After more than a week off, Maryland looks to extend their winning streak to four games Sunday when they travel to face Oklahoma State. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
The Cowboys are an experienced team that plays extremely tight defense, and has one of the most talented players in the country in Le'Bryan Nash. The 6'7 senior was a top-10 prospect back in 2011, and averaged between 13.3-14.0 points per game in each of his first three seasons. This year has been a different story, as he's leading the team with 17.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.
Oklahoma State isn't just Nash, however. Phil Forte and Michael Cobbins are both very solid offensive contributors, and their defensive play is among the best in the nation. They're 9-1 this season with dominating wins over Memphis (No. 74 in KenPom) and Tulsa (No. 88), but also sport a 75-49 road loss to South Carolina (No. 40). The Cowboys are ranked No. 18 in KenPom, compared to No. 30 for Maryland.
Oklahoma State is coached by Travis Ford, where he's been since 2008 after stints with Campbellsville, Eastern Kentucky and UMass. They've made two straight NCAA Tournaments and have made four in his six years with the school.
Players to know
Le'Bryan Nash, senior, 6'7. Like we said in the intro, Nash is a one-and-done talent who is now in his fourth year -- not what he expected coming out of high school. In fact, he's the only player from the top 15 of that class still in college (the rest are playing professionally). With the departure of Marcus Smart to the NBA, Nash is finally the primary option for the Cowboys, and has taken advantage of the opportunity. He's an outstanding driver who gets to the free throw line with frequency, and also contributes on the defensive end with his rebounding and shot-blocking.
Phil Forte, junior, 5'11. The guard isn't far off from Nash's scoring total -- he's averaging 17.1 points per game, giving the Cowboys two elite scorers to start things out. While Nash is more of a driving threat, Forte is a shooter , although he's hitting just 33.3% of three pointers this season. Still, he takes enough that he's hit 22 of them -- twice as many as Jeffrey Carroll, the team's second most proficient three-point shooter. He's also a terror on defense, averaging 3.0 steals per game.
Michael Cobbins, senior, 6'8. Cobbins is scoring 8.9 points per game, but he has the highest ORtg on the team. That's because he's shooting a staggering 71.4% from the floor, despite making just 57.1% of his free throws. Cobbins is even more of a threat as a shot-blocker, and he's averaging 2.1 per game. He's tied with Nash as the team's leading rebounder.
Anthony Hickey, senior, 5'11. While Forte is more of a shooting guard, Hickey is the team's best distributor. He's averaging 3.6 assists per game, highest on the team (second highest is Nash, because he does everything). Like Forte, he is also a defensive threat, averaging 2.2 steals per game.
Strengths:
Taking the ball away. Oklahoma State gets a steal on 14.4% of opponent possessions, good for eighth in the country. They've got two of the best in the country in that regard with Forte and Hickey, and could pose problems for a young Maryland backcourt.
Experience. Happen to notice a pattern in those four players up there? They're all upperclassmen, with three more playing roles. Nash is on an absolute terror in his final year, and he leads a talented Cowboys team that could make a Big 12 run.
Weaknesses:
Offensive rebounding. 7'1 junior Anthony Allen and 6'9 freshman Mitchell Solomon are pretty effective on the offensive boards when they're not in foul trouble and Cobbins does his part, but Oklahoma State ranks 274th in the nation in offensive rebounding percentage, bringing in just 27.5% of their missed shots.
Three-point shooting. That's probably not going to last, though. Oklahoma State takes a lot of three-point shots, with good reason -- last year they shot 36.4% from deep. This season they're down to 32.6%, and while that may not seem like much, it makes a significant difference over the number of shots they're taking. Even without Smart, they're probably underperforming, so expect that to level out sooner or later.
Predictions:
KenPom’s prediction: Oklahoma State, 71-65. 74% chance Oklahoma State wins.
My prediction: Oklahoma State, 72-68. If it were in College Park or if Dez Wells was healthy, Maryland would be the pick.