Five Thoughts on OSU’s 74-69 Loss to Texas

BOX SCORE

Oklahoma State fell short once again on Saturday evening in Austin, with the Cowboys falling to the Longhorns 74-69 despite a furious second-half comeback. I had five thoughts from the game. Here we go…

1. Our big man game is regressing by the game

Not that I felt our big men had turned a corner after Bedlam, but our play in the frontcourt has been pitiful and was a problem for most of the game once again. I’ve talked highly of Chris Olivier and campaigned for him to get more playing time due to his offensive contributions, but he was a liability on multiple positions defensively. The Longhorns were able to blow by the big men and weave their way to the rim without hardly any issues, and the rebounding was just a back breaker. Offensive rebounds killed the Pokes in the first half and the trend continued throughout the remainder of the game.

2. Jawun Evans changes the outlook of the game

Tyree Griffin is a serviceable point guard, but Jawun Evans is the guy who truly changes the game. He knows when to push, when to put his head down and drive, and when to dish. Unfortunately, sometimes he’s too good for his own good. He went into the half with six assists, but could have had more if not for some easy misses and gaffes from his teammates.

3. There’s a talent gap between Texas and OSU

If you consider the players on the court and watched the game, there was a huge talent gap between the two teams on the court in Austin. Texas is more athletic and physical than the Pokes. Other than the point guard position, Texas has a considerably higher talent level at every other position. For as much as Ford’s recruiting prowess is touted, that speaks volumes as to either the development or the evaluation in the first place. Maybe that’s to be expected given that Texas is Texas, but

4. OSU is mentally soft around the rim

This has nothing to do with them as people, but their mentality should be to attack the basket and be aggressive around the bucket. For a team that is likely to be the underdog for a large number of games this season, they would do well to be more aggressive from the start. Whether it was guards or even big men, they refused to attack the rim and go up when they caught they ball in the paint. Solomon and Anthony were both guilty on numerous occasions of shying away from contact.

Mitchell Solomon just passed up a layup to kick it to Tavarius Shine in the corner. A layup.

— Mark Cooper (@mark_cooperjr) January 16, 2016

5. More Tavarius Shine

I mentioned this after the Bedlam game, but I’m convinced Shine is a more lethal weapon offensively that deserves more playing time. Jeff Newberry and Jeff Carroll both start over him, and personally I would prefer him over both. Shine may not be a consistent scorer, but when he hits a streak he’s lights out. He had 14 off the bench

Next up: OSU faces Kansas at home on Tuesday at 6:00pm