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The No. 14 Texas Longhorns remain on the road while looking to stay undefeated in Big 12 play, facing the Oklahoma State Cowboys in Stillwater on Saturday.
Under first-year head coach Chris Beard, the Longhorns are in the midst of a six-game winning streak after taking advantage of two short-handed opponents to start conference play.
At 7-5 overall and 0-1 in the Big 12, Oklahoma State enters Saturday’s game with four losses in the last five games, including defeats by No. 12 Houston and No. 6 Kansas. The best win for head coach Mike Boynton’s team so far this season came against NC State, which is ranked No. 109 in KenPom.com’s adjusted efficiency metric.
Guards Avery Anderson III and Bryce Williams lead the way for the Cowboys offensively — both are averaging over 11 points per game, but also combine for almost six turnovers a game.
Oklahoma State struggles with turnovers overall and only shoots 28.1 percent from three-point range as a team. At the free-throw line, the Cowboys only convert at 66 percent, so there are some major limitations for Boynton’s team.
Playing strong defense is not one of them, however, as Oklahoma State ranks No. 18 in adjusted defensive efficiency by turning opponents over at a high rate and boasting the No. 6 block rate in the country.
But turning Texas over won’t be easy, as the Horns lead the Big 12 and rank 22nd nationally in turnovers per game (10.4).
The Oklahoma State defense will also have to account for surging senior guard Marcus Carr, who is averaging 19.5 points per game in Big 12 play on 52-percent shooting, along with 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists.
The Longhorns have won 20 of the last 32 games against the Cowboys and have a 62-percent win probability on Saturday, according to KenPom.com, with a projected final score of 65-61.
[1/8 update]: Texas junior forward Tre Mitchell is in health and safety protocols and did not travel with the team to Stillwater.
How to Watch:
TV: CBS
Time: 1:00 p.m. Central
Radio: Texassports.com affiliates
Odds: The Longhorns are 3.5-point favorites over the Cowboys, according to DraftKings.
Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.