Daily Bullets (Jan. 25): Gearing up for Cowboy Baseball OSUs Chances to Win the Rest of the Way1/25/2024
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What a 24 hours the Cowboys have ahead of them. Fifth-ranked Oklahoma State hosts No. 22 Northern Iowa at 7 p.m. Friday before welcoming No. 4 Iowa State at 6 p.m. Saturday in Gallagher-Iba Arena. John Smith met with media Wednesday ahead of the big weekend. Here are storylines that stood out and you can watch the full media availability here. Iowa State Might Be OSU’s ‘Biggest Challenge’The Cowboys have already upset the No. 4 team in the country once before this season, but Smith still believes Iowa State will be their “biggest challenge” of the season come Saturday. OSU upset then-No. 4 NC State 22-12 on Jan. 5 in Raleigh and catapulted into the top-5 of the next rankings. Just ahead of the Cowboys in the rankings since has been the Cyclones, who are 9-1 with a lone 18-14 loss to No. 3 Iowa. The Cowboys still have Iowa ahead for themselves, plus a trip to No. 2 Missouri. “I think Iowa State will probably be our biggest challenge all year,” Smith said. “Not taking anything away from North Carolina [State] or how our team performed there, but this is a team that we’re gonna have to have upsets. If we don’t, we can’t win. As of now, where we’re at, I think we got a chance to be a lot better seven weeks from now, but for now, where we’re at, this will be our toughest test. There’s no question. They’re a good team and a balanced team.” Dustin Plott’s Bigger WeekendOSU’s weekend as a team doesn’t look nearly as tough as Dustin Plott’s individually, though. Plott has a pair of top-10 matchups ahead of him at 184 pounds. He gets top-ranked Parker Keckeisen of Northern Iowa on Friday and No. 7 Will Feldkamp of Iowa State the next day. An undefeated weekend could get Plott Big 12 Wrestler of the Week honors twice in a row. He earned the honor Tuesday after beating No. 4 Trey Munoz of Oregon State 4-1 on Sunday. Plott accomplished the feat after missing two days of practice because of sickness. The win improved the second-ranked Plott to 18-1 in his first season at 184 since bumping up from 174 pounds. “His experiences have really, he’s growing to be a much tougher individual, both mentally and physically on the mat,” Smith said. “It was just good to see. In the past I’m not sure he could have got anything close to that. “It’s good to see him get healthy, get over the problems he had last week. Take a crack at No. 1, right?” No Answer Coming at 149 PoundsThe biggest question surrounding OSU’s lineup has been at 149 pounds. Redshirt freshman Jordan Williams seemingly had control of the spot, then Smith said Williams was dealing with a hamstring issue so senior transfer Sammy Alvarez got the nod in the Cowboys’ road duals against Pitt and West Virginia two weeks ago. After an impressive showing on the East Coast and with Williams healthy, Alvarez got the start again Sunday against Oregon State. I wrote more in-depth about the 149-pound situation earlier this week, but Smith made more comments on it Wednesday. It sounds like not much has changed, though. “One thing to make clear, whoever I wrestle this week that that’s not a finalized weight class for us,” Smith said. Alvarez transferred from Rutgers last January during the season and wasn’t eligible to compete until this semester, which started earlier this month. He was ranked as high as eighth at 141 pounds last season for Rutgers before the transfer. This season, Alvarez is 2-1 in duals against all ranked opponents, with the lone loss being to a top-10 foe. “I think he knows that it’s time to challenge himself a little bit,” Smith said. “Here you are at the end of your career, and it’s time to challenge yourself and ask something out of yourself and actually play a role on a team that you can help. I think a lot of his personal outings in the last couple of weeks, he has placed the team as a motivator to wrestle well. It’s about time. Good for him. We need more of that. And he’s showing up early for practice, leaving late, doing a lot of things that are pretty exciting.” Williams is 9-4 this season and 2-2 in duals. He was ranked 18th at 149 in the first individual coaches rankings of the season this week, which are used for postseason seeding. However, no matter who wrestles for the Cowboys this weekend, it still won’t be clear yet who will represent OSU by the postseason. “Yeah [the competition has pushed both wrestlers to be better],” Smith said. “Clean up, work out, everything, show up on time. If it doesn’t motivate you, then you’re not that hungry to be competing. Yeah, it’s motivated both of them. You can’t relax. If you relax and you look like you’re going through the motions, not good.” Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog. Carson Cunningham and Colby Powell discuss OSU basketball’s six-game losing streak, Mike Boynton’s future and answer your Twitter questions. You know what helps the show and helps us make more shows? When you rate us on Apple Podcasts or subscribe to our pod: Apple Podcasts | Google Play | Spotify | SoundCloud. As always, we appreciate our sponsors Chris’ University Spirit and Yuengling. Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog. STILLWATER — The Oklahoma State wrestling team has back-to-back ranked duals this weekend in Gallagher-Iba Arena. The No. 5 Cowboys wrestle No. 22 Northern Iowa at 7 p.m. Friday before turning around and wrestling No. 4 Iowa State at 6 p.m. Saturday. OSU coach John Smith and 165-pounder Izzak Olejnik met with reporters Wednesday to preview the action. Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog. Last week, Oklahoma State 184-pounder Dustin Plott was battling sickness with a top-5 challenge impending. This week, he’s the best wrestler in the conference. Plott was announced Tuesday as Big 12 Wrestler of the Week after beating No. 4 Trey Munoz 4-1 on Sunday in the No. 5 Cowboys’ 27-9 win over Oregon State. The two wrestlers were tied 1-1 until Plott, ranked second nationally, got a third-period takedown and secured the second top-5 win of his career. Plott became the second Cowboy to earn the honor this season, as 165-pounder Izzak Olejnik also did in early December. “Sick most of the week, and then came back really super excited for this match,” Plott said after the dual. “Trey’s a really tough opponent. Really wanted this match. Then also coming off illness, little bit of adversity, I really liked that component to it as well because I knew if I could get through this today and find a way today, I’ll find a way under a lot of different conditions. “As far as my performance, little bit of mixed emotions. I didn’t wrestle the way I liked to wrestle and didn’t really attack as much as what I like to. But I am proud of myself for finding a way to get it done against a high-caliber opponent like Trey.” Coach John Smith also mentioned whatever illness Plott was battling last week that caused him to miss two days of practice while preparing for his toughest match of the season (so far). “I like the fact there’s no way he could have won that match in the past,” Smith said. “I like that he’s growing and he’s trusting himself and believes in what he can do. … “It’s just good to see him. I was like, ‘He’s got some weight on his shoulders coming into this match and he’s probably not gonna fully feel like he’s got his full strength back. Hey, go win now. What’s that gonna do for you?’ So good effort.” But in a week he’s honored for last week’s performance, Plott already has to prepare for a pair of upcoming top-10 matchups, as he takes on top-ranked Parker Keckeisen of Northern Iowa on Friday and No. 7 Will Feldkamp of Iowa State on Saturday. Plott is 18-1 in his first season at 184 after bumping up from 174 pounds, where he competed the past two seasons. His only loss was to No. 12 Lenny Pinto of Nebraska at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational on Dec. 10. He’s won 11 in a row since. Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog.
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BOX SCORE STILLWATER — The Cowboys seemed to be on path for their first Big 12 win, but like Saturday in Manhattan, the Pokes were unable to finish. Oklahoma State lost to TCU 74-69 on Tuesday in Gallagher-Iba Arena in a game that the Cowboys had a 17-point lead in. From there, offensive lulls and an inability to stop the Horned Frogs at the basket spelled doom for the Pokes, a team that is now 0-7 in games decided by five or fewer points and 0-6 in Big 12 games. Here are five thoughts on the game. 1. Offensive Lulls Too Much to OvercomeThe Cowboys raced out to a 17-point first half lead. It look as if they weren’t only going to pick up their first Big 12 win, but maybe run away with one. Then they were 0-for-5 from the field to end the first half and 0-for-6 from deep to end the second. That’s anti-clutch and how you lose basketball games. The Cowboys hit some free throws in those stretches, but OSU’s final field goal of the first half came with 5:58 on the clock. Their final field goal of the second half came with 5:57. And it’s an unfortunate continuation of a trend that saw OSU score one field goal in the final 7:30 against Kansas State on Saturday. When it’s good for OSU, it’s great. There was a stretch early in the first half where the Cowboys made seven shots in a row. It’s a fun brand of basketball to watch in those stretches. Passes are ripping across the court, 3s are falling, players are finding space. It’s so hard to imagine that it’s the same team that goes five minutes without hitting a shot. It’s been tough with this particular group to pin down what exactly is going wrong because there is such a Jekyll and Hyde aspect to it. “I do think that part of it is, there’s a process of learning how to finish these deals that [TCU] has been through, and our group hasn’t — hasn’t learned how to get it done,” Boynton said. “You think of the guys that are on the court at the time, you look out there and a lot of times Bryce (Thompson) or John-Michael (Wright) are really the only ones who have been through it, certainly at this level. Many of them have never been through it as college players at all. “… Certainly you gotta find out where those lulls are coming and why and be more efficient in them.” 2. Anderson Was Good in His ReturnAvery Anderson had himself a day in his return to Stillwater. An OSU graduate who spent four seasons with the Cowboys before transferring to TCU this past offseason, Anderson scored 15 points on nine shots to go with three rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block. He started his scoring with an acrobatic layup, the type that the OSU faithful have seen him score myriad times. But he was particularly good late. He hit a 3-pointer with 7:09 to play to break a tie, and within the next 50 seconds, Anderson had a steal, a block and an assist. Perhaps his biggest play of the night came with 19 seconds to play. Javon Small drove Anderson to the basket, but was called for a charge. It was a 3-point game at the time, but that essentially iced things. “It was weird when the plane flew in — just flying into the Stillwater airport,” Anderson said. “It was weird, but coming in, just shooting back on the goals and stuff, it felt good. “… I graduated from here, so OK State always got a place in my heart.” 3. Garrison’s Foul Trouble Didn’t Help MattersThe Cowboys, again, got slaughtered in the paint, with TCU taking a 46-20 advantage in paint points. That’s been a constant through Big 12 play, as the Cowboys have been outscored 262-136 in the paint in their six league games. Freshman center Brandon Garrison likely would’ve helped there some, but where the Cowboys really needed him was on the glass, as the Horned Frogs outrebounded OSU 38-28. That -10 margin is the worst the Cowboys have had this season. But Garrison played just 11 minutes because of foul trouble. The Cowboys have gone smaller as of late, and were forced to play even smaller Tuesday. Garrison on the pine led to 6-foot-8 Eric Dailey Jr. logging a good chunk of his 29 minutes at center. OSU’s leader in rebounds was “TEAM” with six, meaning six balls went out of bounds and were OSU’s ball. Point guard Javon Small, standing at 6-foot-3, was the Cowboys individual rebounding leader with five. Playing small has seemingly rejuvenated parts of the offense, but it hasn’t helped the Cowboys in perhaps their biggest area of weakness, which is inside. 4. Stats That Are ConfusingNever mind the fact that OSU was up 17 at one point in this game. OSU lost a game in which is shot 37% from 3 and had only five turnovers. Make it make sense. The shooting slumps, rebounds and points in the paint make it make sense, but man, this team has found ways to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory the past two games. 5. If Not Saturday, When?For a while now, KenPom has given OSU above a 50% chance to win one game on its remaining schedule: at home against West Virginia. That game comes Saturday. The Mountaineers, in flux after Bob Huggins’ unceremonial exit, had a horrid start to the year — worse than OSU’s. West Virginia entered Big 12 play at 5-8 with losses to Monmouth, UMass and Radford. Unfortunately for the Pokes, the Mountaineers have gotten it together a bit as of late, beating Texas and Kansas already in Big 12 play. Regardless of how Saturday goes, I don’t think this OSU team is going to go 0-18 in conference play, but if the Cowboys lose against the Mountaineers, the pressure will really be on. KenPom gives OSU a 66% chance to beat West Virginia. Aside from that, there are two games it gives OSU above a 40% chance to win: at home against Kansas State (42%) and at home against UCF (46%). For what it’s worth, KenPom gives OSU just a 2% chance of finishing Big 12 play without a win, and it projects the Cowboys to finish Big 12 play a 3-15. That’s bad (bad, bad), but it’s a heck of a lot better than 0-18. “Certainly not ideal to start the conference 0-6,” Boynton said. “What we gotta do is make sure we don’t get distracted from the process of getting better. That process doesn’t change based on the results. In fact, you gotta believe so much in what you do and who you are that you get more committed to the process that you have in place. “Bottom line is we gotta keep working until we find the result that we want. Tonight we came up short again. Lost to a good team, but at some point we gotta be able to knock this tree down.” Mike Boynton’s Postgame News ConferenceRead this original article at Pistols Firing Blog. The Cowboys will go at least another four days without a Big 12 win. Oklahoma State lost to TCU 74-69 on Tuesday night in Gallagher-Iba Arena to extend its losing streak to six and leave the Cowboys still in search of their first conference win of the season as they dropped to 8-11. At 0-6, this is OSU’s worst start to league play since losing its first eight in the 2019-20 season. TCU, meanwhile, put the breaks on a streak after losing two straight last week. That first Big 12 win was on the mind of everyone at