Oklahoma State Basketball

According to the Tulsa World's Mark Cooper, former Oklahoma State Cowboys basketball player Stevie Clark is suing the university, his former head coach Travis Ford and the school's board of regents over a variety of claims.    

The allegations cited by Clark include claims that Ford didn't uphold his end of a promise that involved giving the former guard a Chevy Camaro.

According to Cooper, the following was alleged by Clark in the official complaint: "Various promises were made with regard to playing time and ensuring that Stevie made it to the next level. Travis Ford even promised Stevie a Camaro."

Additionally, Clark alleged that he was forced to consume psychotropic drugs during his brief tenure with the squad.

The case summary, which can be viewed here in its entirety, indicates Clark formally filed the complaint Sept. 2.

Clark has battled legal troubles in the past—including an arrest for marijuana possession on New Year's Day in 2014. The embattled shooter was then dismissed from the program a month after the arrest.

"We care about Stevie and wish nothing but the best for him," Ford said in a statement announcing the dismissal, according to CBS Sports' Jeff Borzello. "We want him to find success in his future, wherever that may be."

The school denied Clark's allegations in a statement to the Tulsa World, saying, "Oklahoma State University has reviewed Mr. Clark’s petition and his claims are completely and utterly baseless."

While Clark and the school appeared to maintain an amicable partnership while he made 16 appearances and shot 40.9 percent from three-point range as a key reserve for the Cowboys, the relationship has become contentious more than a year after his departure from the program.

Oklahoma State received a major boost to its 2015 recruiting class thanks to a commitment from highly coveted point guard Jawun Evans.

Reggie Rankin of ESPN.com reports the Cowboys edged fellow finalists Illinois and USC in the race to land the rising star out of Dallas. He also passed along comments from the program's newest commit, who said the style of play was a key factor.     

"The style of play at Oklahoma State fits more with the way I already play with my travel team ... and that will make the adjustment easier," Evans said. "I like to push the pace and I am great on defense. I will pick up my teammates when they are down. Be a leader."

Evans is a 5-star prospect who ranks just outside the top 20 nationally for the class of 2015, according to 247Sports' composite rankings. The outlet, which rates him as the No. 8 prospect in its own rankings, notes 18 different programs showed interest in the backcourt general before he made his decision.

The thing that stands out most with the Justin F. Kimball High School product is his quickness. He plays the game fast, but doesn't look out of control. It's a delicate balance that he'll likely have to redevelop once he reaches the college game.

Garrett Tucker of HoopSeen is bullish about the point guard's chances of success, in large part due to his ability to get up and down the floor:

Jawun Evans may be the biggest perimeter difference maker in 2015. His end-to-end speed will 'wow' Oklahoma St fans pic.twitter.com/1C7kGdGwnY

— Garrett Tucker (@GTuckerHoops) October 1, 2014

Aside from that, Evans already displayed advanced scoring ability on the offensive end and a defensive work rate that championship teams need from their point guard. From a raw talent standpoint, he's the complete package, which is why he was given the 5-star distinction.

In terms of taking his game to the next level it starts with continuing to add variety on the offensive end. He likes to attack the rim to score or dish out to open shooters, but learning to score consistently against elite interior defenders will be a learning process.

He also figures to add some bulk to his frame. At 6'0'' and 165 pounds, he doesn't have great length. So he'll have to add some strength in order to play with the same level of ferociousness on both ends of the floor. Oklahoma State will hope he can do that without sacrificing any quickness.

All told, the outlook is very bright for Evans. Cowboys fans will hope his arrival helps spark a recruiting boost in the months ahead.

If Marcus Smart has indeed played his final game for Oklahoma State, he won't look back on his finale fondly, as Gonzaga knocked the Cowboys out of the NCAA tournament, winning 85-77.

Smart's final line will certainly look impressive enough, as he finished with 23 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists and six steals. Once again, he was the star of the show for Oklahoma State, and its hard to imagine him doing much else for the team.

But his evening was far from perfect. Consider that he didn't hit his first bucket of the second half until there were only six minutes, 22 seconds left. Or that he went just 12-of-19 from the charity stripe, 5-of-14 from the field and 1-of-5 from beyond the arc. Or that he didn't exactly make many friends with his theatrics on the court.

Basketball guru Ken Pomeroy certainly noticed it:

So too did ESPN's Ryen Russillo:

Still, we shouldn't pile onto Smart too much. After all, he often was playing down on the block and doing battle with Gonzaga's big men, performing admirably when asked to do so. And his own coach, Travis Ford, was given a technical at the end of the first half for presumably protesting a lack of calls he felt should have gone his team's way.

