Once Upon A Time In Las Vegas – Wildcard Edition
Oklahoma State Cowboys (9-7) vs. Baylor Bears (11-5)
The 2022-23 NCAA men’s basketball schedule continues on Saturday as Oklahoma State Cowboys travel to take on the Baylor Bears at Ferrell Center in Waco, TX at 6:00 p.m. ET.
The Cowboys will be looking to snap a two-game skid after falling to Kansas State on Tuesday, 65-57. Baylor beat West Virginia on Wednesday, 83-78. These two met twice last season with the road team winning both contests. Baylor is the favorite (-7.5) with the total set at 138.5.
The Oklahoma State Cowboys (9-7, 8-8-0 ATS) held a two point lead heading into the break, but the Wildcats outscored Oklahoma State by 10 in the second half to win 65-57. The loss dropped the Cowboys to 2-3 on the road. The club shot just 22.9% in the second half, including going 2-14 from three-points range.
Kalib Boone had a big game, scoring 23 points on 9-15 shooting. Caleb Ashberry was the only other player to score in double-digits, chipping in 15 points. The team picked up 42 rebounds, an area where they have been very strong this season, 48th in the country at 35.5 boards per game. They are also 78th in least rebounds allowed per game at 29.3, however, the team did allow 42 to Kansas State.
Final.#GoPokes | @MidFirst pic.twitter.com/GKdBGaUj5T
— OSU Cowboy Basketball (@OSUMBB) January 11, 2023
Oklahoma State is an outstanding defensive team, 25th in points allowed per game (61.8) and are holding opponents to 36.4% shooting from the field, third best in the country. That is important as this is not a great shooting team, 263rd in points per game (68.6) and 238th in field goal percentage (43.6%).