Roundtable: OSU Basketball’s Start, Mike Boynton and Trae Young

Despite changing coaches and losing their top scorer from 2016, the Cowboys are 10-3 after an impressive 10-2 run through non-league play. The PFB team discussed OSU’s start on Wednesday to gauge Boynton’s early tenure, its chances for winning in Norman and more in this week’s roundtable.

Kyle Boone: Oklahoma State is 10-3 despite being picked to finish last in the Big 12. Do you think they are better than we expected, or do you think they’re simply untested and might trail off as Big 12 play wages on?

Kyle Cox: I think they are better than last place. They may not finish in the top half of the league but there is some talent and I like what Boynton has done in his first year. He’s shown the willingness to change things to fit his personnel and it didn’t take him a 6-game losing streak to figure that out.

Phillip Slavin: They are better than we expected. They’ve certainly been tested. They beat Florida State in a “neutral” site game in Florida, played Wichita State well at home, and led West Virginia for most of the game. Their worst game came against Texas A&M. The team has shown real improvement since that game.

Boone: I think they are slightly better than expected thus far, but I also believe they will trail off towards the bottom of the pack as conference play continues. The Pokes still don’t have a go-to, bonafide scorer a la Jawun Evans in crunch time, and lack of size in the post will likely be an issue moving forward.

Kyle Porter: I think they’re about what I expected, but they’ve done it differently than I thought they would. I picked them to finish 7th in the Big 12 so I had “high” expectations that they’ve mostly met. I thought, however, that they would be better on offense (with Carroll scoring a a ton and Kendall Smith, Zack Dawson and Davon Dillard lighting it up). Instead, they’re a top 50 defensive team thus far, which is pretty impressive considering the pieces.

Nick Welch: If you had told me preseason OSU would go 1-2 in games against Texas A&M, Wichita St, and Florida St., I would’ve been pretty ecstatic given the offseason fiasco. OSU is definitely better than I expected, however, I think we will begin to see OSU struggle when they encounter teams with much more size than West Virginia did (e.g. Texas, Baylor, TCU). Losing Dillard and Dawson was killer in terms of team depth.

Boone: Do you feel Mike Boynton has done A) As expected B) Better than expected or C) Worse than expected since taking over the OSU basketball program?

Cox: I’m going with B because I expected a huge learning curve for Boynton. It’s definitely early but with what he’s had to deal with both on and off the court during his short time, I don’t know that anyone could have expected much more.

Slavin: I’ll go B. Primarily because you can see the team improving since the first game. That’s not just because Carroll came back. Solomon is a solid player. They play legitimate defense. He’s also made smart decisions with Carroll. If he can recruit some good players, I like where the program is headed under him.

Porter: He’s been good. He’s shown a willingness to be fungible with his guys which is both hard to learn and takes a small ego. I’m impressed by that, and I think it bodes well for the future (it’s also very much how Gundy was starting out).

Welch: I would say better than expected. The initial reaction among most fans when the hire was announced was pure shock and disappointment. I think Boynton has done a really good job engaging fans and alumni with not only meeting fans but also online through his Twitter feed. His transparency is noticeable and is becoming a figure on campus students and alumni can rally behind because they understand who is now. His brand of basketball shows guys taking charges, diving for loose balls, and showing passion, yet with discipline – definitely a philosophy cowboy fans can get behind.

Boone: Better than expected. I was one of the only ones who was semi on board with the hire initially, and he’s done much better than I expected. I’m actually excited to see how he develops the program and he’s done a nice job getting talent via the transfer market.

Boone: KenPom has OSU projected to finish 6-12 in league play with a 16-15 overall record. Do you think that win total is too high, too low or just right?

Cox: I think it’s about right. Ending with 16 wins would not be necessarily a bad year, all things considered. I think OSU wins a couple more than that which would be a bonus.

Welch: I think its pretty spot on. To reach that, OSU will have to take care of the “bottom” of the Big 12 (KState and Iowa St) and then steal a couple at home. The league this year is just so brutal.

Slavin: 16 wins is probably right, but I’m really hoping for 7-8 wins in conference. KSU and ISU are both worse than OSU. Baylor and Texas are okay, and the Cowboys are going to win a couple of games they shouldn’t (looking at you TCU). It’s probably right, but the optimist in me says they could win more.

Porter: I think that will be their year-end record.

Boone: I think it’s just a tick too high. I’m not so sure OSU doesn’t free fall down the stretch. 

Boone: Does OSU stand a chance to stop Trae Young and Oklahoma in Norman? 

Cox: Nopers. But these games normally find a way to be at least entertaining.

Welch: No one really has “stopped” Trae Young yet so I don’t expect OSU to be able to do that. I think to beat OU this year, you must neutralize his teammates. Make Young go 1-1 on Shine/Smith every possession and hold McGusty and James in check. The outcome of those match-ups will decide how close this game is.

Slavin: In Norman? No. Maybe in Stillwater, but not in this game.

Boone: A chance, yes. But not a very good one. I think OSU falls and Young goes for something like 35 and 15. 

Porter: Does OKC have a chance to stop Steph Curry in the 2018 NBA Playoffs?