Contrasting styles on tap as Oklahoma State, Davidson open NIT

Oklahoma State will be in familiar territory as it tries to cap a solid campaign with an NIT run. The Cowboy open by hosting Davidson on Tuesday night in Stillwater, Okla.

The clash will be a battle of contrasts as the Cowboys (19-14) play at the nation's ninth-fastest pace, per KenPom.com, while the Wildcats (20-13) rank among the country's 25 slowest teams in adjusted tempo.

Oklahoma State, seeded No. 2 in the eight-team Tulsa region, played in the NIT last year, too, and earned two wins to reach the quarterfinals before falling to North Texas.

"The reps we get and those minutes on the floor, they're invaluable," Oklahoma State coach Steve Lutz said. "You're just getting those guys more and more experience and you're continuing to build your program for the future. And I really believe that the future is bright at Oklahoma State."

The Cowboys head into postseason play after losing to TCU 95-88 on Wednesday in the second round of the Big 12 tournament in Kansas City, Mo. Oklahoma State beat Colorado in that tournament's first round and has alternated between wins and losses over its past six contests.

Anthony Roy (17.2 ppg) and Parsa Fallah (14.7 ppg) lead a Cowboys offense that features four more scorers averaging at least 9.8 points. Roy averaged 3.0 3-pointers per game while shooting 39.6% from long range.

Davidson (20-13) finished sixth out of 14 teams in this year's Atlantic 10 race, then bowed out of the A-10 tournament with a 70-58 loss to Saint Joseph's in the quarterfinals. The Wildcats beat Loyola Chicago 64-59 in the second round and have captured four out of their past six games.

"We've been playing our best in March," Davidson coach Matt McKillop said. "That was our belief all year long ... I know our guys were fully bought into believing what I just shared. And that's what's going to hopefully motivate all this group to inspire this group."

The Wildcats' 20 wins are their most since recording 27 victories in 2021-22. Roberts Blums (12.1 ppg, 71 3-pointers) leads a balanced offense that also features Josh Scovens (11.1 ppg) and Parker Friedrichsen (10.6 ppg, 65 3-pointers).

This marks Davidson's 10th NIT appearance, but its first since 2021. The Wildcats seek their first victory in the NIT since March 17, 2009, which doubled as Stephen Curry's last win in a Davidson uniform.

The winner advances to faces the winner of No. 3 seed Wichita State's game Tuesday night against Wyoming.

--Field Level Media