The morning after: Five takeaways from another triple-digit performance for Oklahoma State against New Orleans
Posted: Thursday November 17, 2016 9:30 am
For the third consecutive game (fourth when you include the exhibition), Oklahoma State crossed the 100-point plateau.
The Cowboys did it even earlier Wednesday against New Orleans, with Tyler Underwood hitting 100 with 7:56 to play.
Now, the real fun begins: The Maui Invitational will pit OSU against Connecticut on Monday, with the potential for a date with No. 5 North Carolina on Tuesday.
Five takeaways from OSU’s final game in Gallagher-Iba Arena for two weeks:
The efficiency was off the charts
Oklahoma State spent Tuesday’s practice hammering away at its defense. And it was better Wednesday, though coach Brad Underwood said the team still was not great in transition defense.
But the offense … man, it was going good in the first half.
Oklahoma State had only two first-half turnovers and took care of the ball in the second half until Underwood began to play lineups full of freshmen and walk-ons. Even with that time, which led to OSU finishing with 10 turnovers, Oklahoma State’s efficiency numbers were the best of the season.
Let me throw some of them at you:
1.38: The Cowboys’ points per possession (117 points, 85 possessions). That’s their best since the last time they scored 117 — against Mississippi Valley State on Nov. 8, 2013, per KenPom.com.
1.51: OSU’s points per possession in the first half. A number so strong it’s unsustainable.
38: Free-throw attempts. Oklahoma State has 108 attempts in its first three games — an average of 36 per game. Last year’s team got to the free-throw line 30 times or more twice. This team has done it in all three games.
Jeffrey Carroll continues to emerge
Underwood called Jeffrey Carroll one of the best players in the conference to this point in the season.
While it may sound like hyperbole, it also can’t be denied. While Leyton Hammonds posted his second career double-double, Carroll may have been OSU’s best offensive player Wednesday when he was on the floor.
Carroll scored 14 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field and 6-of-7 from the line. With 21 free-throw attempts in three games, he is already nearly halfway to his free-throw attempt total of a year ago (47).
He is also averaging 18.7 points and eight rebounds per game. In 18.3 minutes per game.
I like Carroll in the role Underwood currently has him in — as the first player off the bench, he added some quick production when he came on the floor. Underwood talked after Wednesday’s game about his desire to build a strong bench. It comes from mixing veterans like Carroll with the young players he’ll be required to play.
Equal time
The beauty of two blowout wins in the first three games is Underwood has been able to get every player minutes.
All 15 played Wednesday, but more than that, OSU’s young and unproven players are getting their feet wet before more important games tip off.
In the first three games, the bench has played 44.3 percent of the minutes. That’s the eighth-most of any team in the country thus far (future opponent Wichita State is first).
No player saw more than 21 minutes Wednesday. Eleven players played 10 minutes or more. Freshman point guard Brandon Averette led the team in minutes. Phil Forte and Jawun Evans played 19 apiece.
That won’t be the case in many games going forward, but it needed to happen against New Orleans.
The team responded well
Forte and Hammonds sat at the postgame news conference and were able to have a laugh while thinking about Tuesday’s practice.
It sounded as if the practice was a physical and mental test after OSU allowed 90 points to Central Arkansas on Monday. Underwood said the treadmill came back out and players were sent to it if they were not being vocal.
In the first moment after a disappointing performance, Oklahoma State responded well to Underwood and his staff. There was never a chance the Privateers could make it a game — you could have called it off when the score reached 38-12.
We’ll find out sooner or later how this OSU team responds after a loss — perhaps as soon as next week — but you had to like how the players recognized Wednesday they needed to perform better.
Handicapping OSU’s Maui chances
We’re a long ways away from looking at teams’ at-large resumes and strength of schedules, but Monday’s Maui Invitational opener against Connecticut seems like a sneaky-big game.
The winner faces the victor of North Carolina-Chaminade — so barring something shocking, the Tar Heels. The loser likely plays the Silverswords, the one opponent in the field that is not a resume-building win.
If OSU is to get three big-name opponents out of the Maui trip, it starts with a win over the Huskies, who are 0-2 heading into their game Thursday against Loyola Marymount.
Though UConn has lost in surprising fashion to Wagner and Northeastern to start the season, it will still present an interesting matchup for an untested OSU team. The Huskies have shot the ball poorly, but defend well and play at a pace of 65.5 possessions per game — nearly 20 fewer than OSU’s breakneck pace.
The other side of the bracket features teams rated No. 8 (Wisconsin), No. 10 (Oregon), No. 30 (Georgetown) and No. 114 (Tennessee) by KenPom. So Oklahoma State (rated No. 61) should get a quality opponent in its third game on Wednesday.
