Continue Road Success At West Virginia

The Cowboys are on the road in West Virginia searching for the first conference win of the season on Saturday.

Opening Tips:

1. Oklahoma State puts a 2-0 road record to the test on Saturday against a West Virginia team that has won all seven of its home games.
2. The Cowboys have already doubled their true win total from last year (1-9) after knocking off Tulsa and Seton Hall in early December.
3. This is OSU's first visit to WVU Coliseum since 2023, due to the league's unbalanced schedule, and the only meeting between the teams this year.
4. The Cowboys' 70-66 victory last January in Stillwater gave them a 13-12 lead in the all-time series. They're 6-5 in Morgantown.
5. The man who hit the go-ahead shot for OSU in the final minute of that game -- point guard Javon Small -- will suit up Saturday for West Virginia. Likewise, former Mountaineer Patrick Suemnick will make his return to Morgantown as a member of the Cowboys.
6. Suemnick is one of 12 newcomers who have seen action for OSU, while Small is one of 11 new additions who have logged time for WVU.
7. The Cowboys fell 60-47 to 14th-ranked Houston in Monday's Big 12 opener. They led 17-11 midway through the first half but missed 10 straight shots during a 17-1 Cougar run to finish out the period.
8. Brandon Newman scored a team-high 12 points and now needs just nine more to reach 1,000 for his collegiate career. That would make OSU one of only five schools with at least six active 1,000-point scorers, joining Minnesota (7), Ole Miss (7), Alabama (6) and Kentucky (6).
9. New head coach Steve Lutz brings a fast and physical brand of basketball to OSU after successful rebuilds at A&M-Corpus Christi (2021-23) and Western Kentucky (2023-24).
10. Lutz and first-year WVU coach Darian DeVries spent seven years together as assistant coaches on Greg McDermott's Creighton staff (2010-17).
11. A year ago, Lutz's Hilltoppers led the nation in adjusted tempo, per KenPom. His current Cowboys rank 32nd. Playing fast requires a deep roster. Ten regulars average between 11 and 24 minutes. Reserves account for 36.6 points (10th) and 43.1% of the playing time (11th).
12. Fittingly, OSU's most-impactful offensive and defensive performers have come off the bench. Sixth-man Marchelus "Chi Chi" Avery is the team's leading scorer (12.3) and junior point guard Arturo Dean -- the NCAA's career leader in steals per game -- is one of the key's to an OSU defense that ranks among the national leaders in steals (40th, 9.3), takeaways (38th, 15.5) and fastbreak points (35th, 15.1).
13. OSU attempts a Big 12 best 25.6 free throws per game and is No. 12 nationally in makes (19.2).

On this Date: Jan. 4

1. 1965 -- The march to OSU's first ever Big Eight championship began with a 54-52 overtime win at Iowa State. Gary Hassmann's jumper put the Pokes ahead for good, 51-50, with 1:06 remaining. Free throws by Skip Iba and James King (game-high 19 points) helped pad the lead for OSU, which went on to play in the Midwest Regional final.
2. 1969 – Kenneth O'Neal forced a tie-up and a won jump ball with 11 seconds remaining as OSU hung to defeat host Missouri in overtime, 61-60. Neither side led by more than five points. The Cowboys moved in front for good on sophomore Amos Thomas' jumper with 56 seconds left in the extra period. The win was Henry Iba's 800th overall as a head coach at the high school, collegiate and Olympic levels.
3. 1994 – Following a 1-2 finish at the Rainbow Classic in Honolulu that knocked them from the national ranking, the Cowboys took out their frustrations on Prairie View A&M. They led 58-17 at halftime (still a school record for largest halftime margin) and by as many as 71 points down the stretch in an eventual 113-51 victory. Brooks Thompson scored a game-high 25 for OSU. "We got some confidence, hopefully," he told reporters afterward.
4. 2003 – OSU defeated BYU, 78-65, in the first college basketball game ever played at Oklahoma City's Ford Center (now Paycom Center).

