Oklahoma State’s men’s basketball team passed its first big test.
The Cowboys handed Marquette its first loss of the season with a 70-62 road victory, showing an ability to play suffocating defense while getting a balanced offensive attack.
And they did it short-handed with Chris Harris Jr., Avery Anderson III and Montreal Pena unavailable.
Here are three takeaways from the big win:
D-E-F-E-N-S-E
OSU’s defense was simply masterful.
Zone. Man-to-man. Full-court presses. Half-court traps.
Cowboys coach Mike Boynton mixed up the looks and at exactly the right times. And for a coach who prefers an aggressive man defense, it was a sight to see such a mixture.