Smart too was clearly perturbed by the officiating, as he said after the game, via Stewart Mandel of Sports Illustrated:

Plus, every time the Cowboys seemed to make a run and looked ready to seize control of the game, Gonzaga had an answer. In many ways, the entire game was a microcosm of a very frustrating, very disappointing season for Oklahoma State.

And Smart gave everything he had. His effort was certainly never in question. Just ask Bonnie Bernstein of Campus Insiders:

Oh, and there's also this, passed along by ESPN Stats and Information:

Taking everything into consideration, Smart earns an A- for his performance. There were times he was absolutely dominant, and there were times he disappointed—all in the same game. Ultimately, though, he couldn't quite get the Cowboys out of the round of 64 for a second straight year, and that has to factor into his grade for this game.

But it's hard to not give a guy an A when he makes history.

Talk will now turn to whether Smart should have returned for his sophomore year at all. Once again, his team was eliminated in the round of 64 and, in the process, probably cost himself a bit of money as his draft stock clearly took a hit after this season.

Granted, Smart has already said that returning this year was the best thing he could have done, as he told Kelly Hines of Tulsa World:

The Gonzaga Bulldogs are in the NCAA tournament once again, but Bulldogs backers haven't had much March Madness luck with them as the Zags have gone just 4-9 against the spread in their last 13 tournament games.

The Bulldogs begin this year's tournament Friday afternoon when they take on the Oklahoma State Cowboys in a West Region matchup.

Spread and total points scored betting line

The Cowboys opened as 2.5-point favorites; the total was 141. (Compare lines and consensus on the Odds Shark matchup report.)

Odds Shark computer pick

71.4-70.8, Bulldogs

Why pick Oklahoma State to cover the spread

The Cowboys returned four starters from a team that won 24 games last year but got knocked out in the opening round of the tournament. Oklahoma State started this season 16-3 but then lost seven in a row, including three while guard Marcus Smart (18 points per game) sat out with a suspension.

The Cowboys then recovered to win five of their last seven, with the two losses occurring in overtime. So Oklahoma State is an at-large tournament entrant from the Big 12, this time as a No. 9 seed.

The Cowboys have four players averaging at least 13 PPG this season, as the team is averaging 80 PPG, and they can play some defense, limiting foes to 41 percent field-goal shooting. They have won and covered five straight as favorites.

Why pick Gonzaga to cover the spread

The Zags are making their 16th consecutive NCAA tournament appearance after winning both the West Coast Conference regular-season and tournament titles. Gonzaga didn't play quite the usual brutal nonconference schedule, but still racked up a solid RPI ranking.

The No. 8 Bulldogs have four players averaging at least 10 points per game, rank fifth nationally in field-goal percentage at just under 50 percent, are hitting 39 percent from three-point range and are holding foes to less than 40 percent shooting.

Smart betting pick

Gonzaga is probably relieved that unlike last year's tournament, it doesn't have the “No. 1 seed” target on its back. Oklahoma State, meanwhile, is trying to rebound after getting bounced from last year's tournament in the first round.

The Zags are 3-4 against tournament qualifiers this season straight up, while the Cowboys are 5-11. But four of those OSU losses came in overtime. Smart wants to make a good last impression before heading off for greener pastures, so take the Cowboys minus the short spread.

This is also one of those situations where the No. 9 seed is actually favored over the No. 8. The past eight times this has happened, the underdog covered the spread.

Power rankings (per Odds Shark power ranks)

Oklahoma State Cowboys: No. 73

Gonzaga Bulldogs: No. 45 

March Madness betting trends

• Gonzaga ended year on 5-0 SU, 4-1 ATS
• Gonzaga 4-9 ATS in tournament since 2007
• Oklahoma State won and covered five straight as favorites
• The "under" bet is 7-1 past eight OSU first-round games
• Gonzaga is 5-0 SU, 4-1 ATS vs. Oklahoma State since 2004

Note: All spread and betting line data powered by Odds Shark.

The image of Marcus Smart in the stands at Texas Tech follows him everywhere now. He's still asked about it, and always will be. Years from now when he's in an NBA locker room, reporters and teammates will want to know. 

What made you break?

This week, as Smart prepares for the NCAA tournament, he has one last chance to leave college basketball with something else to remember him by—one last chance to show, weeks after the incident at Tech, that he is in control.  

The things that he could not control—like what a Texas Tech fan screamed at him—used to stay with him like a bullied child. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ha3S3kwAQE

No one knows exactly what Texas Tech superfan Jeff Orr said other than Smart and Orr, but he said something, and Smart cared. He cared enough to go into the stands and let him know he didn't like that very much. 

