Three Things to Know Before Oklahoma State Faces Utah

The Cowgirls will look to close out their trip through the state of Utah better than they started it.

Oklahoma State will face Utah Tuesday night, just three days after falling in what could be described as a trap game to BYU. The Cowgirls came into that game against a slumping BYU squad ranked No. 20, one game out of the Big 12 lead and having won six of seven just to stumble in Provo. Now, if they’d like to keep a glimmer of a Big 12 hope alive, and hold onto their postseason seeding, they need to rebound in a big way.

Here are three things to think about before the Cowgirls and Utes square off.

1. Shooting Slump: Aberration or Apparition?

The Cowgirls have been a good shooting team all year — with several shooters that can go nuclear at a moment’s notice — but they’ve had a couple rough outings in February, incidentally their only two losses in the month.

OSU was cool for large stretches of the game against BYU but went ice-cold in the second quarter, shooting just 3-for-17. The Cowgirls were able to somewhat salvage it into a 40.4% shooting night. But even when the layups started falling, they were never able to find their range. OSU, which still averages 36.6%, went just 4-of-19 (21.1%) from beyond the arc, but that wasn’t even their worst 3-point outing this month. In the loss at West Virginia, the Cowgirls shot an abysmal 21.2% from the field and went 2-for-23 from deep (8.7%)

A big part of that shooting disparity came down to OSU’s top two scorers simultaneously having off nights. Stailee Heard went just 1-for-6 (16.7%), the worst outing of her career from a percentage standpoint, while Micah Gray went just 3-for-10. The two combined to go 2-for-9 from 3. The only Cowgirl with multiple makes from deep was Anna Gret Asi, who went 2-for-7. In that loss in Morgantown, the trio combined to 2-for-17 from deep.

So, was it just another random, uncharacteristic off night, or will the shooting slump continue to haunt them? I tend to lean toward the former.

2. Look Out for Gianna Kneepkens

Heard might have had an off night opposite BYU’s freshman phenom Delaney Gibb, but she’ll get a chance to bounce back against one of the best scorers in the country.

The Utes’ star guard has not been on a slump of late. She is coming off a 24-point performance in Utah’s win over Arizona State, going 9-for-13 from the field. In the last three games, she’s averaging 24 points per game, shooting 71.4% from the field and 12-of-18 (67%) from 3.

And it’s not just a hot streak. The two-time All-Pac 12 First Teamer leads her new conference shooting 47.2% from 3. In Big 12 games only, she’s cranked that up to making 51.1% of her deep balls. The Cowgirls need to know where Kneepkens is at all times.

3. It’s Crunch Time

Jacie Hoyt and Co. would like that to be that last hiccup on OSU’s evaporating schedule.

The Cowgirls have just four games to go, and how they finish matters, beyond where they fall in the top-heavy Big 12. They’re playing for Big 12 Championship seeding, which, in turn could allow them to stay alive long enough to further pad their NCAA Tournament resume.

After Saturday’s loss, the Cowgirls dropped from a 7 seed to an 8 based on ESPN’s Bracketology, and from No. 20 in the AP poll to No. 24. OSU is currently No. 28 in the NET rankings, having gone 4-1 in Quad 1 opportunities and with Utah ranked No. 20, this would be another chance to boost that record. OSU finishes up its season with Colorado, Cincinnati and Kansas, so this will be the last really quality opponent before the Big 12 tourney.

Wins matter, the Big 12 race matters, NCAA seeding matters and, maybe more than anything, the proving to yourself that you can bounce back matters. They’ll get the opportunity to do just that in Salt Lake City.

The Cowgirls and Utes tip off at 8 p.m. Tuesday night inside Jon M. Huntsman Center.