Texas Basketball: 3 takeaways from disheartening upset loss to OK State
1) Takeaways from Texas basketball loss to OK State
Cade Cunningham and Kalib Boone make Pokes a legit Tourney threat
It was something that was pretty hard to believe at the outset of the regular season, but head coach Mike Boynton has his Oklahoma State team playing at the caliber of a top 25 ranked squad in both major polls. If not for the Pokes’ loss to head coach Jamie Dixon and the TCU Horned Frogs earlier in the week, they might be facing a week where they could be ranked well inside the top 25 of the AP Poll and Coaches Poll.
Instead, it wound up being another roller coaster ride of a week for the Pokes. At least they ended it on a high note, from their perspective, with superstar freshman point guard Cade Cunningham and sophomore big man Kalib Boone coming up huge in a much needed spot for them.
In this game, Cunningham played 41 minutes on the floor for the Pokes. And he registered 19 points, eight rebounds, two assists, two steals, one blocks, and a whopping six turnovers. Cunningham shot just 5-of-22 from the field, 3-of-6 from beyond the arc, and 6-of-6 from the free-throw line. Much like Coleman and Ramey did in this game, Cunningham was cold from the field most of the way.
Meanwhile, Boone was one of the best players on the floor in this game for either team. He helped to stave off the big boost that the Longhorns got on the boards from their frontcourt rotation off the bench.
Next. 3 players shining as the losses continue to mount. dark
Boone registered a team-high 22 points, to go along with a game-high 15 rebounds, no assists, one steal, and a whopping five blocks. And he shot an efficient 8-of-14 from the field and 6-of-11 from the free-throw line.
From what we’ve seen from Oklahoma State now, it looks like they are a legit NCAA Tournament contender coming out of a deep Big 12 for the postseason.