Big 12 opener
Conference action begins for Oklahoma State on Friday when the Cowboys host West Virginia for a 6 p.m. tipoff at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
STILLWATER — Jeffrey Carroll played it straight with new teammate and fast friend Kendall Smith, Oklahoma State’s grad transfer point guard.
No soft-sell or sugarcoating the team’s Big 12 opening task coming Friday against No. 7 West Virginia; or Press Virginia, as their frequently called.
“You’ve got to be real with him, honestly,” Carroll said. “I’ve been talking to Kendall, in his ear, talking about (Mountaineers guard) Jevon Carter. I told him Jevon’s probably the best in the country on defense. I just told him what’s coming, not to scare him, but so there’s no surprises come Friday.”
Several Cowboys know what to expect when West Virginia arrives for a 6 p.m. tipoff at Gallagher-Iba Arena, with Carter’s nation-leading 3.7 steals per game and his team’s 20.9 turnovers forced per game clear to see on the stat sheet. And yet the Mountaineers’ brand of attacking defense can still deliver a shock to the system.
So for Smith, playing the point along with sophomore Brandon Averette, the challenge is likely to be intense.
And the challenge is just beginning, in earnest, although OSU’s nonconference schedule did provide some tests.
The Cowboys, 10-2 overall, are 1-2 against current Top 25 teams, losing to No. 5 Texas A&M and No. 8 Wichita State, before beating No. 24 Florida State. A squad that was reconstructed to start the season, moving on from key cogs Jawun Evans, Phil Forte III and Leyton Hammonds, has shown progress through the season’s first five weeks.
“With some new guys coming in and we lost some guys along the way, there was some transition and adjustments that had to take place,” Carroll said. “I like where we are with that.”
OSU carries its own defensive identity, forcing at least 19 turnovers in five of its last six games. Through 12 contests, the Cowboys rank No. 23 nationally with a 22.9 turnover percentage and tied for 28th in turnovers per game (17.0).
Offensively, OSU lacks true offensive firepower, aside from Carroll. Instead, the Cowboys lean on balance, with eight players averaging at least 7.6 points per game. And they lean even more on defense.
“I feel like this team is really believing in the fact that we’ve got to be defensive minded to have the kind of success we want,” said Cowboys coach Mike Boynton. “So I’m really enjoying the fact that they’re bought in, they’re committed to it, they’re talking about it, sometimes even without the influence of coaches.
“If we clean up the offensive end, continue to take care of the ball and play unselfishly, and we get the right guys the shots they need, we’ll be alright on that end of the floor as well.”
The Cowboys were picked for last in the Big 12 in a preseason polling of coaches. Entering conference play, they appear capable of climbing out from that lowly projection, and received votes in the latest Associated Press poll.
Serious tests are upcoming, however, with six league teams ranked among the top 22. And OSU’s round-robin league schedule features two up front: West Virginia, followed by an early Bedlam showdown at No. 12 Oklahoma on Wednesday.
“We’ve got to be really good,” Boynton said. “We’ve got to be focused. And we’ve got to have a mentality of executing at the highest level for what I call an 18-round heavyweight bout in the Big 12.”