CRFF Roundtable: It’s the End of the Season as we Know It.

It’s time for another weekly edition of the CRFF roundtable, where the curator (that’s me) asks a series of Oklahoma State athletics related questions and our crack-staff of editors, writers, and contributors offer their hot takes opinions (Yes I answer the questions too).

This week our series of topics include Oklahoma State basketball, the legal troubles of a certain Sooner quarterback, and our walk-up songs. Let’s begin!

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1) We know Oklahoma State will play in the 4 vs 5 game in the Big 12 Tournament next week. While we don't know who they will play, we do know it will either be Baylor, Iowa State, or West Virginia. Who would you rather see OSU play in the game?

Micah Allen: Probably West Virginia, we played them really well in Morgantown and I think we would have a better chance at winning that game. It seemed like we had them figured out the last time we played.

Sam Hersh: I would definitely want to play West Virginia. Some may say Iowa State, but Monte Morris and the Cyclones have won 10 out of their last 11. They have a lot of momentum going into March. Although it is tough to beat a team 3 times in a season (Baylor). I think playing a neutral site game against West Virginia is the best scenario. The great thing about March Madness is the elimination of “home-court advantage". OSU has already beaten WV once, and i see Baylor’s size as too much for the Pokes.

Brodie Smith: Because I think any of those three is a good matchup for the Cowboys at this point in the season, I'm willing to take any of them. But, I have to say Baylor because I hate that we lost to them twice when we could've won either game. So, I'd rather they take on and beat Baylor than the other two.

Tyler Wiederhoeft: After (Tuesday’s) game, I want to face Iowa State again. Props to them for shooting the lights out of the ball, but the Cowboys stuck with them the entire way. Take out a few questionable calls and they miss a couple more shots, and the game goes to OSU. I don't think they can repeat their performance in Kansas City. Gimme the Cyclones in the first round of the Big 12 tournament and the Cowboys will avenge their regular-season sweep.

Joel Penfield: I hope we play either Baylor or Iowa State. There is no way either team will beat us three times in one season. Brad Underwood has said it will not, and I believe him.

Phillip Slavin: Baylor is a match-up nightmare for most teams, especially ones who don’t have depth in the paint. That would be us. Honestly? I want Iowa State. They had to hit 15 threes to beat OSU by 3. They can’t hit free throws, and they can’t out-rebound the Cowboys. Neutral Court? I take OSU over ISU. Bring on the Cyclones

2) OSU ends the regular season on Saturday when they welcome Kansas to Stillwater for Senior Day. Let's get your score prediction.

Micah: 70-65 Pokes...It'll be close but I just can't look past KU's issues in GIA.

Sam: KU is really really good, but let’s not take away from what Coach Underwood and the staff has done turning around this Big 12 season. I think OSU is going to give them a heck of a game. GIA should be ecstatic with the No. 1 team in the land in town, and I think the Pokes will play one of their best games of the season. OSU 85-79.

Brodie: After the way Kansas has won its last couple of games despite double-digit deficits, I have to expect they'll come out ready for this game. Self knows how important it is to be focused, especially in a hostile environment like a resurgent Gallagher-Iba Arena can now generate. Kansas has nothing to lose and the Cowboys have nothing really to gain outside of padding its tournament resumé. Should be a fun game, and I'm expecting Kansas to pull off the road win 78-72 after OSU struggles to score early.

Tyler: High-scoring affair, defense optional, old-fashioned barnburner? I think so. Oklahoma State wins its fifth straight in historic Gallagher-Iba Arena 96-89. OSU free throw shooting comes in clutch.

Joel: I'll go 83-75 Cowboys. I have this odd feeling we might see shades of Jawun Evans that we saw in Bedlam his freshman season...

Phillip: I want to pick Oklahoma State to win 79-71. I actually think the Cowboys are better in the paint than the Jayhawks are. I want to believe that Kansas just can’t win in GIA. I just don’t know. I’m going to stick to that 79-71 score with the Pokes coming out the winner... I just don’t feel confident in it.

3) Joel has done a great job this season with the Unsung Hero posts. With just a few games to go, who is your basketball Unsung Hero for the season?

Micah: Brad Underwood, if it's okay to say the coach. He's done a phenomenal job turning the team around this season. I had my doubts but that man man can coach.

Sam: The unsung hero is one of my favorite posts CRFF does. I think what makes basketball great is that you can still play an important role without scoring 25 points a game. I would have to say Phil Forte. Leadership is often overlooked, and that is one of the big things Forte brings to the table. He is 3rd on the team in PPG, and let’s not forget how much of a threat he is from behind the arc. He hit one of the biggest shots of the season against OU in Norman, and his experience has been valuable to the Pokes this season.

