Upstart Cinderella Oregon State put an end to Cade Cunningham’s one and done season with a 80-70 win inside of Butler Fieldhouse on Sunday night.
Cade C finished with 24 points, but Oregon State’s Ethan Thompson was the best player on the floor with 26 points and a clutch performance worthy of Jimmy Chitwood in the classic hoops flick Hoosiers. Maybe Sam Presti will draft Ethan since his semi-tanking Thunder have won too many games to get a top three player. That would be the ultimate epilogue to the James Harden trade.
Oklahoma State pulled to within three at 70-67 with 3:39 left, but then for some reason forgot what got them to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. That being, getting the ball in Cade Cunningham’s hands and Cade getting to the free throw line.
It was an array of bad shots by the wrong players in the wrong situations. It was ugly is what it was and a cruel ending for those of us in Oklahoma who have enjoyed watching Cade’s ‘one and done season’ in Stillwater since we haven’t had a legitimate Thunder season of basketball or tanking.
When I looked at the box score after the game I was stunned. Oregon State out-rebounded the Cowboys 52-32. The Beavers blocked 11 shots and they lived on the free throwline. In retrospect—it’s somewhat amazing Mike Boynton’s team was even in this game at the end.
Avery Anderson with 16 points and Keylan Boone with 13 points were Cade’s only help on a night when Issac Likekele, Kaleb Boone, Rondel Walker, and Bryce Williams didn’t pull their links on the proverbial chain.
I’m sad because there’s that hoops romantic in me who wanted to see Jimmy Chitwood take Coach Sutton’s program back to glory on Championship Monday.
But it was not to be because on this night in storied Butler Fieldhouse…Ethan Thompson was Jimmy Chitwood and the Oregon State Beavers along with Abilene Christian, Buddy Boehiems’s Syracuse team, and Oral Roberts still have that hope alive in me we’re going to see something truly remarkable as we head towards One Shining Moment.
Mike Boynton, dude…I love you. But when you have Jimmy Chitwood—you put the ball in his hands the last 3:39 and let someone else run the picket fence play. Just saying.