Five Thoughts on Oklahoma State’s 92-78 Loss to Arizona

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STILLWATER — The Cowboys were keeping the pace with the high-flying Wildcats for 20 minutes, but as the shootout continued, the gap started to become evident.

Oklahoma State lost to Arizona 92-78 on Tuesday in Gallagher-Iba Arena. The game featured three players score 20+ points, and the teams combined to shoot 20-for-48 (42%) from 3-point range. Here are five thoughts on the game.

1. Not a Great Night on the Defensive End

For much of the night, the Wildcats were shooting 60% from the field before a few late misses dropped that percentage down to a measly 56%.

It was the second-best shooting percentage a team has put up against the Pokes this season, trailing only OSU’s 90-78 loss to Nevada in Charleston when the Wolfpack shot 59%.

Arizona deserves some credit for OSU’s poor defense. The Wildcats shot 40% from 3, which is good no matter the defense. Arizona also took great care of the basketball, turning over the rock just eight times. That’s the fewest amount of turnovers OSU has forced this season. Arturo Dean being in early foul trouble certainly didn’t help the Cowboys in that aspect.

“We’ve gotta be better defensively,” Lutz said. “At the end of the day, if you score 78 points in the Big 12, you should have a chance to win every single game, but you can’t give up 92, especially on your home court.”

2. But One of the Better Offensive Performances This Season

It’s a shame the Cowboys couldn’t get connected defensively because it was some of the better offense the Pokes have played all season.

And because the Cowboys were unable to force as many turnovers as usual, OSU was having to play offense in the halfcourt, something that has been a struggle at times this season.

OSU made 46% of its shots. Entering Tuesday, every game the Pokes shot 43% or better in this season, they won. The Cowboys also outshot the Wildcats from 3. OSU was 10-for-23 (44%) from deep. The Pokes were 4-0 in games they shot better than 40% from deep this season.

It stinks this offensive performance had to come in a game where the Cowboys struggled to get stops, but the optimist will say maybe OSU took a step forward offensively.

“Every time that we did not turn the ball over and we executed what we wanted to, we got the shot that we wanted,” Lutz said. “… At the end of the day, offensively, I felt that we played good enough to win, we just didn’t play good enough defense for 40 minutes.”

3. It Was Close … Until It Wasn’t

The Cowboys led for 10:53 of the first half, going blow for blow in the first 20 minutes with a team that entered the year ranked 10th in the AP Poll.

The Wildcats hit a 3 at the buzzer in the first half before scoring the first five points of the second. With 30 seconds left in the first half, OSU was down 40-39. A little more than a minute into the second half, OSU was down 48-39. It felt like a different game from that point on.

There are no moral victories in a league as brutal of Big 12, but in spurts, the Pokes have proven they can compete in this league. It just hasn’t been that consistent.

“You have to believe in humanity,” Lutz said. “You have to believe in people. You have to believe people with good character. And these guys have good character, so I have to continue to believe that at some point it’s gonna mean enough to them that they’re gonna do it for 40 minutes instead 15, or 18, or 28 because they’ve done a lot of really good things. But they haven’t done it for 40 minutes yet.

“I’ve gotta believe in them, but I’ve also got to make sure that myself as the coach, I’ve gotta get them there. Some how, some way, I’ve gotta get them there. If I shorten the rotation or if I play extended people on the bench, I don’t know, but I’ve gotta figure out something.”

4. Two 2020 McDonald’s All-Americans Do Battle

There were 24 McDonald’s All-Americans in the 2020 recruiting class. Thirteen of those guys are in the NBA right now. Six are still in college basketball, and two of those met on Eddie Sutton Court on Tuesday night.

Bryce Thompson and Caleb Love were both five-star prospects in that class. 247Sports listed Thompson as the No. 20 player in the class, and Love was No. 7. It was the same class that produced Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley, Scottie Barnes and Jalen Green.

Both former McDonald’s All-Americans eclipsed 20 points, but the day belonged to Love. The former North Carolina Tar Heel scored 27, going nuclear in the second half. He poured in 17 in the second half, hitting three of his five 3-point attempts and taking control of the game.

Thompson had 21, the most he has scored since OSU’s season-opening win against Green Bay. Thompson helped the Cowboys keep pace in the first half, where he scored 11 of his points on 5-for-7 shooting.

Of the six 2020 McDonald’s All-Americans who are still in school, all have transferred at least once and all are averaging double-digits this season. So, while their basketball careers might have not taken off as quickly as Cunningham, Mobley or Barnes, they are all still playing basketball at a high level.

5. Brandon Newman Had an Impressive First Half

Another key cog in the Cowboys’ strong start was Brandon Newman.

Newman, who has played under Lutz at Purdue, Western Kentucky and now OSU, scored eight points in the opening 20 minutes, going 3-for-4 from the field and 2-for-3 from 3. He second 3-pointer was super impressive. With the shot clock dwindling, Newman hit a step-back triple from the corner.

*Peter Griffin voice

corrrrrnnnnaaa three

📺: ESPNU pic.twitter.com/A5jGK47i1M

— OSU Cowboy Basketball (@OSUMBB) January 22, 2025

Later in the half, Newman skied in for an offensive rebound (one of three he had in the half) before quickly ripping a pass out to Chi Chi Avery, who hit a 3.

Postgame News Conference