BROOKLYN, N.Y. – In the championship of the NIT Season Tip-Off on Friday evening at Barclays Center, the score was 18-14. Mississippi trailed with five minutes to go in the half. The Rebels were in the thick of things. The next three minutes and two seconds saw the entire game change. In that short time Oklahoma State scored on every possession while Mississippi failed to get a single point over that juncture.
The Cowboys did it in convincing fashion. Two low post moves by Yor Anei. Two mid-range jumpers (remember them?) from Lindy Waters. For good measure, a three-pointer courtesy of Thomas Dziagwa.
At the half the lead had expanded to 34-15. Two nights earlier, Mississippi battled back from a 21-point deficit to defeat Penn State, earning a trip to the final. Tonight, no comeback was to be. Oklahoma State kept the pedal to the metal. The Cowboys romped to a 78-37 victory.
“We did not do a good job tonight,” Mississippi coach Kermit Davis said following the game outside his locker room. “We probably didn’t do a good job of preparation and that’s on me. We didn’t move on offense, didn’t hit shots and the effort was not there on defense.”
How thorough was this dismantling ? A few notes to consider.
- Oklahoma State’s offensive efficiency was 104 to 49 – yes, not even half the century mark, of Mississippi.
- The Rebels shot 1 of 20 (5 percent) from three-point range.
- Oklahoma State ran the floor relentlessly, especially the second half, dominating 18-4 in transition points. Mississippi committed 20 turnovers for an alarmingly high 27 percent turnover rate.
You get the idea.
Oklahoma State, now unblemished at 7-0, was led by Cameron McGriff with 15 points. Sharing the wealth was evidenced as four Cowboys hit double figures. McGriff may have paced the scorers, but the tournament MVP was his teammate Yor Anei with a 14-point, nine-rebound, four-block outing in the championship.
Mississippi failed to put anyone in double figures. The Rebels were led by Breein Tyree and Antavion Collum with seven each. “We did not have anyone play well,” Davis said. “No one. This was very disappointing.”
Mississippi, at 5-2, could take solace in leaving Brooklyn with a split. “Looking back, you could point to a great effort and win (over Penn State) on Wednesday,” Davis said. “You look at tonight and you see a performance that was very disappointing. We played two teams here that will be in the NCAA tournament in March, so you learn from this. Every night out should be a learning experience.”
Davis was intent on putting Friday’s game in the rear view mirror. Not without learning a lesson from it. “We will go home and breakdown this (Oklahoma State) game film on Sunday,” he said. “We’ll all look at it as a team. And try to learn from it all.”
