The Stats Don’t Lie

By John Helsley

jhelsley@opubco.com

So… what’s wrong with the Cowboys, who have now lost three straight for the first time under Travis Ford, again placing their NCAA Tournament resume in peril?

It’s simple: check the stats.

When the season started, OSU looked like a team of shooters, with James Anderson, Obi Muonelo and Keiton Page all carrying reputations for putting the ball in the basket.

Only Anderson has lived up to the billing.

Among the Big 12′s top 20 scorers, you’ll find only one Cowboy — Big Game James. Of course, Anderson is also the league’s leading scorer. Still, OSU lacks a reliable No. 2 scorer.

The streaky Muonelo second on the team at 12.5 points per game, yet that reliability issue came into play Saturday at Texas Tech, when with Anderson struggling, Muonelo went 3-of-12 from the floor and finished with eight points.

The stat reality, the Cowboys aren’t the hot shots they were believed to be.

In the Big 12, OSU ranks 11th in field goal percentage at 44.4 percent. Anderson makes 46 percent of his shots, with Muonelo at 44 percent and Page 37.3.