Five Numbers That Swayed Bedlam in OSU’s Favor

Yo, Bedlam was wack.

Oklahoma State fell behind by as many as 14 points (on two different occassions), before Jawun Evans put the team on his back to lead the Cowboys to a 96-92 win.

Let’s take a look at five key numbers that may have decided Bedlam.

22. That’s how many points Jawun Evans dropped in the second half. It was exactly what the doctor ordered, too. During a late stretch in the final 20 minutes, Evans scored 16-straight to lead the charge all the way back.

“I was just more aggressive in the second half,” Evans said. “I was looking more than I was in the first half. It kind of got me looks that I was looking for when we needed it.”

13,611. The number of OSU fans who filled into Gallagher-Iba Arena on Saturday night. On a Saturday night against a rival, I wouldn’t expect anything less. But the Cowboy faithful brought the heat — all 13,611. The sellout crowd put the clamps down when it needed to close. That’s what a home-court advantage is all about.

36. If this number weren’t higher, it would have been a surefire loss. 36 is the amount of points scored off OSU 3-pointers, who went 12-for-30.

For Oklahoma, the start couldn’t have gone any better. The Sooners shot lights out, finishing 55.4 percent from the floor and 47.6 percent from the field, while adding 20 free throws. Yet somehow, OSU was able to overcome record nights from what felt like every Sooner player to sweep the series. Jeff Carroll and Phil Forte added four 3-pointers a piece to lead the way.

17. Oklahoma State’s defense wasn’t necessarily bad. It was almost a game in which you just chalk it up to a team shooting their brains out on the road with nothing to lose.

As Brad Underwood’s defense is want to do, it forced turnovers — 17 to be exact — to help tilt it back towards OSU’s favor. While OSU struggled to keep pace offensively with OU’s hot night, it used a hot streak from the 3-point line, and 17 turnovers to win the turnover margin and create 23 points off those turnovers. Oh, and having a future pro in Jawun Evans play his best down the stretch helped.

37. The number of bench points Oklahoma got. Dante Buford, Christian James, and Jamuni McNeace all had huge games. The bench alone nailed six 3s in the near upset bid, which played a huge part in why OSU played from behind the entirety of the game. From OSU’s bench: Just 12 points. (Davon Dillard: 7, Lucas N’Guessan: 2, Brandon Averette: 3)

OK, so maybe that number didn’t play the Cowboys’ favor. But what does that say about Brad Underwood and this team? To overcome an overwhelming number from unexpected bench production is huge. You have to win games ugly sometimes, especially in March. This was a huge test and they passed with flying colors. I’m ready to ride into the Big Dance and see what this team can do.