Three Things to Know Before Oklahoma State Hosts Texas Tech

The Cowboys came painfully close to a dramatic win at TCU Wednesday night. It was the latest in a string of comeback bids that have come up short as Oklahoma State feels its way through Year 1 under Steve Lutz.

Three weeks ago in Lubbock, the Pokes trailed by as many as 18 before cutting a lead to three in the final five minutes before they succumbed to the Red Raiders. This weekend they host Tech to try to even that season series, and this week the Red Raiders are ranked No. 12 in country.

Let’s take a look at how the two teams have fared since their last meeting and three things to know before they square off on Saturday.

1. Tech is Coming Off a Record Performance

The Red Raiders have been one of the best offenses in the country all year, especially efficient, but they are coming off biggest scoring output in Big 12 history.

Tech dropped 111 points on Arizona State in a double-overtime win. It is the most points ever by the Red Raiders in a Big 12 game and only the second time they’ve scored more than 100 in a Big 12 game, back in 1998.

JT Toppin poured in 41 points and Darrion Williams added 27, while three other Raiders scored in double figures. Tech shot 57.4% from the field and 38.5% from 3. ASU is not exactly a lockdown defensive team, but the Raiders have proven they got the ability to score on just about every team they’ve played.

2. What Worked Last Time?

In the first meeting between these two teams, OSU held Tech just 64 points, 18 below its season average and just three points from its season-low (64 against K-State). Did I mention they scored 111 this week?

Texas Tech ranks ninth in adjusted offensive efficiency, according to KenPom, and it’s easy to see why. The Red Raiders boast the No. 2 scoring offense in the Big 12 and lead the league shooting a raw 48.2% from the field. Tech’s effective field-goal percentage ranks 22nd nationally. And the Raiders’ offense can come from seemingly anywhere.

Tech has three players averaging more than 15 points per game (Chance McMillan, Darrion Williams and JT Toppin) and two more averaging more than nine per outing.

All that being said, the Red Raiders would like to slow things down and grind it out in the halfcourt, something the Cowboys are not the most comfortable with. Tech ranks 265th in tempo, OSU is 39th. That’s how we got the 64-54 decision last time.

3. What Didn’t Work?

In Lubbock, the Cowboys were especially careless with the ball, and the Red Raiders made them pay for it. OSU committed 20 turnovers that led to 20 Tech points. The Cowboys also missed a lot of put-back attempts. How’s this for a stat? OSU had six offensive boards to Tech’s seven but the disparity in second-chance points was 12-1 in the Raiders’ favor. That’s the difference in the game right there.

The good news is that there is at least some hope for a better outcome in both regards.

That last meeting was the first of a two-game stretch in which OSU committed 41 turnovers. They resulted in that loss and an 85-57 whooping at the hands of Kansas State. But in the four games since, the Cowboys have averaged just 12.3 turnovers per outing and are 2-2 including playing No. 5 Houston tough on the road and Wednesday’s last-second loss at TCU.

As far as second-chance points go, OSU has not been more than -3 in that category in either of the past two games and has owned the edge on the offensive glass in both. They did get blanked 16-0 by Houston in second-chance points three games ago. It’s a bit of a cherry-picked stat because some teams are just tough to box out than others, but it at least shows that OSU is not doomed to make those two egregious mistakes on Saturday.

Although there are no moral victories on paper, this team has been playing better of late and cleaning up those turnover issues has been a big part of it. If that can continue, it gives a little hope that they can cool the streaking Raiders when they show up in Stillwater.

The Cowboys and Red Raiders will tip off at 2 p.m. Saturday inside Gallagher-Iba Arena.