"You don't want to give no one the satisfaction of knowing they got to you," Smart told Bleacher Report last week. "Ever since my suspension, that's all I've been thinking about." 

Smart leaned back comfortably in a chair as he said these words. It was last Thursday at the Big 12 tournament after his team had lost to Kansas. 

As I watched him calmly answer questions—some answers strange, but always calm—it hit me that the incident at Texas Tech and the suspension was the best thing that ever happened to Marcus Smart.

How we act in the bad times is often what defines us. And before the push, Smart was lost. For the first time in his basketball career, nothing was going his way, and he reacted like a brat.

Two months ago, I was at Kansas the first time Smart lost to the Jayhawks, and that day he stormed out of the press conference, and my colleague Jason King followed Smart and teammate Phil Forte. King observed Smart give the cold shoulder to two high school girls who wanted a picture before Forte eventually convinced him to just take the picture.

And there were other selfish moments that played out in front of the camera. He kicked a chair at West Virginia. He pouted at Iowa State when refs caught on to his flopping. And then he heard something he didn't like in the stands at Texas Tech, and he snapped. 

But to his credit, the suspension gave Smart time to realize his act wasn't helping anyone. Letting everyone see how much it bothered him was affecting his teammates. 

"He's more relaxed out there," teammate Markel Brown said of the Smart he sees now. "I guess you could say a lot of weight dropped off his shoulders."

That's evident when you watch him closely. Iowa State students brilliantly mocked his flopping 10 days ago. Kansas fans cheered and laughed last Thursday when he was unable to fool the officials with his flops. 

Each time, you see Smart begin to react and then think better of it. 

"You don't want to give them that satisfaction," Smart said again. 

Without the suspension, Oklahoma State may have ended up in the NIT instead of the NCAA tournament this week. The Cowboys won five of six games when he returned, and that was the end of an act that could have buried their season. 

It was a comeback that should be one of the defining moments of Smart's career. But unless Oklahoma State goes on a run in the tournament, somehow pulls off an upset of Arizona in the round of 32, all that some people will remember about Smart's college career is the push and the flopping. 

It's a shame too, because college basketball fans should root for Smart. We should want to see more Smarts, guys who enjoy the college experience so much they put the NBA on hold. Instead, his return looks like a mistake. 

Not only did his jumper not improve, but the Texas Tech incident is also portrayed as a red flag. He's just another example for the "take the money and run" argument. 

But college is about becoming a man, and in the end, Smart will leave Oklahoma State more mature than if he had left a year ago. 

Still, no matter how much he says otherwise, he is a kid who cannot help but care what we think. 

"I think my legacy is already defined," Smart said when asked if the next few weeks will help redefine his legacy. "I'm a hard worker, teammate. I like to make my teammates better. I'm kind, but like Kevin Durant said, don't let the kindness fool you. Don't take it for weakness. Between those lines, I talk trash, I'm physical, I don't respect you.

"But if you fall down, I'll help you up. I'll shake your hand. If you're hurt, I'll check on you and make sure you're all right.

"Off the court, I'm probably one of the kindest people you'll ever meet. But on the court, I'm a pest. I know a lot of teams understand and know that."

Yes, we get it, Marcus. You want to be remembered fondly.

And after helping save Oklahoma State's season when he returned, that is likely how his teammates and Cowboys fans will remember him: fondly. The rest of us, however, are still watching to see how Smart acts on the biggest stage and how he will react when the end gets here. 

If you love college basketball, let's hope that end stretches on a bit. Let's hope the kid can give us another image this weekend that passes the push.

C.J. Moore covers college basketball for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @CJMooreBR.

There are a number of NCAA teams that are still in play for a spot in March Madness action, but the final field will be decided in these next couple of weeks.

Of the teams still in play for a berth, the Dayton Flyers come to mind as one of the most deserving teams in the country. They're riding a six-game win streak as February comes to a close and will look to make it seven in a row against Saint Joseph's on Tuesday night.

They only play one ranked team out of their four remaining opponents, meaning they have a solid chance to continue their recent string of success as we finish off the regular season.

The Flyers are one of many bubble teams that will have a chance to take part in March Madness, but they are of a select few when it comes to who will likely make it in. 

Minnesota Golden Gophers

Record: 17-11

Notable Wins: Ohio State, Wisconsin

The Minnesota Golden Gophers have had a rough schedule this season, but they have shown up big on occasion.

They pulled in big wins over the Ohio State Buckeyes and also dominated the ninth-ranked team in the nation in Wisconsin. Minnesota has lost two in a row heading into its Tuesday matchup with Iowa, but it could pull out a victory on its home court.

