STILLWATER – After the first 10 minutes, OSU didn’t leave much doubt.
The Cowboys ran past Houston Christian, 92-65, in Gallagher-Iba Arena on Friday night after the Huskies put up a fight early. OSU has won two straight heading into its toughest stretch of the season so far.
Here are three takeaways from OSU’s win.
Mike Marsh quietly does a lot
Javon Small, Jarius Hicklen, Jamyron Keller and others have received much attention for flashy plays and big stat lines, but a Cowboy in the paint has been a staple of the offense.
Mike Marsh continued his solid play at center with a 14-point, five-rebound performance.
“I would describe my game as more of like scoring, very versatile, I can pass, I can dribble, shoot,” Marsh said. “But I’m gonna say I’m more of a leader. Just trying to help the young guys get better day in and day out.”
Marsh, a redshirt senior transfer, hit double digits in scoring for the second straight game and third time overall, and he’s averaging 10 points and seven rebounds a game for the Cowboys (3-3).
OSU fed Marsh in the paint early, leading to many of his points, but he also draws attention. When he doesn’t go up with a shot, he kicks out to the perimeter for 3-point shots. OSU coach Mike Boynton said that was part of the game plan heading in.
“Very conscious about throwing the ball inside to our bigs early,” Boynton said. “Seeing if we could find some 3-point shots from there.”
On offense, beyond his 6-for-9 shooting, Marsh provided three offensive rebounds, pushing his season total to 13 in five games played. And at 6-foot-10, 250 pounds, he provides stout defense in the lane.
The Cowboy bench has been effective much of the early season, scoring another 47 on Friday, and Marsh has played a big role in that production. But more importantly, on a young team, the veteran Marsh said he’s tried to be a leader that gets everyone involved.
“Coach Mike, he told me that we had a team full of freshmen, and my job was to groom them and help them and show them the right path,” Marsh said. “That’s just been my job since.”
More:Five things to know about Oklahoma State men’s basketball team for 2023-24 season
Defense still has some work to do
The Cowboys gave up 65 points. Not bad.
But in the first half, HCU (0-4) went toe-to-toe with OSU on offense. Before the game, Boynton told his team this was a different offense than any others it has played this season.
“(HCU) plays really fast,” Boynton said. “They were coming in playing the third-fastest tempo in the country.”
The Huskies put up 37 points and made 3 of 6 3-pointers after entering the night having made only eight 3s all season. Ten minutes into the game, OSU trailed, 25-23.
Eventually, the Cowboys outmanned the Huskies in the final minutes of the first half, then stepped up on defense and blew the doors open in the second half, allowing only 28 points on 31% shooting, but not before HCU had some early success.
Boynton said after the win against New Orleans that his team was still nowhere close to where it was on defense last season, but he’s seeing his team make progress. After a slow start, he saw some of that progress again Friday.
“I thought in the first half we got caught up in the transition game and allowed them to get some easy baskets,” he said. “We talked about it at halftime, made a small adjustment, and I think our guys played with the right focus on the defensive end.”
More:‘We needed a reset’: Why Oklahoma State’s Mike Boynton believes roster upheaval is good
Things are about to get real
It hasn’t been an ideal start for the Cowboys this season, and the schedule isn’t about to make things any easier.
OSU’s next game is Thursday night at home against No. 8 Creighton, then the Cowboys head on the road for their first true road game against a 4-1 Southern Illinois team that upset them in Stillwater a year ago.
It’s a big challenge, but Boynton said he likes the direction of his team.
“I feel good right now. I mean, we’re getting better,” he said. “There’s no guarantees in this game. Our job is to come in the next time we practice and try to get better and start focusing on undoubtedly, it’ll be the best team (Creighton) we’ve played so far.”
Through Friday, OSU hasn’t played a team in the top 115 of the KenPom rankings, and the average ranking was No. 206. OSU went 3-3 in that stretch. St. Bonaventure is the Cowboys’ highest-rated opponent at 118, and the past two games were against No. 287 New Orleans and No. 357 (of 362 Division-I teams) HCU.
That’s all about to change.
After the Blue Jays and Salukis, the Cowboys have games against Tulsa (at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City), Oral Roberts, Wofford, South Carolina State and Chicago State before Big 12 play begins against Baylor on Jan. 6.
The Cowboys are winners of two straight and have averaged 94 points a game, but bigger tests are coming.
More:Oklahoma State basketball: Breaking down the Cowboys’ roster for the 2023-24 season
