Three Things to Know Before Oklahoma State Faces BYU

The Cowboys finish their two-game trip to Utah by visiting BYU on Tuesday night. If they want to avoid returning 0-2, they’ll need to work out a few bugs from Saturday.

Here are three things to know before OSU visits BYU.

1. BYU Looks to Break its Own Skid

The Cowboys allowed Utah to end a four-game losing streak on Saturday. Now they’ll face a team eager to break its own three-game skid.

But not all losing streaks are created equal, and Cougars first-year head coach Kevin Young believes his team could just as easily be 3-1 as 1-3 conference play.

After an impressive 20-point in over Arizona State in its conference opener, BYU has dropped the last three to Houston, Texas Tech and TCU. Although they got blown out by Houston (Cowboys can relate), the BYU Cougars lost the other two by nine combined points. They are motivated to get back in the win column, and they’ve got the firepower to do so.

And to add to that, the Cougars perform well at home, where they lead the Big 12 in attendance by a decent margin. They’re 8-1 at home with that one loss coming to Texas Tech last week.

2. OSU Needs to Tighten Things Up

If the Cowboys want to avoid their own losing streak, they’ll need to tighten things up on defense.

OSU now ranks dead last in the league in opponent field-goal percentage at 46.7%. In four Big 12 games, they’ve allowed 49.4%, fresh off Utah shooting 55.6% against the Cowboys last weekend. The bad news is that they’re facing the league’s top offense. Things have been trending in the wrong direction.

Here are the shooting nights teams have put up against OSU in league play:

Despite the Cougars’ slow start, BYU is averaging 80.5 points per game. OSU has averaged just 68.3 points per game in league play. The only time the Cowboys scored more than 62 was the 79 points in a win over Kansas State.

The Cougars also lead the league in 3-pointers made per game (10.4). OSU has allowed double-digit made 3s five times already this season (in 15 games). They only allowed that four times in 32 games all season.

All that adds up to a Cowboy defense that has trended in the wrong direction facing a BYU offense that can put points in bunches.

3. Gotta Limit Richie Saunders

Leading BYU’s attack is third-year guard Richie Saunders.

The 6-foot-5 wing is averaging a career-high 13.9 points per game this season but has turned it on in Big 12 play. In four conference games, Saunders is up to 17.8 points per game and is ranked fifth. Also in Big 12 play, he leads the conference shooting 58.1% from the field and is tied for second, shooting 48% from 3.

Saunders scored a career-high 30 points in the Arizona State win, and he’s coming off a 26-point outing against TCU in which he shot 5-for-7 from 3. He will provide a particularly tough challenge for the Cowboys’ wing defenders.

The Cowboys and Cougars square off at 8 p.m. Tuesday.