Mark Cooper
918-581-8387
mark.cooper@tulsaworld.com
Posted: Thursday November 17, 2016 9:30 am
For the third consecutive game (fourth when you include the exhibition), Oklahoma State crossed the 100-point plateau.
The Cowboys did it even earlier Wednesday against New Orleans, with Tyler Underwood hitting 100 with 7:56 to play.
Now, the real fun begins: The Maui Invitational will pit OSU against Connecticut on Monday, with the potential for a date with No. 5 North Carolina on Tuesday.
Five takeaways from OSU’s final game in Gallagher-Iba Arena for two weeks:
The efficiency was off the charts
Oklahoma State spent Tuesday’s practice hammering away at its defense. And it was better Wednesday, though coach Brad Underwood said the team still was not great in transition defense.
But the offense … man, it was going good in the first half.
Oklahoma State had only two first-half turnovers and took care of the ball in the second half until Underwood began to play lineups full of freshmen and walk-ons. Even with that time, which led to OSU finishing with 10 turnovers, Oklahoma State’s efficiency numbers were the best of the season.
Let me throw some of them at you:
1.38: The Cowboys’ points per possession (117 points, 85 possessions). That’s their best since the last time they scored 117 — against Mississippi Valley State on Nov. 8, 2013, per KenPom.com.
1.51: OSU’s points per possession in the first half. A number so strong it’s unsustainable.
38: Free-throw attempts. Oklahoma State has 108 attempts in its first three games — an average of 36 per game. Last year’s team got to the free-throw line 30 times or more twice. This team has done it in all three games.
Jeffrey Carroll continues to emerge
Underwood called Jeffrey Carroll one of the best players in the conference to this point in the season.
While it may sound like hyperbole, it also can’t be denied. While Leyton Hammonds posted his second career double-double, Carroll may have been OSU’s best offensive player Wednesday when he was on the floor.
Carroll scored 14 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field and 6-of-7 from the line. With 21 free-throw attempts in three games, he is already nearly halfway to his free-throw attempt total of a year ago (47).
He is also averaging 18.7 points and eight rebounds per game. In 18.3 minutes per game.
I like Carroll in the role Underwood currently has him in — as the first player off the bench, he added some quick production when he came on the floor. Underwood talked after Wednesday’s game about his desire to build a strong bench. It comes from mixing veterans like Carroll with the young players he’ll be required to play.
Equal time
The beauty of two blowout wins in the first three games is Underwood has been able to get every player minutes.
All 15 played Wednesday, but more than that, OSU’s young and unproven players are getting their feet wet before more important games tip off.
In the first three games, the bench has played 44.3 percent of the minutes. That’s the eighth-most of any team in the country thus far (future opponent Wichita State is first).
No player saw more than 21 minutes Wednesday. Eleven players played 10 minutes or more. Freshman point guard Brandon Averette led the team in minutes. Phil Forte and Jawun Evans played 19 apiece.
That won’t be the case in many games going forward, but it needed to happen against New Orleans.
The team responded well
Forte and Hammonds sat at the postgame news conference and were able to have a laugh while thinking about Tuesday’s practice.
It sounded as if the practice was a physical and mental test after OSU allowed 90 points to Central Arkansas on Monday. Underwood said the treadmill came back out and players were sent to it if they were not being vocal.
In the first moment after a disappointing performance, Oklahoma State responded well to Underwood and his staff. There was never a chance the Privateers could make it a game — you could have called it off when the score reached 38-12.
We’ll find out sooner or later how this OSU team responds after a loss — perhaps as soon as next week — but you had to like how the players recognized Wednesday they needed to perform better.
Handicapping OSU’s Maui chances
We’re a long ways away from looking at teams’ at-large resumes and strength of schedules, but Monday’s Maui Invitational opener against Connecticut seems like a sneaky-big game.
The winner faces the victor of North Carolina-Chaminade — so barring something shocking, the Tar Heels. The loser likely plays the Silverswords, the one opponent in the field that is not a resume-building win.
If OSU is to get three big-name opponents out of the Maui trip, it starts with a win over the Huskies, who are 0-2 heading into their game Thursday against Loyola Marymount.
Though UConn has lost in surprising fashion to Wagner and Northeastern to start the season, it will still present an interesting matchup for an untested OSU team. The Huskies have shot the ball poorly, but defend well and play at a pace of 65.5 possessions per game — nearly 20 fewer than OSU’s breakneck pace.
The other side of the bracket features teams rated No. 8 (Wisconsin), No. 10 (Oregon), No. 30 (Georgetown) and No. 114 (Tennessee) by KenPom. So Oklahoma State (rated No. 61) should get a quality opponent in its third game on Wednesday.
Mark Cooper
918-581-8387
mark.cooper@tulsaworld.com
