Five Thoughts on Oklahoma State’s 88-85 Win over West Virginia

BOX SCORE

Oklahoma State continued its teeter-totter approach to Big 12 play, bookending a disappointing home loss to Baylor with consecutive historic road wins. On Saturday, the Pokes bested West Virginia in Morgantown for the second year in a row behind clutch performances by several players.

I had a few thoughts. Here they are.

1. Crime Dog’s First Half Set the Tone

Cam McGriff ended a 3-minute OSU scoring drought with his own 12-3 run midway through the first half to give Oklahoma State the lead and much-needed boost. With just over five minutes left until halftime, Crime Dog led all scorers with 14 points — while no player on either team had more than 4.

McGriff went to the break with 16 on 3-of-5 shooting (1 of 1 from 3). He ended the game with 20 points, tying his career high from Lawrence exactly one week ago. He also grabbed nine rebounds, including four offensive boards, had a block and just one turnover while bringing up the ball up several times against the Mountaineers’ patented press.

Crime Dog’s got a All-Big 12 potential in his future.

2. OSU Handled the Press Fairly Well

West Virginia forced OSU into three quick turnovers to start the game, but the Cowboys settled down after that. Their fourth turnover came with 12 and a half minutes left in the first half, and they didn’t give it away again until the 1:40 mark. Tavarius Shine got called for travel that killed what would have been a fast break the other way.

The pressing and trapping Huggins’s defense caused some issues for OSU, but overall the ability for guys like McGriff, Carroll and /covers eyes Lindy Waters to bring the ball up limited the damage.

All in all, the Cowboys ended with just 13 turnovers to West Virginia’s 12, and the points off turnover battle was a 16-18 deficit that you can live with if you’re Mike Boynton celebrating in the visitor’s locker room.

3. Clip and Lindy Came up Clutch

Midway through the first, I was typing up the “Missing: The Big 12’s leading returning scorer” poster. His first made field goal came just five minutes before the half, but Jeffrey Carroll had a nice bounceback game after his slow start. Clip ended with 14 points on nine shots, including a couple of clutch 3s and a runout slam to cap the Cowboy stunner.

And Lindy Waters Chitwood made his long-awaited return. His two huge 3s will be rightly remembered but Waters’s 10-4 burst out of the break led a 6-2 OSU start to the second half that got things going for the Pokes.

Hopefully Waters will continue to affect games. He’s serviceable on defense and can stretch the floor, and OSU is just a better team when he’s rolling.

4. Oklahoma State is a Road Team?

The Cowboys started off 0-5 in true road games but have since rattled off consecutive big-time bullet points for next year’s media guide.

In the last decade only two teams have swept Kansas and West Virginia on the road.

2013 #okstate
2018 #okstate

Amazing.

— Pistols Firing (@pistolsguys) February 10, 2018

And this seems pretty good.

"Oklahoma State trying to do something they've never done, and that's win consecutive road games against top-20 teams." #okstate

— Hunziker Bot (@HunzikerSays) February 10, 2018

Of course, this sets up nicely for OSU fans to have their hearts broken by a visiting Kansas State team on Valentine’s Day.

5. OSU back on the bubble?

This game puts the Cowboys back in the hunt for an NCAA Tournament spot. It’s far from a sure thing — especially if the Cowboys lose on Wednesday night — but Mike Boynton’s group is building itself quite a resume when you start listing the style wins.

With home games against Kansas State, Texas Tech and Kansas and road games at TCU. Texas, and Iowa State, it will be tough sledding. But if the Cowboys can go 3-3 and throw in an inprobable walk-off upset over KU in the finale, who knows what they can earn in the Big 12 Tournament.

Other Notes

• Jevon Carter gave Kendall Smith a man-sized shove after catching one inbounds pass, which was one of the only fouls not called. Mike Boynton lost his mind at the ref. Overall, he kept his cool though.

• Also this.

JOHN: "I'm just going to say this… the Cowboys play well in packed environments."

DAVE: "They do."

JOHN: "So what do you say? Show up for the next one in Stillwater." #okstate

— Hunziker Bot (@HunzikerSays) February 10, 2018

• Beetle Bolden drew his 24th and 25th charge of the season against Oklahoma State Saturday, as pointed out by Fran Franschilla and Rich Hollenberg aptly pointed out. Coming into today, he led the Big 12 (unoffically) and Lindy Waters was No. 2.

• Also, Fran Fraschillla said Mitchell Solomon would start on every Big 12 team except for Texas.

• Kendall Smith just makes clutch plays. With the Cowboys down 6 with 2:48 remaining, Smith pulled them back within a shot with his clutch 3-pointer. Two plays later he set up the Jeffrey Carroll transition 3 that made it a 1-point game with two minutes remaining.  He quietly shared team MVP honors with Crime Dog, with 20 points on 12 shots as well as three rebounds, three assists and just one turnover.

• Color rush! Bring me all the color-on-color uniform matchups. West Virginia has one of my favorite, classic uniform kits — as long as they don’t try to get too cute. The orange road look is solid, the home blues were great.

• In his return of Tavarius Shine’s box score left something to be desired. He went 1 of 6 including 1 of 4 from 3 but his defense was sorely missed during his five-game absence. That shot will come along.

Next up, grab a box of chocolates, a rose and that special someone and head to GIA for a Valentine’s Day matchup against K-State.