By Dustin Ragusa
After winning four straight games in which Cade Cunningham saw the floor for Oklahoma State, the Cowboys finally picked up a loss this past Wednesday, as they fell to TCU.
The game was tied at 34 after the first 20 minutes, and though the Pokes trailed for most of the second half, they held the lead with only 24 second left to play. However, TCU was able to tie the game and then take the lead with two layups in the final 17 seconds, and the Horned Frogs held on for a 81-78 victory.
After the game, coach Mike Boynton talked about the lack of mental focus from the Cowboys.
"To be honest, this is probably one of the few times I felt disappointed in our mental focus," Boynton said. "And it was like from the start. We didn’t have the urgency that we needed to go on the road and win in this league. And, obviously, part of that is on me as a coach to make sure that our guys understand what’s at stake, what we’re playing for. The guys gotta go out there and play and fight. We didn’t do that from the beginning."
In addition, OSU guard Rondel Walker also spoke about the mental lapses on the defensive end of the floor.
"I feel like we were thinking too much into it and really we were just over playing, over helping, over rotating, over everything," Walker said.
You'll see an example of what Boynton and Walker are talking about in this clip below from early in the game.
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Here’s another example only a couple of possessions later.
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The Pokes had a lot of trouble with Horned Frogs’ pick-and-roll offense for most of the game. In the video below, you’ll see TCU’s Mike Miles split Avery Anderson and Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe and finish inside.
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Next, the pick and roll ends in a dunk for TCU’s Kevin Samuel.
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The Cowboys were allowing too much penetration from the TCU guards, and their help defense was below average for most of the game.
Additionally, when OSU went to a zone defense, things weren't much better. In the following video, you'll see Samuel get behind the Cowboy zone and finish with the dunk.
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TCU was also able to get 15 second-chance points, as the Pokes had some issues at times securing defensive boards. You’ll see an example in the clip below.
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The Cowboys have to refocus and clean up these defensive breakdowns if they want a chance to win at home Saturday against Texas. TCU averages just over 69 points a game and they put up 81 on OSU. If the Pokes come out this weekend like they did against the Horned Frogs, it’s going to be a long day for coach Boynton and company.