Stat of the Week: Oklahoma State in Its Worst 3-Point Shooting Slump of 2018

Oklahoma State took care of the Eagles of Florida Gulf Coast 80-68 on Tuesday night despite a less-than-stellar offense showing. The Cowboys were able to get stops and paid off a steep disparity in free throw trips to hold on and get the W.

But if they can’t buck their recent trend of poor perimeter shooting, the Cowboys’ NIT run might be short-lived.

OSU suffered through one of the worst shooting performances of the season altogether and, save for Lindy Waters, looked absolutely lost from behind the experimental FIBA-length 3-point line. Waters was a cool 2 for 3 from deep but the rest of the team combined to go just 4 for 19.

As a team the Cowboys started 0 for 7 from behind 3 with the first make coming in second quarter on Cam McGriff’s second (and last) attempt.

But it was apparently not just an issue with that extra 20 inches taped off in white on the maple floor of Eddie Sutton Court. During the Cowboys’ Big 12 Tournament loss to Kansas in the Sprint Center, they had another abysmal showing, going 5 for 22 from beyond the NCAA regulation arc.

Maybe you can blame tired legs for struggles in Kansas City. The Cowboys were on a quick turnaround from doubling the Sooners in rebounds the night before and were attempting to beat the Jayhawks for the second time in five days.

But if we can call two games a slump, the Cowboys are in their worst since November, shooting 11 of 44 from 3 over the last two games. The only worse stretch was when the Pokes went a combined 10 of 52 against Texas A&M and Pitt in the Progressive Legends Classic back in Brooklyn.

If the Cowboys would like to make it back to New York City this postseason, they’ll need to see some more of those 3s start to fall.

For the season, Oklahoma State shot just 34.4 percent from 3, ranking eighth in the Big 12. But on the Cowboys’ recent (and only) win streak of three games, the Pokes shot 42.3 percent.

Let’s take a look at their season 3-point splits including Tuesday night’s opening round NIT win over Florida Gulf Coast.

Shocker — just like every team in America — the Cowboys are at their best when they are making 3s. But they are also attempting nearly seven more 3s per win than in losses. That probably is more a product of rebounding, pace and open looks. But the fact remains, OSU needs to take (and make) 3-pointers to have success.

The Cowboys’ Round 2 opponent, Stanford, comes in ranking just 214th in 3-point defense, allowing teams to shoot 35.4 percent from deep. And with six days off, the Cowboys can’t complain about tired legs. Hopefully that’s enough time to get used to that white stripe.