The Oklahoma State Cowboys just pulled off an upset in the semifinals of the 2021 Big 12 tournament by taking out the pre-tournament favorites, Baylor Bears. Will Cade Cunningham and company go all the way and win the conference tourney title this Saturday? Or will the Texas Longhorns prevent getting upset by the Cowboys? Check out our preview of this game below.
Cade Cunningham is the real deal. The Oklahoma State star freshman played like a savvy veteran and guided the Cowboys to a huge 83-74 win over the top-seed Baylor Bears in the semifinals of the Big 12 tournament on Friday. Cunningham scored 28points, grabbed 8 rebounds, and dished out five assists to power Oklahoma State, which also got another fantastic performance from Avery Anderson. After scoring 23 points in the win over the West Virginia Mountaineers on Thursday, Anderson remained hot against the Bears, as he pumped out 25 points. Anderson’s resurgence is crucial for the Cowboys, as he is giving the team another focal point to take away much of the focus from the opponents on Cunningham, thus allowing the latter to operate with more freedom on offense. When the Cowboys defeated Texas on Feb. 6 at home, 75-67, Cunningham exploded for 35 points, while Anderson had 26. Expect the same aggressiveness from those two in the Big 12 Tournament Championship Game.
Oklahoma State is 8-0 against the spread in its last eight games overall.
Texas sustained its torrid form towards the end of the regular season into the Big 12 tournament, as the Longhorns took down the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Thursday, 67-66. Texas made it rain from downtown, hitting 11 3-pointers on 26 attempts. Texas got by despite turning the ball over 20 times while forcing just 13. Matt Coleman led the Longhorns in that game with 19 points, while Jase Febres had 15, all coming from his perfect shooting night from behind the arc. Speaking of Jones, he went off for 28 points on 8-of-17 shooting (3-6 3 PM). Texas is now on a four-game win streak, dating back to its 81-67 road win over the Iowa State Cyclones on Mar. 2. One advantage the Longhorns have coming into Saturday’s title game against Oklahoma State is that they will have the fresher legs as Texas have had a full day of rest by the time it meets the Cowboys. Texas also seems to have the edge in rebounding, as the Longhorns outrebounded Texas in the past two meetings in the regular season.
Texas is 4-0 against the spread in its last four games overall.
