Texas Basketball: Cade Cunningham gives Pokes shot to upset Longhorns
On the afternoon of Feb. 6, No. 6 ranked Texas basketball and head coach Shaka Smart need to get back on the right track as they take on a talented, but inconsistent and young, Oklahoma State Cowboys team. Texas will hit the road to take on head coach Mike Boynton and the Pokes at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater. And this will be the second meeting between these two teams this season.
Back in their first meeting this season, the Longhorns upended Oklahoma State at home at the Frank Erwin Center. That was the de facto Big 12 opener for Smart and the Longhorns back on Dec. 20 at home, since their originally scheduled conference opener was pushed back. That original Big 12 opener was supposed to come against the still undefeated and No. 2 ranked Baylor Bears back on Dec. 13.
Moreover, the Longhorns are not headed in the right direction of late. A myriad of novel coronavirus cases and overall related issues have caused a number of their games to be delayed, and a lot of absences, including their head coach in their loss to the Oklahoma Sooners back on Jan. 26.
Texas’ last game resulted in a tough 14-point loss at the hands of No. 2 ranked Baylor at home at the Erwin Center back on Feb. 2. They come into this meeting with Oklahoma State boasting a record of 11-4 (5-3 Big 12). A win over superstar point guard Cade Cunningham and this Oklahoma State squad could be just what the doctor ordered for Texas this weekend.
But a win over Cunningham and the Pokes definitely won’t come easy for the Longhorns. This Oklahoma State team will be motivated coming into this game, as they underwent a tough loss at the hands of the TCU Horned Frogs by just a few points on the road in Fort Worth earlier this week.
What Cunningham and the Pokes can do vs. Texas basketball
Oklahoma State comes into this game with a similar record to the Pokes, sitting at 11-5 (4-5 Big 12), and teetering on the brink of NCAA Tournament single-digit seed contention. That is as long as the NCAA delays the appeal ruling of the Oklahoma State sanction long enough for them to get into the “Big Dance” in the first place.
Shutting down the standout Pokes backcourt combination of Cunningham and experienced guard Isaac Likekele will largely fall on the backs of senior guard Matt Coleman and junior guard Courtney Ramey. Coleman is still playing well for the Longhorns of late, despite his five turnovers in the loss to Baylor earlier in the week.
Coleman comes into this game averaging 13.1 points per game, 3.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.1 blocks, and 2.1 turnovers. He’s shot an efficient 46.9 percent from the field, 35.9 percent from beyond the arc, and 90.0 percent from the free-throw line.
Meanwhile, Cunningham comes into this game having averaged a Big 12 best 18.3 points per game, 5.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.9 blocks, and a whopping 3.6 turnovers. And he’s shot an efficient 46.0 percent from the field, 39.7 percent from beyond the arc, and 83.6 percent from the free-throw line.
The matchup to watch in this game will definitely fall between Coleman and Cunningham. The former of those two is one of the most versatile and proven guards in the Big 12 this season. And the latter of those two aforementioned standout guards could be the top pick come the 2021 NBA Draft.
Texas and Oklahoma State are set to tip off at 2 p.m. CT in Stillwater. The former of these two teams is an ever so slight two point favorite just ahead of tip off. And the ESPN matchup predictor gives the Longhorns a 62.2 percent chance to win this game at GIA this weekend.