OSU basketball rewind: How Bernard Kouma 'takes pride in' handling Cowboys' dirty work

WACO, Texas — Oklahoma State coach Mike Boynton is hoping to avoid creating an earthquake Saturday evening.

Because when two giant men known for setting vicious screens collide, the ground is likely to shake.

“We want to get home,” Boynton joked.

The Cowboys’ Bernard Kouma is 6 feet 10 and 240 pounds. Baylor’s Flo Thamba is also 6-10 but 10 pounds heavier.

Each is exceptional at setting screens.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a better screener,” Boynton said about Kouma.

Then he hesitated.

“Maybe the kid that we’re going to play against, Flo Thamba, from Baylor. He’s kind of made a living there.”

Tramel's ScissorTales:Could Big 12 get 10 men's basketball teams into NCAA Tournament?

The beauty of the conversation is this: For the past three games, Kouma was impactful. And as they face Baylor at 5 p.m. Saturday in a needed game for both squads, the Cowboys’ 11th man has found himself playing a limited but key role.

Kouma has played just 8 minutes since Jan. 2 — primarily due to star center Moussa Cisse’s ankle injury — but has done the dirty work.

He sets screens on pick-and-rolls, even rolling to the basket for a layup at Kansas State. He grabs a few rebounds — three in the past two games. And he extends the depth of the Cowboys’ bench when it could be really thin at his position.

“Bernie, he takes pride in it,” Boynton said. “He understands that there’s value to be added to the teammate by doing that — helping your teammates get open. Then, sometimes you just fall into a 1-foot shot yourself.”

A year ago, Kouma was rarely used. He was also not 100% healthy.

He appeared in just six games and played 12 minutes. He’s played in six games this season.

But two years ago in his first season, he was an integral part of the Cowboys, who made the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

More:Kalib Boone is finding consistency, but he's 'gotta be more' for Oklahoma State basketball

Kouma played in 26 games, starting twice. His role was largely the same.

It was by design with Kouma being a favorite of teammate Cade Cunningham, who thrived with the pick-and-roll.

“Cade wanted Bernie on the court as much as anybody out there,” Boynton said. “He understood the value of helping him when teams were guarding him the way they were.”

Kouma has since carried over that value.

The minutes might again disappear when Cisse returns. But if not, it’s because Kouma earned a chance to set more screens and roll to the basket.

The Cowboys could be better for it.

“We’ve been able to get something out of Bernie the last couple of games,” Boynton said. “That’s a pretty significant sign for us in terms of another body we can throw in there and get through 14 more games in this conference.”

Here is a look at the past week for the Cowboys:

3 takeaways:Oklahoma State basketball falls short in upset bid at No. 11 Kansas State

Top two players this season

Moussa Cisse: The 7-foot-1 junior remains atop the list despite not playing this week due to an ankle injury. He leads the Big 12 in blocks and rebounds per game. Though the Cowboys recorded a dozen blocks in his absence last Saturday, they could still use his presence inside on both ends. Boynton said Cisse is improving and underwent an MRI on Thursday just as a precaution. Cisse could practice Friday.

Kalib Boone: He is slowly creeping his way up the Cowboys’ scoring leaderboard for the season, bringing his average to 10.3 points per game, just 0.1 behind Avery Anderson III’s 10.4 points. Only Bryce Thompson averages more points. Boone has been the Cowboys’ best player the past three games, elevating his play with Cisse sidelined.

More:Eric Dailey Jr. joins Oklahoma State basketball 2023 recruiting class. Meet the others.

Top player this week

Boone: There was no better player for the Cowboys, even in defeat. Boone started the week with 16 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks against Texas. He followed with a career-best 23 points, three rebounds and two blocks at Kansas State, fighting through double and triple teams. Consider these numbers — 16.3 points, 20-30 shooting, 6.3 rebounds, 2.7 blocks — the best three-game stretch in Boone’s OSU career.

'It's good for the game':Why Oklahoma State's Mike Boynton wants Jerome Tang to succeed

Player on the rise

Caleb Asberry: The transfer guard missed the final two non-conference games in December with a non-COVID illness, which led to some rustiness. But the 6-foot-3 redshirt senior started to find his groove in the past two games. His minutes are up. So is his output. He made two 3s, had five rebounds and dished out three assists in the loss to Texas. In Tuesday’s loss at Kansas State, he played 27 minutes, scored 15 points, made 5 of 11 shots, grabbed five rebounds, had two assists, a block and a steal. As the sixth man, his importance on both ends is critical but for a team searching for a spark offensively, he could be the guy in big moments.

More:How Oklahoma State basketball promotion made 'old people feel a little young' again

Updated bracketology

The Cowboys remain on the bubble of making the NCAA Tournament, with ESPN Bracketology from the middle of the week putting them on the outside looking in.

OSU is projected as one of the next four out, ranking No. 73 overall.

A win at Baylor — a projected fifth seed — would certainly help put the Cowboys back in the field.

They still project well, ranking No. 44 in the NCAA N.E.T. Rankings. OSU is also No. 30 in KenPom.com rankings.

More:Tramel: What will it take for Bedlam rivals, OU & OSU, to make NCAA basketball tournament?

Stat to know

22%: The Cowboys’ turnover percentage, according to KenPom.com. It’s the worst percentage among all teams in the six major conferences and ranks 334 nationally. OSU averages 15.1 turnovers per game. It’s averaged 17 in the past two games, both losses.

Jacob Unruh covers college sports for The Oklahoman. You can send your story ideas to him at junruh@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @jacobunruh. Support his work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.

OSU vs. Baylor

TIPOFF: 5 p.m. Saturday at Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas (ESPN2)

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State basketball: Bernard Kouma brings value through screens