GIA, though, when the Cowboys led by as many as 17 in the first half. Tied at six, OSU came out of a timeout scoring 12 unanswered and continued to build on that lead. Then things got uncomfortable. The Cowboys went as cold as the outside air, failing to make a field goal for the last 5:57 of the half and went to the locker room with only a 37-33 lead. Then, just as OSU did to begin the game, TCU started the second half just as hot on a 9-2 run, and within 2:36, Mike Boynton was calling a timeout with his team down three after a 3-pointer from Emanuel Miller. However, John-Michael Wright did come out of the timeout with back-to-back makes from beyond the arc for OSU’s first field goals since the 5:57 mark in the first half and gave his team the lead back. Wright’s 3s were part of an 8-0 run for OSU before TCU answered with a 7-0 run of its own as the two went back and forth like teams desperate to get back into the win column. It wasn’t until there was 7:49 left in the game before a team obtained a lead it wouldn’t lose after TCU had a 7-0 run that was capped by a pair of free throws from Micah Peavy that gave his team a 61-59 lead. The Horned Frogs’ final five-point advantage was their largest lead of the game. OSU was never out of it, but also could never really get back into it, as, just like the first half, the Cowboys once again didn’t hit a field goal the last 5:57 of the second half. Wright’s 3-pointer was the Cowboys’ last field goal of the game before they only made five free throws the rest of the way. Making his second straight start, Wright led OSU with 16 points, going 3-for-6 from 3-point range. Javon Small was the only other OSU starter to reach double digits with 15. Eric Dailey Jr. and Jarius Hicklen came off the bench to score 13 and 12, respectively. Former OSU guard Avery Anderson put up a season-high 15 in his return to GIA. Emanuel Miller led the Horned Frogs, though, with a 21-point, 11-rebound double-double. The Cowboys will stay in Stillwater to host West Virginia at 1 p.m. Saturday. At 7-12, the Mountaineers are the only other team in the Big 12 with a losing record. Although, WVU does have a pair of conference wins.
Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog. The Baltimore Ravens put a thumping on the Houston Texans in the AFC Divisional round last weekend, and Justice Hill had a big part in the win. Hill took 13 handoffs for a career-high 66 yards and caught both of his targets for 11 more. It was Hill’s fifth start of the year, and he led all Ravens running backs in rushing. Gus Edwards came in behind Justice with 40 yards on 10 carries, and recent addition Dalvin Cook took eight handoffs for 23. Quarterback Lamar Jackson carried the ball 11 times for 100 yards and two touchdowns. But Hill’s impact went beyond the box score.
“I’ve told [Justice Hill]; he’s a supremely talented player, but his heart is even bigger,” said Ravens head coach John Harbaugh. “This guy … he runs so hard. His acceleration and his bursts are right up there at the top of the league. “He gets the ball north, he has really good vision, he catches the ball and he pass protects. He’s a well-rounded back. I couldn’t say enough about him. He’s been a difference maker for us.” The Ravens will host the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Sunday at 2 p.m. on CBS. Other Cowboys Still PlayoffingThree other Cowboys are still in the postseason: Tylan Wallace (Baltimore Ravens) Rodriguez played one snap on defense and 19 on special teams on Sunday in Detroit’s NFC Divisional round win over Tampa Bay. Wallace was ruled out of Saturday’s game with a knee issue. His status is unknown as of writing. Martin is on San Francisco’s practice squad and hasn’t played since Week 16. Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog. Gunnar Gundy was a quarterback at Ohio for less than 20 days. According to multiple reports on Tuesday, Gundy re-entered the transfer portal as a graduate transfer. Gundy committed to Ohio on Jan. 5 after transferring from Oklahoma State. Ohio announced Gundy as part of its 2024 signing class. He was the only quarterback in the class. Gundy was expected to compete for the starting job at Ohio with four-year starter Kurtis Rourke transferring to Indiana. The Bobcats went 10-3 last season with Rourke leading the offense. Ohio coach Tim Albin had also signed a contract extension through 2026, well beyond Gundy’s time there. In three seasons at OSU, Gundy was 40-of-73 for 449 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions. He also had 120 rushing yards and another score. He played in the Cowboys’ bowl game, even after entering the transfer portal the first time, and scored on a 10-yard designed run. Out of Stillwater High School, Gundy also had offers to play in the MAC then to Eastern Michigan and Toledo. After entering the portal the first time, Gundy announced offers from Indiana State, Duquesne, Abilene Christian and Elon. Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog. |
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