Texas Basketball: 3 bold predictions in Big 12 opener vs. OK State

2) Texas basketball bold predictions vs. OK State

Cade Cunningham and Matt Coleman combine for six steals

The matchup on the perimeter that both teams (and fan bases) should be watching in this game will come down to the likes of Oklahoma State’s superstar freshman point guard Cade Cunningham and Coleman.

If the Horned Frogs showed the Longhorns anything, it should be that Cunningham can be contained on the offensive end when the team as a whole is limited in terms of ball movement. TCU suffocated the Oklahoma State ball movement both in transition and on the perimeter, meaning that too much weight was placed on Cunningham’s shoulders to create for the entire offense.

Still facing Cunningham will not be an easy task for the Longhorns. Coleman is likely to draw that matchup on defense.

In seven games played this season for the Pokes (all of which he’s started in), Cunningham averaged 18.6 points per game, 6.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.1 steals, 1.1 blocks, and 3.3 turnovers. He’s shot 45.5 percent from the field, 41.7 percent from beyond the arc, and 81.1 percent from the free-throw line.

Cunningham’s assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.7-3.3 shows that the Longhorns can get him to frequently cough up the ball with a suffocating and attentive perimeter defense. The good news for Coleman and the Longhorns is that’s exactly what they’ve shown they can do to start off this regular season.

Coleman’s defensive numbers to start the season are pretty special. He’s averaging 1.4 steals per game, to go along with a 93 defensive rating, 3.1 defensive box plus/minus rating, and a 2.3 steal percentage.