New Oklahoma State Head Coach Steve Lutz and his 8-3 Cowboys will host the Houston Cougars (8-3) in the Big 12 opener on Monday night in Stillwater. The Cowboys coach laughingly commented as he left the stage at the Big 12 Media Day, “Yeah, thanks for giving me Kelvin (Sampson) on December 30th!” Well…December 30th has arrived, and Coach Sampson returns to Gallagher-Iba Arena for the opening of the Big 12 season.

I enjoyed scouting Oklahoma State. They are a slept-on team with a completely revamped roster that will upset some Big 12 opponents in Lutz’s first season. Twelve players are in their first season in Stillwater to go along with returners Bryce Thompson and Jamyron Keller.

My “Head of the Snake” for this game is La Salle transfer Khalil Brantley. He may not be their best player, but he certainly “makes them go” on offense and is a pest on defense. The Bronx product is a crafty finisher in the paint and is an excellent playmaker. Big men Abou Ousmane (Xavier) and Robert Jennings (Texas Tech) transferred in to replace former McDonald’s All-American Brandon Garrison, who left for Kentucky. Neither are as talented as Garrison but are productive additions to the program.

This team plays tough defense, taking chances that force their opponents into turnovers. They love to run a 3/4-court, 1-2-2 trap that has been effective against lesser competition. The Cougars can attack the pressure defense and get open-shot opportunities if they are aggressive. As Kellen Sampson says, “Conference road games are street fights,” and this will be no different. I love the Coogs in this one, but it’s never easy to win on the road.

Oklahoma State Offense Notes

Cowboy Offensive Rankings (Top 50 in Nation)

#6 – Free-Throws Made Per Game: 19.5

#8 – Bench Points Per Game: 37.6

#10 – Free-Throw Attempts Per Game: 26.3

#27 – Fastbreak Points Per Game: 15.73

• They run a lot of 4 out, 1 in dribble-drive motion offense. This spreads the floor to create driving opportunities to score or kick out for open three-point shot attempts.
• OSU loves to push the ball in transition offense. Brantley likes to look for Ousmane on the rim run.
• They are a decent shooting team but prefer to get the ball in the paint. The motto for teams that run the “Dribble-Drive Motion” offense is “We like the three, but we LOVE layups.” That’s Oklahoma State in a nutshell.
• The Cowboys are one of the best teams in the nation at getting to the free-throw line. This is a direct reflection of them getting in the paint and looking to attack the rim.
• They have some fire-power off the bench with Marchelus Avery, Arturo Dean, and Brandon Newman (28ppg between them). They bring offensive energy when they enter the game.

Cowboy Defense Notes

Oklahoma State Defensive Rankings (Top 50 in Nation)

#30 – Steals Per Game: 9.5

#31 – Turnovers Forced Per Game: 15.82

#50 – Turnover Margin: 3.1

• The Cowboys like to play high-pressure HC M2M defense. They like to jump through passing lanes to force deflections and steals. They work REALLY hard on defense.
• OSU may try to run a 1-2-2, 3/4 court trap. They most likely will run following a dead ball and like to run it after a timeout or following a second free-throw attempt.
• If the Cowboys line up in a fullcourt M2M press, it will likely turn into a “run and jump” trap. The closest defender will leave his man when the dribble comes towards him to trap the ball handler.
• OK States likes to “blitz” the ball screen when possible. If UH can whip the ball around quickly enough when they blitz, they can get wide-open looks.

OSU Personnel Report

*#5 – Khalil Brantley – 6’1″ – SR- Guard – (La Salle) – 9ppg, 3rpg, 3apg.

• “Head of the Snake”;
• Highly coveted transfer portal guard;
• VERY much a NYC point guard: Tough, smart, shifty, play-maker;
• Likes to FC pressure on defense;
• Crafty guard in the paint; Makes “jelly” finishes at the rim;
• Doesn’t shoot a ton of three-pointers, but is more than capable.

*#1 – Bryce Thompson – 6’6″ – GR – Guard – (Kansas) – 11ppg, 3rpg.

