Oklahoma State

Inside KenPom's top 20 is Oklahoma State who sits at 19-5 (9-3) with a RPI of 23. The Cowboys have good wins at Kansas and beat NC State on a neutral court. Their worst loss was at Virginia Tech at the beginning of December when the Hokies were still winning games. That win at Kansas? Don't discount that even with KU's recent struggles. Bill Self has less than 10 losses at the Phog since he took over.

Oklahoma State's adjusted offense ranking is 34th and the defense checks in at 16. The Cowboys have an effective FG% of 49.3 (134), a turnover % of 18.1 (63), an offensive rebounding % of 32.9 (139) and get to the line at an above average clip. They also shoot 74.2% from the line which is 33rd best in the nation.

They're a better defensive team than offensive team. They're defensive fg% is 45% (41), their TO% is 22% (78) and ooponents get to the line less than they do. They're very good at eliminating second chance opportunities. They have a defensive rebounding % of 29.4% (78). Opponents shoot only 42.4 inside the arc against them, which is 23rd best.

The best known Cowboys are Freshman PG Marcus Smart and Sophomore swingman Le'Bryan Nash. Smart averages 14.4ppg and gets 4.5 assists pg. He has games where he turns it over way too much and has 77 overallon the season. He's had games with 7 TO's. Nash has 62 TO to 47 assists to go with his 13.3 ppg. Nash has electric talent but is inconsistent. The best player has been JR. G Markel Brown who is scoring 15.8 ppg to go with 4.5RPG and shoots 40% from deep.

Depending on matchup, OSU could sneak into the Sweet 16 but I'll want to see who they match up with. There's plenty of talent here but even at 19-5, you see erratic play through the course of most games. When they play at their best, they'll play with anyone. A win at KU, a 1-pt. loss to the Zags. I have doubts based on the eye test but a strong finish through the Big 12 tournament could change that