UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Oklahoma State had a chance for a big win. It was right there. It didn’t come.
Had Oklahoma State knocked off Rhode Island on Saturday, it might have been their best win of the season to date. The Cowboys lack a true resume win thus far despite an 11-2 record, while Rhode Island’s play to date suggests they should at least be in the NCAA Tournament discussion if they go 11-5 or 12-4 in the Atlantic 10. But more than that, they would have won a game where their best player and a key complement didn’t play well. And that might make this one a little tougher to swallow.
James Anderson, who is probably the best player no one knows about, fouled out with 10 points in 26 minutes, tying his season low in scoring. He was never really a factor in the game. And while Marshall Moses, their third-leading scorer and leading rebounder, had a double-double with 11 points and 15 rebounds, it was a quiet one and he wasn’t the factor he’s capable of being.
Yet the Cowboys were right there in this game, even leading on a couple of occasions in the second half. They still had chances down the stretch and a chance to send it to overtime in the final seconds.
“It’s amazing we still had a chance, because we rely on those guys so much,” head coach Travis Ford said.
Ford felt the game was lost in the first half, when the Cowboys were especially out-hustled and out-toughed. The Rams had a 17-2 edge in second chance points thanks to 11 offensive rebounds in the opening frame. That set a tone for the entire game, as the Rams ended with a 40-31 rebounding edge, and they got most of the loose balls and 50-50 balls.
“I told our guys, we put ourselves in this position after stinking it up in the first half,” Ford said.
An 11-2 run in the second half gave the Cowboys a 44-41 lead. The game was tight the rest of the way, as the score was tied seven more times before the final buzzer, so the Cowboys had a chance to steal this one. Obi Muonelo got a good look in the final seconds, which the players and Ford said was how they drew it up, but the shot missed. It had Ford looking back earlier in the game and not at the end.
“You can control rebounding, you can control defense, you can control loose balls, you can control how hard you play, you can’t control whether you make or miss shots,” he reflected.
All four reserves who played for the Cowboys are freshmen. They are still trying to establish some depth, which can only help for the way Ford wants to play. That can help explain why this team had its spurts on Saturday, as freshmen are always a little up and down.
“We were playing in spurts and letting a team make runs on us,” said Anderson. “That’s something we got to stop doing. We’ve got to play 40 minutes instead of playing in spurts.”
The Cowboys start Big 12 play after a home date with Coppin State on Tuesday night. They should win that to enter at 12-2. Opportunities for quality wins will certainly be there, as the Big 12 is arguably the best conference as non-conference play around the country largely draws to a close. Four Big 12 teams are in the top 25 in RPI according to CollegeRPI.com, and Texas Tech is also ahead of the Cowboys in that category.
Even so, Saturday will go down as a missed opportunity. Not only was it a chance for a quality win, but also one where their best player and an important complement didn’t play well. That would have made it a better win, to know that they can win when their best players don’t play their best. Not winning the game when they still had a chance in spite of that also likely makes it a little more difficult to swallow.
