#12 Oregon State vs. #4 Oklahoma State Odds
Oregon State continued its magical run off a Pac-12 Tournament title by dominating Tennessee in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, 70-56.
Oklahoma State played a tight first half against Liberty, but pulled away late in the second half to win and cover.
We project Oklahoma State as about an 8-point favorite, with the total at 139.6.
How Oregon St. & Oklahoma St. Match Up
| All stats via KenPom. | ||
What To Know About Oregon St.
The Beavers entered the Pac-12 Tournament as a 5-seed, winning three straight to become conference champions despite having some of the longest odds to do so. The Beavers beat UCLA, Oregon and Colorado to bring their combined Quadrant 1 and Quadrant 2 record to 7-9.
Oregon State shot 29-of-66 from beyond the arc in the Pac-12 Tournament, a stark contrast from 33% in conference play for a rank of 10th in conference. This will be coach Wayne Tinkle's second trip to the dance with Oregon State since taking over in 2015, and the coach had three other trips with Montana.
Oregon State plays a unique shifting zone, giving opponents multiple looks and potential problems. One area the Beavers struggle is defensive free-throw rate with a national rank of 303rd.
The Beavers do defend the perimeter with a defensive 3-point percentage that ranks 58th nationally, but a lack of presence in the paint could be problematic versus opponents that are dominant on the block. Still, this is a team with a decent offensive free-throw rate and a top-40 free-throw shooting percentage. The Beavers are getting hot offensively during the right time of year. — Collin Wilson
What To Know About Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State is led by potential No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham, who is averaging almost 20 points per game this season while shooting 45% from the field. The Cowboys, though, are more than just their freshman sensation. They went into Morgantown earlier this month and took down then-No. 6 West Virginia without him and Isaac Likeleke and they beat the Mountaineers again in the Big 12 Tournament with them both back.
Oklahoma State ranks 22nd in adjusted defensive efficiency, according to KenPom, and plays at the 47th-fastest pace in the country. Star power plus good defense and an up-tempo game? Sounds ideal for anyone looking for a potential deep run in the NCAA Tournament. The half-court offense can get stagnant at times, but the development of Avery Anderson III has helped alleviate some of those pains.
Turnovers on offense seem to be the primary point of paint, but there's no denying the excellence of the defense, which head coach Mike Boynton switches up frequently with many different looks (some zone, press, etc.) Oh, and the Cowboys entered their Big 12 final against Texas at 17-9-1 against the spread this season. — Matt Trebby
