Oregon State vs Oklahoma State Odds and Picks
- The No. 4 seed Oklahoma State Cowboys take on the No. 12 Oregon State Beavers in a Midwest Region Round of 32 matchup
- The Pokes knocked off No. 13 seed Liberty in Indy, while the Beavers pulled off the first 12-5 upset of this year’s NCAA Tournament in beating Tennessee
- Read below for odds, analysis, and our best bet for this matchup
No. 4 seed Oklahoma State Cowboys (21-8, 11-7 Big 12), who handed the Baylor Bears only their second loss of the season in the conference tourney, take on the No. 12 Oregon State Beavers (18-12, 10-10 Pac-12) in a Midwest Region Round of 32 matchup Sunday, March 21 in Indianapolis, tipoff TBD.
Mike Boynton’s boys held off a resolute Flames team 69-60 to get out of the First Round for the first time since 2015. Meanwhile, Wayne Tinkle’s Beavs picked up Oregon State’s first tourney win since 1982 by upsetting SEC preseason favorite Tennessee 70-56 Friday.
Now, the Pokes are favored to reach the program’s first Sweet 16 since 2005 Sunday.
Oregon State vs Oklahoma State Odds
| Team | Spread at DraftKings | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon State | +6 (-109) | +215 | O 142 (-113) |
| Oklahoma State | -6 (-110) | -265 | U 142 (-107) |
Odds as of March 19 at FanDuel
Embracing the Role
Oregon State — we’ll call them the Pacific Northwest OSU here — became the first school in conference history to win the Pac-12 tourney after being picked to finish last in the preseason. And thanks to another gutty performance, led by senior post Roman Silva’s 16 points, the plucky Beavs have pulled off another surprise.
Silva was a perfect 8-for-8 from the field — and the rest of the team was nearly perfect from an efficiency standpoint. The PNW OSU shot 48.2% (27-of-56) overall and knocked down 47.6% of its three-point shots (10-of-21). Tinkle’s Beavers also had 20 assists. That’s a good ratio.
Simply put, Oregon Sate is playing the basketball its played all season at the right time. The Beavers led 33-19 at the half and were up on the Vols by 20 with six minutes left. Oregon State has now won seven of its last eight and has major mojo heading into Sunday.
Cowboy Up
Big 12 Player and Freshman of the Year Cade Cunningham struggled in the nine-point victory over Liberty, going 3-of-14 from the field and 2-of-8 from deep to finish with 15 points, but Oklahoma State’s team defense was too much for the Flames.
(4) Oklahoma State and @CadeCunningham_ are moving on after the Cowboys’ first tournament win since 2009 🔥⁰⁰@OSUMBB | #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/EXMDezcjJG
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 20, 2021
As has been the case for a good portion of the season, Boynton’s youthful roster proved it’s more than just one supreme talent. Avery Anderson III finished with a game-high 19 as four Cowboy starters finished in double-figures. The Panhandle OSU held Liberty to just 38.1% shooting for the game (and 38.2% from behind the three-point line), forced 18 turnovers and had nine steals.
Not the most efficient night for Cade Cunningham in his first NCAA tournament game, but he stepped up in the second half once again. And Avery Anderson continued his stellar late-season play with a team-high 21. Cowboys get Oregon State on Sunday.
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) March 20, 2021
The team effort — and that top-20 rated defense by KenPom (Boynton’s team is rated No. 19 in defensive adjusted efficiency in the country, giving up only 90.7 points per 100 possessions) are why the Pokes can beat anybody.
Cunningham said he wants to take this team on a similar run a freshman Carmelo Anthony took Syracuse on all the way to a title in 2003. If he’s going to, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft needs to do more than just show up in the final minutes against the Beavs.
Mirror Image?
Outside of sharing abbreviated nicknames — which does make for funny Twitter posts — these two programs don’t have much in common.
OSU vs. OSU in the Second Round! 🤔#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/USoK8Y12dt
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 20, 2021
As noted above The Pacific Northwest OSU has had nearly four full decades of Big Dance futility. Prior to finally breaking through in 2016, the Beavers hadn’t made an NCAA Tournament since 1990. That’s when Pac-10 Player of the Year Gary Payton and his teammates were upset in the first round by Ball State in another 12-5 game.
On the other side, Oklahoma State has had plenty of success, advancing to a pair of Final Fours (1995 and 2004) since then. But The Panhandle OSU — a program that has featured the likes of Marcus Smart over the last decade — hasn’t been able to make a sustained run during that time frame.
Correction … that is the fifth time he's had a double-double with points/boards. https://t.co/Uqu2kPKLz9
— Nick Daschel (@nickdaschel) March 20, 2021
Both teams have chips on their shoulders and made impressive conference tourney runs. But that’s where the similarities end. Oregon State has been a great story in the last week. But Oklahoma State is a squad that has a legit chance to make some noise. The Pokes are the play here.
The pick: Oklahoma State -6 (-110)
Blair Johnson is a veteran journalist and seasoned sports content creator. He has been writing and producing content as long as he can remember, with such familiar names as CNN, NFL Media and Yahoo. Blair currently lives and works in the greater Los Angeles area.