Brodie: I want to say Lindy Waters as he was a spark plug midway through the season that helped get Underwood's crew trending upward. This despite his injury issue(s). I also want to say Mitchell Solomon because he's provided the unexpected at times when the Cowboys needed it most. But, it's gotta be Davon Dillard, right? He came on suddenly and has the ability to ignite the crowd at any moment he's on the court. Your eyes are drawn to him whether he has the ball or not. You want to see all of what he will do next. He provides rim-rocking scoring and is aggressive on both ends of the court. He brings a consistent lift that no other non-starter not named Carroll has shown to this point.

Tyler: Can I say the entire team? There were not high expectations coming into this season. OSU was coming off a 12-20 (3-15 Big 12) season, it got a new head coach and a complete overhaul of the system. If the team would have won six conference games this year, I think I would have been happy. But here we are, about to watch the Cowboys go for their 10th conference win. What a turnaround - especially considering the 0-6 run the Cowboys started with. What Brad Underwood has been able to do in his first season is above and beyond what most people expected. I'm impressed the team has been able to buy-in to what Underwood has been teaching, and have had such a remarkable season.

Joel: I'll go with Brandon Averette. He has improved vastly since the beginning of the season. Once the speed of the game slowed down for him, he has been effective on offense both scoring and facilitating. He's been getting 6-8 points off the bench consistently in the last couple of weeks. It's huge to get that type of production from a bench player, especially if Jawun is out of the game.

Phillip: I could go with all of the freshmen. However, the correct answer is Averette. The freshman back-up point guard has only gotten better and better as the year has progressed. Statistically, he is shooting the ball really well, and there have been multiple instances where the team has gone on a run with him on the floor and Evans on the bench. However, when the two are on the floor together, especially late in games, that is when this team is at its most dangerous. That’s why Averette gets the trophy.

4) Since everyone keeps talking about it, even though it has next-to-nothing to do with Oklahoma State, how do you feel about OU Quarterback Baker Mayfield's run-away run-in with the law?

Micah: I laughed so freaking hard. I mean he's a college kid, PIs (public intox) happen. But like how dumb do you have to be to run???

Sam: I really don’t have an opinion either way. Baker should know better being a big-time college athlete, but i’m not going to sit here and act like he’s the first ever college football player to get arrested for “disorderly conduct". It definitely is embarrassing to the program and more importantly himself.

Brodie: It was a "nothing to see here" blip, really. If he wasn't the quarterback of the two-time defending Big 12 champs, it probably wouldn't get much play. He's a college guy. He made some poor choices. It's a little funny, though. I just don't want to revel in someone else's misfortune, whether voluntary or not.

Tyler: Getting too drunk is what kids do in college. Fine. Running away from the cops and resisting arrest once they caught you is not a good thing. It's even worse when you are the face of a program like OU Football. If it would have been just PI or something minor, this would barely be a story. Do I think he will get any punishment from the OU administration? Probably not. Nothing will happen to Mayfield. He probably won't even get anything from the legal system if you ask me.

Joel: The public intox charge doesn't bother me. He's over 21 and in college, these things will happen sometimes. However, the disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and fleeing charges I do find to be a problem. That is not a good look for Mayfield that he ran away from police. But, because he's good at football at OU nothing will come of it.

Phillip: One the one hand, he’s a college kid who made a college kid mistake. On the other hand, if you are going to be a starting quarterback at a program like Oklahoma, who expects to be a Heisman nominee, an NFL Draft pick, and a Captain on your team? You should damn well know better than to run from the police. Just suspend him a game and let’s turn our attention back to how awful of a place Baylor is.

5) Baseball is having a so-so start to the season. Record aside, what would your walk-up song be?

Micah: Oh gosh this is hard....24K magic by Bruno Mars?

Sam: Being a college baseball player, i do have a walk-up song (well I’m a pitcher so “walk-out” song).. “Jungle” by X-Ambassadors.

Brodie: That's so difficult to choose. A classic like Enter Sandman from Metallica is hard to beat, but Mariano Rivera sort of put that one out of reach. Though possibly overdone, it's hard to go wrong with AC/DC, so I'll pick Back in Black, which would be fitting when wearing black tops. Also considered—depending on the day and how I'm doing at the plate during a give span: Thunderstruck (AC/DC), Sail (AWOLNATION), Sultans of Swing (Dire Straits), Cliffs of Dover (Eric Johnson), Wake Up (Rage Against the Machine), and Sweet Child O' Mine (Guns N' Roses).

Tyler: Oooo that's a tough one. I never had a walkup song in high school (#smalltownprobs), but if I did, I probably would go with Swing by Trace Adkins. It would remind me what I should do at the plate.

Joel: As someone who has loved baseball for their entire life, this is a hard question. If I'm going to go country, I'll go with Swing by Trace Adkins. If it's rock, then probably Rock n Roll Train by AC/DC, and if it's rap I'll go with Worldwide Choppers by Tech N9ne.

Phillip: I’m gonna walk out to one song, and one song only.