Five Thoughts on Oklahoma State’s 82-65 Exhibition Loss to Wisconsin

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The Cowboys hit the road for the first time this (pre)season, and it wasn’t super pretty.

Oklahoma State lost to Wisconsin 82-65 to close out the Cowboys’ exhibition schedule. OSU officially opens the year at 8 p.m. Monday against Incarnate Word, but before that here are five thoughts on the exhibition against Wisconsin.

1. Wisconsin Couldn’t Miss from 3, OSU Couldn’t Hit from 3

A look at the 3-point numbers tells you a lot about how this game went.

Oklahoma state shot 5-for-24 (21%) from deep while the Badgers were a scorching 18-for-41 (44%).

The Cowboys were settling for too many triples early, taking 16 3-point attempts while getting to the foul line only six times in the first half. OSU shot 17 3s in the entire Tulsa exhibition.

They put up eight 3-point attempts in the second half — sinking two — while getting to the line 14 times. OSU lost the first half by 14 and the second half by three.

The Cowboys were torched from 3 in their three exhibition games, as New Mexico, Tulsa and Wisconsin combined to go 43-for-100 from deep. Mark that down as an early concern entering the season.

2. Still No Clary, Bogavac; Turnovers Were an Issue

As big of an issue as not hitting 3s was, the Cowboys also turned the rock over on 22 occassions, which turned into 14 Badger points.

OSU also scored 14 points off Wisconsin’s 15 turnovers.

The Cowboys were again without Kanye Clary, who hasn’t played since the first half of the New Mexico scrimmage. Having your lead point guard on the floor would certainly help in not turning the ball over.

And OSU was also without North Carolina transfer guard Luka Bogavac, who didn’t play against Tulsa.

Kashie Natt and forward Latrell Allmond had five turnovers apiece, while center Julius Halaifonua had four. Never ideal when two guys listed at 6-foot-8 or taller combine for nine turnovers.

OSU also had nine assists on 22 made baskets to Wisconsin’s 17 assists on 24 made baskets.

3. Jordan Burks Makes Exhibition Debut

Jordan Burks made his exhibition debut.

A 6-foot-9 UCF transfer, Burks came off the bench and played just 11 minutes. He had two points, three rebounds and a steal in that time while fouling four times and turning the ball over twice.

A rusty debut, sure, but Burks will likely be a big piece to whatever success the Cowboys have this season. So, the fact that he played after sitting out the first two is a good sign.

4. Jacob Walker Continues to be a Pleasant Surprise

Of all of the Cowboys’ transfers, I probably had the least idea about Jacob Walker. But to this point, he looks like quite the find in the transfer portal for Steve Lutz.

Only a sophomore, Walker finished with 12 points, three rebounds and four assists in 30 minutes on the floor. He had just two of those 22 turnovers despite being a guard on the floor for 30 minutes.

Walker was also the only Cowboy to hit multiple 3s, going 2-for-6 from deep.

5. No the Ideal Exhibition Run

How much should we read into exhibition results? I don’t know — I guess we’ll find out.

It was a tough schedule. New Mexico was picked to win the Mountain West. Tulsa is coming off a 30-win year. Wisconsin is a regular dancer from the Big Ten.

Considering this team is filled with newcomers, those are three tough tests. Maybe this tough early slate was just what this team needed to find its warts and work on them. Maybe exhibition basketball won’t mean anything.. But coming out of an exhibition schedule at 1-2 doesn’t exude confidence.