Oklahoma State is still trying to find its identity after the Utah trip

It was a tough trip out west for Oklahoma State, as the Pokes lost both games against Utah and BYU by a combined score of 168-131, dropping the Pokes to 9-7 overall on the season and 1-4 in Big 12 play fell behind.

The Pokes’ only conference win came at home against Kansas State (79-66) and was one of the most complete games the Pokes have played all season. Not a perfect game, but enough to get past the Wildcats.

Before the Utah game, the Cowboys had held Houston, West Virginia and Kansas State all to under 70 points, which is saying a lot in the Big 12. Again, not perfect, but usually enough to win a game if you do enough on the offensive end.

But defense in the Big 12 has been something different this season, as the Pokes rank near the bottom of the conference in defense.

“If you look at the defensive numbers in the Big 12, we’re in last place,” Lutz said after BYU. “So we have problems, we have to get better. In the second half I thought we were a lot better, we held them to 39 points. It’s not great, but it’s not terrible either. I thought we could have moved the ball better. Offensively, I think we had 12 assists on 15 baskets made in the second half, which allowed us to score some goals and get our defense up to speed. We didn’t take any shots in the first half; That’s why we play transition defense throughout the second half. That’s up to us, but we have to get better defensively.”

The problem with the BYU game is that they allowed the Cougars to shoot 60% from the floor, 42% from 3-point range and score 46 points in the first half while shooting just 26% from the floor and 33 % shot from 3-point range. scoring range and scored just 26 points in the first half.

They were better in the second half as they started with a 22-2 run, shooting 60% from the floor and 44% from 3-point range. They outscored the Cougars 43-39 in the second half. But when you go into the break 20 points behind, it’s difficult to get back on your feet.

The first half of the game against Utah was pretty similar as the Pokes shot just 23% from the floor and 15% from 3-point range and scored just 26 points while on the other hand they scored 37 points on 47% from distance dues floor with the Utes.

While the second half points weren’t great at 36, the Cowboys shot 44% from the floor and 40% from 3-point range.

If the Cowboys can put together a near-complete game, they are very good. Athletic, fast and good at defense. The problem is that they haven’t figured out how to put two complete halves together, with both sides seemingly lacking identity and confidence for more than 30 minutes of a game.

There are still winnable games coming up for the Pokes, but also the most challenging games against Arizona, Texas Tech x2, Houston, UCF x2, Kansas, Iowa State and Baylor. Therefore, a certain level of confidence and clarity on both sides of the court is essential for the Pokes.