Oklahoma State basketball: Cade Cunningham looks overrated in win vs. Liberty
Oklahoma State’s Cade Cunningham is supposed to be the best player in the NCAA Tournament, but his performance against Liberty left something to be desired.
The NCAA Tournament is where legends are made. Oklahoma State star Cade Cunningham still has some work to do on that front.
The Cowboys advanced to the Round of 32 on Friday with a 69-60 victory over No. 13-seed Liberty, but it wasn’t a particularly nice outing for the No. 4 seed and their star player.
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Cunningham committed a turnover on the first possession of the game in a sign of the difficulties to come. He had more turnovers and fouls than points in the first half as Liberty held the lead at the break.
Things picked up in the second half, fortunately. Cunningham brought his scoring total up to 15. His three-pointer with the game tied at 39 was part of a critical surge. Still, six of his points came on free throws in the final 2:30. He deserves credit for putting the game away from the line, but his performance wasn’t what was expected of the future No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft.
The slow start allowed Liberty to sniff the upset, something they couldn’t have hope for if Cunningham had taken over. He was 3-of-14 from the field and 2-of-8 from beyond the arc. He had just one assist and committed four turnovers.
Cade Cunningham needs to pick it up for Oklahoma State to have a chance
A poor shooting night against Liberty ultimately didn’t end the dance for Oklahoma State. They may not be so lucky down the line in the tournament.
In the Round of 32, the Cowboys will face a red hot Oregon State team, which won the Pac-12 Tournament and blew out No. 5-seed Tennessee on Friday. The Beavers pulled off the 12-5 upset by taking advantage of the Volunteers’ poor shooting performance.
It’ll be up to Cunningham to ensure the same doesn’t happen to his team as well. He’s the best player in the field. He needs to play like it.
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