BEAR IN MIND
Five things to know about Cowboys entering Big 12 opener
OSU VS. NO. 18 BAYLOR
TIPOFF: 2 p.m. Saturday at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater (ESPN+)
STILLWATER — Ready to put an uneven non-conference season in the rearview mirror, the Oklahoma State men’s basketball team is set to embark on a challenging run through Big 12 Conference play.
The conference entered the week with six of its 14 teams ranked in the top 25, and the Cowboys (8-5) open with one of them, hosting No. 18 Baylor at 2 p.m. Saturday at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
The Pokes ended non-conference play with a five-game winning streak, their longest of the season. Here’s a look at five things to know about the Cowboys prior to the opening of Big 12 play:
Overcoming early struggles
Things got ugly quick for these Cowboys, opening with a home loss to Abilene Christian. Other concerning losses to St. Bonaventure and Southern Illinois were mixed in with difficult defeats against Notre Dame and Creighton.
But this young OSU roster, which also faced injuries early, seemed to solidify itself since mid-December.
One of the young players showing critical growth has been McDonald’s All-American Brandon Garrison from Del City, who has begun to find his footing on the interior. The 6-foot-11 freshman averaged 4.0 points and 4.0 rebounds over the first five games, but over the last eight, he averaged 6.6 points and 6.8 rebounds.
That included his first career doubledouble with 11 points and 10 rebounds against South Carolina State.
Emphasizing offense
The most unique aspect of this team is its emphasis on offense when the typical Mike Boynton-coached team has focused on defense first.
But with his move to a younger roster, plus the addition of some efficient scorers from the transfer portal, this team is better designed for the offensive end.
Only twice under Boynton have the Cowboys averaged more than 69 points a game — in his first season of 2018 and in the 2021 season when he had Cade Cunningham. This squad is averaging 75.4 points per game.
But the defense has remained in a similar range to previous teams, giving up 66.0 points per game — though that number seems destined to rise against the talented teams of the Big 12.
Small coming up big
Clearly the biggest addition to this Cowboy team has been Small — Javon Small.
The 6-foot-3 point guard leads the team in minutes played (31.3) and points per game (15.2), while shooting 44.7% from the floor. His 3-point percentage of 43.8 is best on the team among players with more than 17 attempts.
Small has almost exactly a 2-to-1 assist-turnover ratio with 59 assists and 29 turnovers and he’s averaging 5.1 rebounds per game.
He gets to the free throw line more than any other Cowboy, with 50 attempts, and he has hit 88.0% of them on a team that has otherwise struggled at the line, ranking 13th in the Big 12 at 66.4%.
Quion Williams’ emergence
Quion Williams was in a unique situation as the only scholarship freshman on the roster last year, surrounded by veteran players, which led to a unique developmental path.
A product of Jonesboro, Arkansas, Williams has become a mainstay on the court in his sophomore season. Only Small is averaging more than Williams’ 30.5 minutes per game. He leads the team with 18 steals and is tied for the lead with 6.2 rebounds per game.
Of course, Williams’ defense and energy have never been a question. His offensive arrival has been the biggest development for the 6-foot-5, 220-pound guard.
Williams is averaging 8.1 points and has been efficient in doing so, hitting 56.4% of his field goals. Though he isn’t a regular threat from 3-point range, he has hit eight of his 17 attempts. He’s also second on the team with 34 assists.
Rough road ahead
The new Big 12, with the addition of Houston and BYU in particular, offers few cupcakes, and the Cowboys will get tested out of the gate.
After hosting Baylor on Saturday, the following two weeks include road games at Texas Tech and Iowa State, then a home game against No. 2 Kansas before a visit to Kansas State, which went to the Final Four last March.
And as difficult as that sounds, it’s more indicative of life in the Big 12 than a bad schedule draw for the Cowboys. The remainder of the schedule includes games at Kansas, at Houston, at Texas and home-and-home series with OU and BYU — all teams currently ranked 20th or better.