JimBob
02-06-2008, 07:17 AM
OSU fires warning shots
By JIMMIE TRAMEL World Sports Writer
2/6/2008
Dependence on 3-pointers may be causing Cowboys' recent woes on the court.
Oklahoma State has an ace. That's the nickname of senior Tyler Hatch, whom teammates liken to Ace Ventura.
The Cowboys have plenty of 3-pointers. They are on pace to set a school record for 3-point attempts.
It's deuces that Sean Sutton's team lacks.
OSU, which plays a Wednesday home game against Colorado, has lost six consecutive games, all by single-digit margins. A big reason for the skid is a dependence on 3-point shots.
Players are settling for 3-point attempts instead of higher-percentage shots. So many bombs missed the mark that the Cowboys haven't been able to score consistently enough to close out games.
Check out the crunch-time numbers from the last four defeats:
One 2-point basket in the last 15 minutes against Texas. Zero 2-point field goals in the last 9:30 against Texas A&M. One deuce in the last 11 minutes against Oklahoma. And one 2-pointer in the last 5:30 against Texas Tech.
Can anybody on the roster play a deuce?
Guards are OSU's alleged strength, so 3-pointers are a necessary evil. But where do you draw the line?
The Cowboys crossed the line Saturday, when they launched 31 3s (third-most in school history) and made only six in a 67-60 loss at Texas Tech.
Sutton said 31 treys is too many.
"That number ought to be somewhere between 18 to 25. But this team, just because you don't have a guy that we can go to inside, as a result you have to shoot a little bit more 3s, but we are still trying to emphasize drive the ball and get to the free-throw line. We shot free throws well in both games last week, we just didn't get there enough."
Before this season, there were only two games in program history when OSU put up 30 or more 3-point shots in a game. The Cowboys have cracked the 30 barrier three times this season, losing twice. The Pokes are 1-4 all-time when shooting 30 or more 3-pointers.
"I thought we reverted back Saturday to what we did earlier in the season," Sutton said. "We got down and panicked a little bit and tried to get it back shooting 3-point shots, quick shots. We had a lot of open looks, but just shot too many."
Though Sutton wants more 2-point shots, he isn't going to tell his best shooters to turn down open 3-pointers.
"If you get an open shot, you've got to knock it down," he said. "I would rather them take an open shot than turn it over any time."
Senior forward Marcus Dove indicated that players need to use discretion in regard to 3-pointers.
"We have to know the flow of the game," he said. "At Tech, we shot a couple of just dumb 3s off the break when we weren't really hitting shots. We played a lot of defense, 34 seconds of defense, and then we would come down and shoot a 3-pointer off the break. So we just have to pick and choose our spots and practice good shot selection because (Sutton) is giving us a lot of freedom, so we need to reward him for giving us the freedom and take good shots."
OSU attempted a season-high 26 shots from 3-point range in a loss at Colorado last year.
By JIMMIE TRAMEL World Sports Writer
2/6/2008
Dependence on 3-pointers may be causing Cowboys' recent woes on the court.
Oklahoma State has an ace. That's the nickname of senior Tyler Hatch, whom teammates liken to Ace Ventura.
The Cowboys have plenty of 3-pointers. They are on pace to set a school record for 3-point attempts.
It's deuces that Sean Sutton's team lacks.
OSU, which plays a Wednesday home game against Colorado, has lost six consecutive games, all by single-digit margins. A big reason for the skid is a dependence on 3-point shots.
Players are settling for 3-point attempts instead of higher-percentage shots. So many bombs missed the mark that the Cowboys haven't been able to score consistently enough to close out games.
Check out the crunch-time numbers from the last four defeats:
One 2-point basket in the last 15 minutes against Texas. Zero 2-point field goals in the last 9:30 against Texas A&M. One deuce in the last 11 minutes against Oklahoma. And one 2-pointer in the last 5:30 against Texas Tech.
Can anybody on the roster play a deuce?
Guards are OSU's alleged strength, so 3-pointers are a necessary evil. But where do you draw the line?
The Cowboys crossed the line Saturday, when they launched 31 3s (third-most in school history) and made only six in a 67-60 loss at Texas Tech.
Sutton said 31 treys is too many.
"That number ought to be somewhere between 18 to 25. But this team, just because you don't have a guy that we can go to inside, as a result you have to shoot a little bit more 3s, but we are still trying to emphasize drive the ball and get to the free-throw line. We shot free throws well in both games last week, we just didn't get there enough."
Before this season, there were only two games in program history when OSU put up 30 or more 3-point shots in a game. The Cowboys have cracked the 30 barrier three times this season, losing twice. The Pokes are 1-4 all-time when shooting 30 or more 3-pointers.
"I thought we reverted back Saturday to what we did earlier in the season," Sutton said. "We got down and panicked a little bit and tried to get it back shooting 3-point shots, quick shots. We had a lot of open looks, but just shot too many."
Though Sutton wants more 2-point shots, he isn't going to tell his best shooters to turn down open 3-pointers.
"If you get an open shot, you've got to knock it down," he said. "I would rather them take an open shot than turn it over any time."
Senior forward Marcus Dove indicated that players need to use discretion in regard to 3-pointers.
"We have to know the flow of the game," he said. "At Tech, we shot a couple of just dumb 3s off the break when we weren't really hitting shots. We played a lot of defense, 34 seconds of defense, and then we would come down and shoot a 3-pointer off the break. So we just have to pick and choose our spots and practice good shot selection because (Sutton) is giving us a lot of freedom, so we need to reward him for giving us the freedom and take good shots."
OSU attempted a season-high 26 shots from 3-point range in a loss at Colorado last year.