Last Time on Cowboy Basketball:

Monday, Dec. 30 in Stillwater | No. 14 Houston 60, OSU 47

1. No. 14 Houston began its Big 12 title defense by handing OSU its first home loss of the season.
2. J'Wan Roberts finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds for UH, the national leader in scoring defense and field goal percentage defense.
3. The Cowboys joined a growing list of Cougar victims, finishing with their lowest shooting percentage (.259) in more than a decade. They made just 14-of-54 attempts (4/19 from deep).
4. Brandon Newman scored a team-high 12 points  for OSU to go with 10 from Robert Jennings.
5. OSU led 17-11 on Patrick Suemnick's putback with 10:26 remaining in the first half, but Houston closed the period on a 17-1 run. During that stretch the Cowboys missed 10 straight shots while committing eight turnovers.
6. The field goal drought hit 12:18 with three more misses to start the second half before Arturo Dean's putback.
7. OSU won the rebounding battle, 39-34, while limiting the visitors to just five offensive boards.

Houston Leftovers:

1. OSU scored a season-low 47 points (more than 30 points below its season average) against a Houston team that currently leads the nation in point prevention and field goal percentage defense.
2. A .259 shooting percentage was OSU's third-lowest of the shot-clock era (1986-Pr.). The Cowboys made just .246 in a Dec. 6, 2014 loss at South Carolina and .231 in the 1999 Big 12 tournament title game against Kansas. Notably, the latter team -- coached by Eddie Sutton -- bounced back four days later to defeat Syracuse in the first round of the NCAA tournament, due in large part to a 44% three-point shooting effort against Jim Boeheim's zone defense.
3. Monday was the Cowboys' worst shooting night at Gallagher-Iba Arena since 1967 when Henry Iba's Pokes made just 16-of-63 baskets in a 67-57 loss to Nebraska.
4. The Cowboys matched their season-low with 15 free throw makes, which -- notably -- is more than what two-thirds (243) of the nation's 354 teams are currently averaging per game.
5. The Cowboys outscored Houston at the foul line, 15-6, continuing what has been a season-long trend. They rank 12th nationally in free throw makes (19.2) and are outproducing opponents in that column by average of nearly seven points per game.
6. OSU outrebounded all six of its December opponents by an average margin of 9.2 per game.
7. On Dec. 22, OSU held Oral Roberts to just 20 total rebounds with help from a dominant performance on the offensive glass. The Cowboys grabbed 17 of a possible 29 chances for their highest percentage (.586) in nearly 18 years.
8. On Monday night, the Cowboys were excellent on the defensive glass against a Houston team that annually ranks among the nation's best at generating second chances. OSU limited the Cougars to just five offensive boards and to their lowest percentage (.152) in the last eight seasons.
9. Chi Chi Avery went 1-for-4 from deep. He's made at least one three-pointer in every game this year. He was 10-for-24 (.417) from deep in six December contests.

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work:

1. Steve Lutz wants players who are willing to put team goals ahead of their own. You won't see many Cowboys on individual Big 12 leaderboards, but the group is putting up some big numbers collectively.
2. Nine Cowboys are average between 16 and 24 minutes per game. Seven of them have taken at least one turn atop the scoring chart.
3. Brandon Newman's 12-point performance against Houston marked the seventh time that a reserve as led or shared high scoring honors.
4. OSU ranks 10th nationally in bench scoring (36.6 points), and reserves have clocked 43.1% of the minutes (11th).
5. OSU reserves have contributed at least 24 points in every game this season and topped 40 points on five different occasions. The Cowboys scored a season-high 57 bench points in their 85-78 win over Southern Illinois on Nov. 14.
6. Chi Chi Avery's 12.3 points per game is the nation's eighth-highest scoring average among players who qualify for NCAA leaderboards but have not yet logged a start this year. He's been among the first group of OSU subs in eight of the 12 contests.

