The Cowboys are looking to steal a game on the road late in the season.
OSU is set to take on Cincinnati on Saturday afternoon in a game that begins the squad’s last away stretch of the season. Oklahoma State is coming off an overtime win against West Virginia and is looking to bring that momentum to the Bearcats’ home court.
Cincinnati is coming off a loss to No. 16 Texas Tech, but isn’t far removed from its upset over the No.14 Jayhawks.
Although it might be too late to save its postseason hopes, Oklahoma State is looking to make a statement and end its regular season as best as possible, which starts with a win on Saturday.
Here are three keys for a Cowboy win over Cincinnati.
1. Make outside shots
In the Poke’s last outing, they had help from outside shooting, as the Cowboys made 43% of their shots taken from beyond the arc. This sharpshooting from the outside was present even without Anthony Roy making a shot from deep.
However, the Cowboys are known to be inconsistent from deep, and to win, OSU must stay on this good shooting streak. Before West Virginia, Oklahoma State was dismantled by Colorado in a game where the Pokes shot 22% from three.
Good things happen when OSU is making shots from deep, and to win against Cincinnati, the Pokes need to have shots from deep fall.
2. Crash the boards
This will be Oklahoma State’s first game without Parsa Fallah to control the frontcourt. This also means that this will be OSU’s first game without its leading rebounder. The Cowboys will need to find a way to fill his absence and fast.
Oklahoma State has struggled with allowing people offensive boards, which get turned in to second chance points. If the Pokes let this issue become relevant in this matchup, it will be a long game for the Cowboys.
3. Play with nothing to lose
The path for OSU to make the postseason looks like it only runs through an automatic bid in the conference tournament, so there is no reason to play it safe anymore. The Pokes need all the momentum they can find before starting the Big 12 Tournament, and this win could mark the Cowboys’ second in a row.
At the end of the day, this game won’t put the Cowboys in the tournament or remove them from it, so they need to play with no fear. They need to run the floor and play their style of game, and if they do that, they might claim another road win on the year.
