5. Oklahoma State
Preseason rank: 8
Media rank: 6
Record: 9-3
I had no idea what to do with Oklahoma State in the preseason, and I still have no clue. After I watched the Cowboys beat Syracuse and then absolutely de-pants Ole Miss in the preseason NIT, I was ready to hop on the bandwagon. The depth Mike Boyton added in the offseason was obviously making a difference. The defense was dominating. The Cowboys were winning despite not shooting the 3 great, which was a strength last year and was sure to get better. Rosy, rosy, rosy. Then Isaac Likekele came down with a mysterious illness and OSU lost three of four.
So here’s what we know: The Cowboys are 8-0 with Likekele’s services and 1-3 without him. He matters. A lot. But what do we make of those four games?
With Likekele on the floor, the Cowboys are plus-34 per 100 possessions, but when he’s off the floor, the team is getting outscored by seven points per 100 possessions, per hooplens.com. Obliviously those numbers are inflated by the schedule. He missed a tough stretch, as OSU played Georgetown, Wichita State, Houston and Minnesota without him. If you take out those four games, the Cowboys were plus-eight per 100 possessions when he went to the bench, which isn’t quite as drastic but still a 26-point difference.
It would be way easier to judge the Cowboys if they played that stretch with Likekele. Instead, this is easily the toughest team to place. I can see the Cowboys finishing anywhere from third to eighth. I’m leaning toward believing, because I think Likekele is their most important player and it looks like he’s going to be fine. But Boyton is still sort of an unproven coach in a league full of proven coaches, and this core did finish ninth last year. Again, I have no idea. Fifth seems like a good hedge.
https://theathletic.com/1505138/202...e-big-12-race-with-conference-play-looming/mp
Preseason rank: 8
Media rank: 6
Record: 9-3
I had no idea what to do with Oklahoma State in the preseason, and I still have no clue. After I watched the Cowboys beat Syracuse and then absolutely de-pants Ole Miss in the preseason NIT, I was ready to hop on the bandwagon. The depth Mike Boyton added in the offseason was obviously making a difference. The defense was dominating. The Cowboys were winning despite not shooting the 3 great, which was a strength last year and was sure to get better. Rosy, rosy, rosy. Then Isaac Likekele came down with a mysterious illness and OSU lost three of four.
So here’s what we know: The Cowboys are 8-0 with Likekele’s services and 1-3 without him. He matters. A lot. But what do we make of those four games?
With Likekele on the floor, the Cowboys are plus-34 per 100 possessions, but when he’s off the floor, the team is getting outscored by seven points per 100 possessions, per hooplens.com. Obliviously those numbers are inflated by the schedule. He missed a tough stretch, as OSU played Georgetown, Wichita State, Houston and Minnesota without him. If you take out those four games, the Cowboys were plus-eight per 100 possessions when he went to the bench, which isn’t quite as drastic but still a 26-point difference.
It would be way easier to judge the Cowboys if they played that stretch with Likekele. Instead, this is easily the toughest team to place. I can see the Cowboys finishing anywhere from third to eighth. I’m leaning toward believing, because I think Likekele is their most important player and it looks like he’s going to be fine. But Boyton is still sort of an unproven coach in a league full of proven coaches, and this core did finish ninth last year. Again, I have no idea. Fifth seems like a good hedge.
https://theathletic.com/1505138/202...e-big-12-race-with-conference-play-looming/mp