Trending:

1. OSU has not lost consecutive games at any point this year.
2. OSU is 8-0 when holding its opponent under 80 points (0-4 otherwise).
3. OSU is 6-0 when scoring at least 80 points (2-4 otherwise).
4. OSU is 7-1 with a halftime lead (1-3 when trailing). The Cowboys overcame a six-point deficit to defeat Tarleton State (Dec. 18) but let a 39-34 advantage slip against FAU (Nov. 21).
5. OSU is 5-0 when outshooting its opponent from the field (3-4 otherwise).
6. OSU is 5-0 when scoring at least 20 points off turnovers (3-4 otherwise).
7. OSU is 6-1 when forcing at least 15 turnovers (2-3 otherwise).
8. The Cowboys have already doubled their true road victory total from last season (1-9) going 2-0 with victories at Tulsa and Seton Hall.
9. OSU will play three of the next four on the road beginning Saturday at WVU.
10. The Cowboys were 0-3 in overtime games in 2023-24 (vs. Notre Dame, Baylor and Oklahoma) and have dropped seven straight going back to the 2021-22 season. Their last OT victory came Feb. 19, 2022 against K-State.

Life in the Fast Lane:

1. OSU has been one of the nation's fastest teams, based on number of possessions. The Cowboys are second in the Big 12 and 32nd nationally in adjusted tempo, per KenPom, just behind Utah.
2. Roughly one in every five Cowboy points come off fastbreaks, per Genius NCAA LiveStats (15.2 out of 76.3 ppg).
3. Using different methodology, Synergy Sports estimates 23.3% of the Cowboys' offensive possessions have come in transition (tops in the Big 12 and 11th nationally) resulting in 21.5 points per game (15th most).
4. Synergy estimates that WVU is allowing just .815 points per transition possession (14th nationally) on roughly 9.9 opportunities per game.
5. Arturo Dean has the nation's 15th highest steal percentage, according to KenPom (5.1%).
6. Against Houston, Dean picked up his lone steal midway through the second half and fed Chi Chi Avery for a transition slam. This season, 17 of Dean's team-high 24 steals have led to OSU points on the opposite end (29 pts).
7. Being a fastbreak threat has its advantages on the defensive glass. The Cowboys have grabbed more than three-quarters of their opponent misses (.751, 26th nationally).

Cowboys on the Leaderboard:

1. OSU junior guard Arturo Dean is the NCAA's active career leader in steals per game (2.79).
2. Dean is currently 10th in total steals (209). Each of the nine players in front of him are seniors.
3. The Dec. 22 ORU game marked the third time this season that Dean has collected four-or-more steals. He's done it 24 times in 75 career games.
4. Arkansas transfer Davonte "Devo" Davis, likewise, ranks among the NCAA's active career leaders in games played. The Houston contest was his 144th (tied for 16th).
5. Among players who have enough games to qualify for Big 12 leaderboards, Dean is averaging a league-best 3.7 steals per 40 (19th nationally) and Robert Jennings is fifth in free throw makes per 40 (6.4).

The Series with West Virginia:

1. This will be the only encounter between the two sides in 2024-25. WVU is one of five Big 12 teams that will not appear in Stillwater this season.
2. OSU won the lone meeting last year in GIA (70-66) to take a 13-12 lead in the all-time series.
3. All but one of those games have come since 2012-13 when the Mountaineers joined the BIg 12.
4. OSU has a better record in Morgantown (6-5) than at home (6-6) but last won there during the 2020-21 season. Avery Anderson scored a career-high 31 as the 17th-ranked Cowboys knocked off the sixth-ranked Mountaineers, 85-80 in what was the last series road win for either side. Home teams have taken each of the five regular season meetings.
5. The Cowboys lost by double-digit margins in their 2022 and 2023 visits to WVU Coliseum and did not play there 2024.

Scouting the Mountaineers:

