Unsung Hero: TCU and Oklahoma

The Cardiac Cowboys were in full effect this week, grinding out two close wins. The Cowboys went on the road and beat a tough TCU team 71-68. Then on Saturday, in front of a sold out GIA, the Cowboys came from behind to beat arch-rival OU 96-92. In both games, Oklahoma State had to battle for 40 minutes to get the victory, and in both games Jawun Evans was the man who got it done for the Pokes. Evans hit a clutch stepback jumper against TCU to give the Cowboys at three point lead. In Bedlam, Jawun Evans dropped 27 points, including 16 of the final 18 points for the Cowboys down the stretch. This was a great week for the Cowboys, who made it back to .500 after starting conference play 0-6.

Through there were great performances by Jeffrey Carroll and Phil Forte (what else is new?), it was Mitchell Solomon stood out to me this week. For the second time this season, he is my unsung hero.

Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports

Solomon had eight points hitting all four of his shots and also collected four rebounds against TCU. Against OU, he had six points and seven rebounds. All six of those points came at the charity stripe, including two clutch free throws in the final seconds of Bedlam to secure the victory.

His improvement has been incredible for the Cowboys this season. Brad Underwood considers him an “elite” defender, and now he is starting to score at a higher clip. His defense is what keeps him in the starting lineup, so now, getting scoring out of him is just a bonus. The best part of the last two games, Solomon did not foul out!! If he can stay out of foul trouble, his defensive prowess can help lead the Cowboys to more victories as they prepare to end another regular season in two short weeks.