• Talented guard;
• Missed the UH game last year due to a season-ending injury;
• Capable of making really tough jump shots;
• Good finisher in the paint.

*#14 – Jamyron Keller – 6’3″ – SO – Guard – 6ppg, 2rpg.

• Stocky/strong shooting guard;
• Strong finisher in the paint;
• Outstanding free-throw shooter; 13/15 (87%);
• Decent (Not great) three-point shooter; 7/30 (30%).

*#25 – Robert Jennings II – 6’7″ – JR – Forward – (Texas Tech) – 8ppg, 4rpg.

• Super athletic forward;
• Solid at attacking the rim;
• Wants to get the ball in the paint as much as possible;
• Loves to get to the free-throw line; 33/40 (83%).

*#33 – Abou Ousmane – 6’10” – GR – Forward – (North Texas/Xavier) – 12ppg, 5rpg, 1bpg.

• Big body forward; Super physical;
• Had 8 points, four rebounds, three steals, and two blocks vs UH last season (@ Xavier);
• Nice hook shot over his left shoulder;
• Brantley likes to look for him on the rim run in transition offense;
• Can step out to shoot the three if left unguarded; 5/8 (63%).

#0 – Marchelus Avery – 6’8″ – 5th – Forward – (NW FSU CC/New Mexico State/UCF) 13ppg, 6rpg, 39% 3pt.

• Lengthy forward off the bench; World Traveler;
• Solid three-point shooter; Likes to shoot it as the trail in transition offense;
• Capable of scoring in the post;
• Gets a little loose with the ball when driving.

#6 – Brandon Newman – 6’5″ – GR – Guard – (Purdue/Western Kentucky) – 8ppg, 3rpg.

• Athletic guard off the bench;
• Looks to bring an offensive spark when entering the game;
• Three-level scorer; Really good jump shooter from mid-range and beyond the arc.

#2 – Arturo Dean – 5’11” – JR – Guard – (Florida International) – 7ppg, 3rpg.

• Super quick combo-guard;
• Great court vision;
• Good finisher at the rim, especially with his left hand;
• Capable, but not a great three-point shooter.

#19 – Andrija Vukovic – 6’10” – FR – Forward – 3ppg, 0.3rpg.

• Big body forward;
• Not bad around the rim; Draws a decent amount of fouls;
• Allergic to rebounding at 6’10”.

#4 – Davonte Davis – 6’4″ – 5th – Guard – (Arkansas) – 3ppg, 3rpg.

• LEFTY;
• Big time energy guard off the bench;
• Was a great player at Arkansas…Not sure why he doesn’t play more at OK State;
• Pesky defender with a long wing span.

#24 – Patrick Suemnick – 6’8″ – GR – Forward – (Robert Morris/Triton College/West Virginia) – 3ppg, 2rpg.

• World Traveler;
• Big body forward; Big-time energy guy on a bad WVU team last year; I felt like he was one of the few players on that squad that played hard;
• DNP last game…not sure why.

Keys to Victory

1. Take care of the ball. Oklahoma State thrives on creating turnovers via their pressure defense. Milos and the guards must attack their defense by faking a pass to make a pass, getting the ball in the middle of their zone press, and finding open-shot opportunities. It is difficult to dribble through a zone press.
2. Limit their bench scoring. The Avery, Newman, and Dean trio average 28ppg off the bench. They are looking to bring instant offense. The Coogs will need to take them away and not allow them to bring energy off the bench.
3. Keep the ball out of the paint. The Cowboys strive to get multiple paint touches on every possession. Houston must not only keep them out of the paint but must do so without fouling and giving them free-throw opportunities. They make a living from the free-throw line and love an ugly game.
4. Create extra scoring opportunities. The Coogs could use extra scoring opportunities, especially since it is their first road conference game. They need to create turnovers and own the offensive glass. These have been two major strengths for the Coogs this season, and they should look to capitalize on them Monday night.
5. Slow down their transition offense. The Cowboys would LOVE to run in transition offense and create early shots. The Coogs should look to pressure Brantley and Dean and prevent them from pushing the ball quickly up the floor to create early offense.