Winning on the road in the Big 12 is tough to do, and the Oklahoma State Cowboys find themselves staring at a fourth straight conference loss if they can’t get it done in Austin. The Longhorns will try and extend OSU’s woes by building off an upset win over No. 17 Iowa State their last time out.
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HOW THE OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
Oklahoma State was inches away from upsetting No. 2 Oklahoma on Wednesday in the first installment of Bedlam. But close doesn’t count and the Cowboys dropped their third straight Big 12 game as they continue their search for an identity.
There was one man who spun hope for now and the future in the gut-wrenching loss. Sharing the floor with National Player of the Year candidate Buddy Hield, Oklahoma State’s Jawun Evans seized the stage, attacking the Sooners to score in every way – driving for layups, lofting in floaters, firing in three-pointers, pulling up for jumpers – and added six assists and seven rebounds.
In all Evans tossed in an OSU freshman record 42 points and had one of the special performances of any OSU player in a Bedlam game. And this team needs it, maybe more, if not in the raw numbers, the reliable production.
The Cowboys struggle to score. Yet against an OU team that improved to 14-1 and is on the fast track to the No. 1 ranking when the polls come out next week, Evans scored. And he made it look easy. With senior Phil Forte likely done for the season after playing in just three games, the outburst from Evans was sorely needed.
HOW THE TEXAS LONGHORNS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
In his first season with the Longhorns, coach Shaka Smart has spent plenty of time looking for consistency from his team. There were some nice non-conference wins, like the upset of North Carolina, but the Horns enter play Saturday with three losses in five games. Texas got by No. 17 Iowa State on Tuesday but was upset at TCU in its previous game.
Despite dropping 94 points on the Cyclones in Tuesday’s overtime win, the Longhorns are still searching for an offensive solution with their anchor in the post, Cameron Ridley, out with a fractured foot. There’s no quick remedy on the roster, but one way to boost the offense is to play faster.
Texas isn’t an offensive juggernaut, but the results of a quicker pace were tangible against Iowa State. Isaiah Taylor had his best game with a career-high 28 points with six rebounds and six assists and was a force down the stretch when the Horns needed someone to make plays.
The Longhorns had five players score in double figures and shot the basketball extremely well by their standards, making 48.6 percent of their field goals and draining 13 threes. That success shows just how dangerous they can be when the shots fall.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
Both teams may have found an answer to their offensive concerns the last time out. OSU had a brilliant outing from Evans, who dropped the third-most points by a Cowboy in the last game. However, it wasn’t enough to upset the Sooners and OSU finds itself at the bottom of the Big 12 standings. Texas picked up its pace offensively without Ridley, employing a three-guard lineup led by Taylor, who scored 28 points in an upset of Iowa State. A balanced effort is needed by the Longhorns to offset Ridley’s loss, and it looks like they are figuring out Smart’s game plan. Road wins in the Big 12 don’t come easy, and the Cowboys will find that out once again.
Texas 72, Oklahoma State 66
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Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The matchup between the Oklahoma State Cowboys and Texas Longhorns will go down Saturday, January 16, 2016 at 6 p.m. ET at the Frank Erwin Center. The matchup will be televised live on ESPN2.