1. It's a new era in Morgantown. After 16 years with Bob Huggins, West Virginia played the 2023-24 season under interim coach Josh Eilert (finishing 9-23, 4-14) before hiring former Drake coach Darian DeVries last spring.
2. DeVries led a program that had made just one NCAA tournament appearance in the 47 seasons prior to his arrival to bids in three of the last four years. The Bulldogs won at least 20 games in all six of his seasons in Des Moines (2018-24).
3. Per KenPom, West Virginia is one of seven schools that have not gotten a single minute from a returning player this season (DePaul, Iona, IU Indy, Maryland Eastern Shore, Niagara and Tennessee Martin are the others). Of the 11 Mountaineers who have seen action, nine are transfers and two are freshmen.
4. Yet WVU has made a hard reset look easy, jumping out to a 10-2 record with non-conference wins over Gonzaga and Arizona followed by Tuesday's 62-61 upset of No. 7 Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse to open Big 12 play.
5. WVU is receiving votes in both major polls and is 45th in KenPom adjusted efficiency rankings (as of Thursday), including 22nd defensively.
6. The Mountaineers lead the Big 12 and ranks seventh nationally in blocks per game (5.9). They've limited opponents to 63.6 points (26th nationally) on 37.4% shooting (9th) including 28.5% from deep (27th).
7. DeVries son, senior forward Tucker DeVries, has helped ease the transition. The two-time Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year was averaging 14.9 points and 3.25 threes on 47.3% accuracy but has missed the past four games.
8. In his absence, former OSU guard Javon Small has taken on more of the load. He leads the Big 12 in scoring (19.2) and minutes (35.7) while also chipping in 2.3 threes, 4.9 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.9 steals.
9. A pair of sophomore Illinois transfers – 6-8 Amari Hansberry (10.6 ppg, team-best 6.6 rpg) and 6-4 Sencire Harris (5.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg) have been regulars in the starting lineup along with 6-8 UIC transfer Toby Okani (8.8 ppg).
10. 6-11 senior Eduardo Andre – a Fresno State transfer who started his career at Nebraska – is averaging 2.5 swats in just 16.8 minutes off the bench (5.8 per 40).

Matchup Mashup:

1. Steve Lutz and Darian DeVries spent seven years working together as assistant coaches on Greg McDermott's staff at Creighton (2010-17) and helped the program make a successful jump from the MVC to the Big East in 2013.
2. OSU forward Patrick Suemnick appeared in 53 games over two seasons at West Virginia (2022-24). He made six starts last year, including a Jan. 20, 2024 upset of No. 3 Kansas when put up a career-high 20 points with six rebounds.
3. WVU guard Javon Small played for the Cowboys in 2023-24 after two seasons at ECU. He averaged team-highs 15.1 points and 4.1 assists in 33.0 minutes per game and earned Honorable Mention All-Big 12 honors.
4. Small secured a double-double (15 points, career-high 12 rebounds) and made a go-ahead three with 53 seconds left in OSU's 70-66 win over West Virginia (Jan. 27) last January.
5. West Virginia athletic director Wren Baker started his professional career as an operations assistant with the OSU men's basketball program (2001-05) under Eddie Sutton and helped the team to the 2004 Final Four and the 2005 Sweet 16.
6. WVU's first-year Director of Player Personnel/Recruiting Nelson Hernandez spent the 2023-24 season at OSU as the program's Director of Player Development.

A Cowboy win would...

1. Make them 3-0 in true road games (compared to 1-9 last season).
2. Be just their second 3-0 road start in the past 20 seasons. Cade Cunningham and the 2020-21 Cowboys opened with victories over UT Arlington, Marquette and Wichita State while mostly performing in front cardboard cutouts.
3. Even their Big 12 record at 1-1.
4. Snap a six-game conference slide going back to last season.
5. Be their sixth win in eight tries against WVU going back to 2021 and increase their all-time series lead to 14-12 (14-11 Big 12 era).
6. Make them 7-5 in Morgantown.
7. Make Steve Lutz 1-0 against Darian DeVries.

Up Next: Kansas State

Tuesday, Jan. 7 | 7 p.m. CT | ESPN+

1. The Cowboys return home Tuesday night to take on the Kansas State Wildcats at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Purchase seats at okstate.com/tickets.
2. The teams split last year's series with each holding serve at home. The Cowboys let a 10-point second half lead slip away in their 70-66 loss in Manhattan (Jan. 20, 2024) but bounced back two weeks later for a 75-72 win (Feb. 3, 2024). OSU used a 12-0 run to move in front late in the first half and shot 59% after halftime.
3. K-State (7-5, 1-0 heading into Saturday game at TCU) dropped its last three non-conference games to St. John's, Drake and Wichita State but opened Big 12 play with a 70-67 upset of 16th-ranked Cincinnati.