Preview: Cincinnati at Oklahoma State
Cincinnati (17-13, 7-12) will close the regular season Saturday afternoon with a road trip to Stillwater to take on the Oklahoma State Cowboys (14-16, 6-13).
Both teams enter the regular season finale looking to gain momentum heading into next week's Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City at T-Mobile Center.
(Photo: Oklahoma State Athletics)
For Cincinnati, Saturday provides an opportunity to show that this team still has fight in them with their NCAA Tournament hopes most likely coming down to whether or not they win the Big 12 Tournament.
Following Wednesday night's loss to Kansas State (54-49), Wes Miller was vocal about the lack of effort and fight that his team showed during a 16-4 second half run by Kansas State that turned a 7-point Cincinnati lead turn into a 5-point deficit over a five-minute span.
"It's unacceptable performance. The effort's unacceptable, the fight's unacceptable," Miller said. "I don't care about missed shots and layups and free throws. That doesn't matter. The effort is unacceptable."
To close the season on a high note, UC will have to win on the road against a team that is 11-3 on their home floor and averaging 76 points per game, compared to 62 points on the road,
That record also includes a win over No. 9 Iowa State on February 25th.
The Cowboys also enter Saturday with plenty of motivation, looking to end a two-game losing streak after squandering back-to-back double-digit leads in road losses at Baylor and UCF.
"It's March in college basketball. You live for this as a competitor," Miller explained Wednesday night. "You work the whole year to be in March. I don't think that I have to motivate competitors to play in March."
Oklahoma State by the numbers:
- Oklahoma State is currently No. 99 in both Kenpom and the NCAA Net Ratings.
- Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 108.1 (No. 156)
- Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 102.0 (No. 77)
- Adjusted Tempo: 71.4 (No. 19)
- Effective FG %: 48.0 (No. 304)
- Defensive Effective FG %: 53.9 (No. 314)
- Defensive Turnover %: 20.7 (No. 30)
- 3P %: 31.4 (No. 299)
- 2P %: 48.5 (No. 284)
- Defensive 2P %: 54.5 (No. 314)
- Defensive Steal %: 12.4 (No. 29)
Players to know:
6'8" Sr F Marchellus Avery (11.6 pts, 4.5 reb, 1.3 ast, 43.1 fg%, 72.7 ft%, 34.4 3p%)
Bearcats fans should be familiar with Avery from his performance inside Fifth Third Arena last season while with UCF. Avery scored 19 points and pulled down seven rebounds, making 4-of-6 from deep. Over the last 12 games, Avery has just one game where he has reached double figures and has seen his minutes decline, but still leads an OSU bench that ranks 12th nationally in points (31.0). His ability to score at all three levels makes him someone that could present match-up problems for UC defensively.
6'10" Sr C Abou Ousmane ( 12.1 pts, 5.3 rbs, 50.4 fg%, 73 ft%, 42.9 3p%)
Ousmane is another player UC fans should be familiar with as he was with Xavier last season and recorded a double-double (10 pts, 11 rbs) in the Crosstown Shootout. Ousmane has two double-doubles this season against West Virginia and Texas Tech, and was a key piece in OSU's upset win over Iowa State, scoring 25 points. Ousmane has reached double figures in 11-of-19 games in Big 12 play.
6'6" Sr G Bryce Thompson ( 12.3 pts , 2.7 reb, 1.8 ast, 43.1 fg% , 81.7 ft%, 33.7 3p%)
The Cowboys' leading scorer, Thompson is an explosive guard that initially began his career at Kansas coming out of high school. A former McDonald's All American, Thompson has five games this season with 20-or-more points, including a season high 25 points against UCF on February 19th.
5'11" Jr G Arturo Dean ( 7.4 pts, 2.9 reb, 3.2 ast, 2.3 stls, 39.9 fg%, 68.3 ft%, 27.3 3p%)
Dean is a primary reason Oklahoma State is second in the league in steals per game (8.9) and turnovers (14.8). The junior guard leads the Big 12 in steals (2.3) after leading the country in steals last season while at Florida International. Dean consistently uses his speed and quickness at both ends of the court and is at his best when in transition.
6'1" Sr G Khalil Brantley ( 6.1 pts, 2.4 reb, 2.2 ast, 40.5 fg%, 75.6 ft% , 31 3p%)
Brantley led LaSalle in scoring the past two seasons prior to transferring to OSU for his final season. A tough combo guard out of the Bronx, Brantley has struggled to find similar success in the Big 12, scoring in double figures just twice while being held scoreless in four games.
6'5" Sr G Brandon Newman ( 6.7 pts, 3.1 reb, 39 fg%, 80.8 ft%, 33.3 3p%)
Newman has been to four straight NCAA tournaments after spending his first three seasons at Purdue and last season at Western Kentucky. Newman is a guy that can do a little bit of everything and is a skilled guard who can shoot, rebound and defend. Newman scored 13 points in OSU's most recent loss to UCF.
6'7" Jr F Robert Jennings ( 5.6 pts, 3.5 reb, 44.8 fg%, 81.4 ft%)
Suffered an injury just 0:16 seconds into the game against UCF. Came back briefly in the second half but finished with just 2 points, which matches his average over the past four games. Jennings spent the past two seasons at Texas Tech and is an explosive athlete that does the majority of his work at the rim and in transition.
6'3" Soph G Jamyron Keller ( 5.4 pts, 2.3 reb, 1.3 ast, 34 fg% , 28.6 3p%, 73 ft%)
Keller is a tough-minded guard who wants to get downhill and score at the rim. The sophomore has the ability to create for others with the ball in his hands but has struggled to create for himself, averaging just 2 points per game over his last six, prior to scoring 11 against UCF.
Final Thoughts:
UC averages just 13.6 fouls (fewest in the Big 12), while OSU scores nearly a quarter of its points on free throws (24.3% is sixth-highest nationally). The Cowboys also lead the Big 12 in free throw rate (14th, 42.4), and rank among the national leaders in makes (12th, 17.6) and attempts (13th, 24.3). Cincinnati has struggled to stay out of foul trouble in their past few road games and will have to find a way to force OSU to score in half court sets. OSU is 2-8 this season when outscored at the free throw line.
UCF out-rebounded Steve Lutz team, 50-26 but were out-scored 25-3 in points off turnovers. Oklahoma State wants to get in transition and tries to create offense by forcing turnovers. Taking care of the ball will have to be a priority Saturday. OSU leads the league in points-in-transition (18.3, which also accounts for 21% of their offensive possessions, per Synergy tracking.
It will be interesting to see how Wes Miller's team responds after having their effort and intensity questioned Wednesday night. UC is currently a 3.5 point favorite with the over/under set at 141.5.