Utah Basketball’s Opportunity To Build Momentum In Big 12 Vs. Oklahoma State

Jan 31, 2025, 1:40 PM

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SALT LAKE CITY—Following their 69-66 win over the Cincinnati Bearcats earlier this week, Utah basketball hopes to carry that momentum into Saturday’s matchup against Oklahoma State.

The Runnin’ Utes improved their record to 12-8 overall and 4-5 in Big 12 play. Meanwhile, the Cowboys are 10-10, 2-7 and have gone 1-4 since Utah beat them 83-62 in Salt Lake City.

Steve Lutz’ and his squad will view this game as a critical opportunity for a win, so Craig Smith and the Utes must build upon their performance Tuesday night.

Utah Basketball Vs. Oklahoma State, How To Watch, Listen

Date: February, 1, 2025

Tip-Off: 1:00 pm (MST)

TV/Stream: ESPN+

Radio: ESPN 700 AM

James Westling will have the call on ESPN+ alongside former Cowboy guard Bryndon Manzer as Utah looks to make it two-straight wins on Saturday and move up to .500 in the Big 12 Conference standings.

RELATED: Takeaways From Utah’s Gritty 69-66 Win Over Cincinnati

Utah Vs. an improved Oklahoma State on their home floor

The Utes knocked off the Cowboys by 21 points in the Huntsman Center just three weeks ago. With the return trip to Stillwater, expect an improved effort from the Cowboys, but there are still promising indicators Utah can steal a win on the road.

Through conference play, the Cowboys are more than 13 points better at home (71.8 points per game) than they are on the road (58.4 ppg). They also take better care of the ball, limiting turnovers to 13.0 instead of the 16.8 average away from home.

However, the Cowboys still allow positive opponent shooting percentages at home like they do on the road. On the road, Cowboys’ opponents have a 58.4% effective field goal percentage, while on their home, it’s a 54.8% effective field goal rate.

They allow opponents to convert 61.2% of 2-point attempts at home, which is higher than the 56.8% they give up on the road. In four Big 12 home games, opponents have scored 46% of their points in the paint against the Cowboys, which ranks 294 in the country.

So, expect an improved Cowboys effort on Saturday, but the Utes’ shift in focus to more of an interior offensive attack will be key to their chance at a win in Stillwater.

RELATED: Utah, BYU Among Top 35 Most Valuable Football Programs

Utah still fine-tuning rotations

“I think we’ve settled in on about eight guys, and then the ninth guy just kind of depends on the night,” Coach Smith said regarding fine-tuning his rotations.

The top eight players in minutes played through all nine Big 12 games are Gabe Madsen (258), Jake Wahlin (217), Lawson Lovering (210), Mike Sharavjamts (198), Hunter Erickson (184), Ezra Ausar (172, he missed one game), Keanu Dawes (162), and Miro Little (155).

“I think we kind of dialed it in with who we are,” Coach Smith said .”Then it just depends on the night with a couple of guys, as well as some foul issues with a couple of guys, too.”

Over the last five Big 12 games, as Utah has started to figure out who they are, the top minutes are Madsen (157), Wahlin (136), Lovering (134), Ausar (112), Dawes (108), Sharavjamts (105), Erickson (94), and Little (77).

“We’ve gotten a lot more comfortable with who we’re playing, what we’re doing, and I think our guys are really figuring out their roles,” Smith described.

Ausar and Dawes have been key to Utah’s improvements in Big 12 play. However, foul trouble has also hampered them in a couple of Big 12 games.

Still, according to several efficiency metrics, these two have been Utah’s most impactful players in conference play. As part of the fine-tuning process, Smith needs to continue increasing their minutes as long as their avoidance of foul trouble allows it.

The Need-To-Knows about the Oklahoma State Cowboys

Led by first-year coach Steve Lutz, Oklahoma State is 10-10 on the season and 2-7 in the Big 12. They’ve lost three straight and are coming off of an 85-57 loss at Kansas State.

Marchelus Avery led the Cowboys with 22 points, while Bryce Thompson added 11 in the losing effort. Avery has become Oklahoma State’s leading scorer at 12.5 points, while Abou Ousmane, a 6-foot-10 big man, still averages 11.9 but did not score a single point against the Wildcats.

The Utes held the big man in check in Salt Lake City, as Ousmane scored just 8 points. However, they will need an improved effort against Thompson and Avery, who combined for 29 points.

Steve Bartle is the Utah insider for KSL Sports. He hosts The Utah Blockcast (SUBSCRIBE) and appears on KSL Sports Zone to break down the Utes. You can follow him on X for the latest Utah updates and game analysis.

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Utah Basketball’s Opportunity To Build Momentum In Big 12 Vs. Oklahoma State