Five Thoughts on Oklahoma State’s 88-69 Loss to Texas A&M

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The Cowboys had their first big test of the season on Thursday night, and it certainly didn’t go outstandingly.

Oklahoma State lost to Texas A&M 88-69 in College Station. Here are five thoughts on the game.

1. 3-Point Disparity

The Cowboys again found themselves opposite a team who seemingly couldn’t miss from 3-point range. Meanwhile, the Cowboys couldn’t keep up.

Texas A&M shot 48% from 3 on Thursday night, going 12-for-25 from long range.

It’s early, but the Cowboys had been a better 3-point shooting team this season than in previous seasons. They attempted a ton against the Aggies, but ended up going just 6-for-30 (20%).

I think OSU will shoot a better percentage in most of its games. What I’m more worried about is this continuing a bit of a trend from the Cowboys’ exhibition schedule of teams going nuclear from 3 against the Pokes. New Mexico went 9-for-21 (43%), Tulsa went 16-for-38 (42%) and Wisconsin went 18-for-41 (44%).

It takes skill from the opposing team to hit those 3s, but it’s not feeling super coincidental at this point that it keeps happening to the Cowboys.

2. Both Teams Looked Sped Up

OSU actually won the turnover battle against the high-pressure Bucky Ball, but neither team took all that good of care of the rock.

A&M turned it over 19 times to OSU’s 16 times. The Cowboys did a better job of taking advantage of those takeaways, scoring 26 points off turnovers to the Aggies’ 18.

OSU also did a nice job of cleaning the offensive glass, ripping down 20 offensive boards to A&M’s 11 (helps when you don’t miss), but A&M just about went even on second-chance points despite that gap. OSU had 15 to the Aggies’ 13.

3. Anthony Felesi Looked the Part

A good sign for the Cowboys is one of their freshmen didn’t look afraid of the moment.

Anthony Felesi made his third straight start to start the season, and in OSU’s biggest game thus far, Felesi tied a team-high 14 points on nine shots. But he was much more than his scoring, finishing with eight rebounds (all offensive), three assists, two blocks and two steals.

He’s an athletic anomaly with how bouncy he is, and that athleticism paired with his high motor doesn’t look all that fun to play against.

.@AnthonyFelesi4 steal & slam 💪 https://t.co/vyM6d6kyhA

— OSU Cowboy Basketball (@OSUMBB) November 13, 2026

4. Clary Played Much More

After playing just six minutes against Queens and missing the season-opener, Kanye Clary looked essentially full-go against A&M.

He didn’t start, but in 28 minutes on the floor (second to only Felesi), Clary had 14 points. The only other stats he had were a steal and five turnovers. So, not the most efficient game. But Clary looked like the Cowboys’ only hope from 3 at times. He went 3-for-10, while the rest of the team went 3-for-20.

Clary rattled off an 8-0 run by himself in less than a minute during the second half. That spurt pulled the Cowboys back within single digits with just under 10 minutes to play. OSU would miss its next five shots, being unable to capitalize.

5. First Look at a Tighter Bench?

Through OSU’s first two games, 11 players averaged at least 10 minutes per game. Only eight guys played double-digit minutes on Thursday.

Some of that has to do with the fact that the Cowboys blew out their first two opponents, but Clary, Latrell Allmond and Andrija Grbovic were the only bench players who played at least 10 minutes. Luka Bogavac would’ve probably joined them had he not fouled three times in his nine minutes on the floor.

Again, still incredibly early, but for now, the rotation looks something like the following:

PG: Jacob Walker, Kanye Clary
Wing: Kashie Natt, Anthony Felesi, Andrija Grbovic, Luka Bogavac
PF: Jordan Burks, Latrell Allmond
C: Julius Halafainua