Oklahoma State Cowboys (6-2) vs #14 Pittsburgh Panthers (8-1)
Not much is expected from Oklahoma State this year. The Big 12 is in a state of flux but no one expects them to rise to the top nor should they sink to the bottom.
Saturday December 10
Madison Square Garden – New York, NY
2:30PM
Moneyline:
Spread: Pittsburgh -6.5
O/U: 135
Oklahoma State
This might be a tournament team, or not, it will likely depend on whether they can get a big win or two somewhere along the way. This is as big a stage as the Cowboys are going to get out of conference this year: A Saturday afternoon game on the East Coast against a top opponent on national television. Don’t blink Pokes.
For the Cowboys to have a chance they have to get a complete game out of Le’Bryan Nash. The fab frosh has a lot of talent but has been getting into foul trouble minimizing his effectiveness. A trip to Big East country, where things are little more rough and tumble, might be just what he needs as he had an NBA body and doesn’t shy away from using it. It is going to be hard for OSU to compete if they don’t play smart though because they are not very big or very deep.[soliloquy id=”82219″]
Pittsburgh
The Panthers seem to have recovered from losing to Long Beach State at home earlier this season. Now they will have to see is they can recover from injuries too, with top assist man and second leading scorer, Tray Woodall, out for a little while. Guard Ashton Gibbs is one of the best scorers in the country but he is more of a catch and shoot guy so with Woodall out he might find it a bit more challenging. Also, the Panthers have played at a faster pace in the early going, can they keep that up with a backup point playing significant minutes?
Even though they are playing more up tempo it might not be a bad idea to emphasize their size and bulk against OSU. They should be able to dominate on the boards and make it tough for the Cowboys to score inside the paint. Some think Pitt is a top team but I don’t really see it. If they are they should have little trouble dispatching the Cowboys unless Keiton Page finds his three point stroke.
Spread Pick: Oklahoma State +6.5
O/U Pick: Over
Score Prediction: Pittsburgh 74 – Oklahoma State 68