The Gophers' final two games will come against No. 16 Michigan and Penn State, two games that are certainly winnable. They've been far from consistent this season but will have the opportunity to finish strong and make it into the tournament.

The Gophers will need to win at least two of these games to make it in, and they will have a chance to put themselves in a great position come Tuesday night. 

Dayton Flyers

Record: 19-8

Notable Wins: George Washington, Ole Miss

Dayton has been an impressive team for the greater part of this season and is looking for a smooth finish to its regular season. Three of its final four opponents are unranked teams, setting the Flyers up for a chance to get even hotter before the tournaments starts.

They have gained much momentum throughout February, winning every game they've played so far. The final result of the season for Dayton is in the hands of junior guard Jordan Sibert, the team's leading scorer and a clutch three-point shooter, as we saw in the Flyers' game against IPWF.

If Sibert can keep his hot hand through these final four games, then we could very well see the Flyers earn a spot in the tournament.

Oklahoma State Cowboys

Record: 18-10

Notable Wins: Memphis, Colorado

Oklahoma State snapped a seven-game losing streak last weekend, when they defeated the Kansas State Wildcats, and it followed that up with another victory on Monday night against TCU.

The Cowboys remained competitive during their losing streak and seem like they've been able to turn things around. They're very good at scoring (15th in the nation) and will rely on their ability to put points up in their final three games.

Especially now that Marcus Smart is back in the rotation, the Cowboys looks like they're back to form and could really play themselves into a March Madness berth. 

Smart had 10 assists in Oklahoma State's last game against Texas Tech and managed to keep the offense running smoothly. He will be key for the Cowboys in these final games and could be what pushes them over the top and into the tournament.

In case you haven't heard by now, things are really bad right now for the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

Travis Ford's team are in the midst of a season-crippling four-game losing streak, but that is the least of their concerns after the Marcus Smart incident on Saturday. 

As has been well-documented by everyone in sports media, Smart was provoked by a Texas Tech fan and shoved him towards the end of the Cowboys' upset loss to the Red Raiders on Saturday night.

While the Smart story stole the headlines, the real newsmaker from Saturday night in Lubbock was the fact the Cowboys are on the verge of missing the NCAA men's basketball tournament because of their lowly February. 

Oklahoma State has lost four straight and five of its last six games, and the team currently sits at 4-6 in the Big 12, a streak and record no tournament hopeful wants to have at this time of the season. 

Now, with Smart suspended for three crucial games against Texas, Oklahoma and Baylor, the Cowboys have reached crisis mode and may not be able to salvage their season. 

Before Smart was ruled ineligible for the next three contests, the Cowboys were already suffering depth problems because of Michael Cobbins' season-ending injury and Stevie Clark's removal from the team for disciplinary reasons. 

Five days before they lost to Texas Tech, Ford and company fell in three overtimes at home to Iowa State, a game that saw just six players see significant playing time. 

Add to that problem the departure of a player who produces 17.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per game for three contests and you could easily declare the Cowboys as being royally screwed. 

In all honesty, Oklahoma State is in a very deep hole they dug themselves, and the only way to start climbing out of it is to win a game against a ranked opponent, a designation Texas happens to have heading into Tuesday's clash in Austin. 

Ford is going to have to piece together his bench behind a starting five of Phil Forte, Markel Brown, LeBryan Nash, Brian Williams and Kamari Murphy, which will be no easy task. 

No player outside the five starters for Tuesday's game has averaged more than 6.3 minutes per game this season. 

The player with the most minutes out of that mix of players that in a normal season would not see the court at all is Leyton Hammonds, who has contributed one point and 1.2 rebounds per game in 20 appearances. 

If Ford cannot get any production out of his reserves on Tuesday, he may have to pick volunteers from the student section to earn playing time against rival Oklahoma on Saturday, a task every fan in the Bedlam rivalry would love to take on.

The reliance on the remaining five key contributors will be a massive one, and while those players are fully capable of delivering an improbable win against either Texas or Oklahoma, the chances of that happening are slim.

Too many variables, whether it be foul trouble, fatigue or some other unknown, are at play in this type of situation and we may see Oklahoma State in the midst of a seven-game losing streak when Smart returns against Texas Tech, the same team that may have stuck the final dagger in the Cowboys' coffin. 

Oklahoma State is at a major disadvantage with Smart gone, and with its season already on a downward spiral, it will be hard for the Cowboys to recover from this latest massive blow to a season that started with plenty of expectations, none of which the team has lived up to as of now. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Just six seconds before his Oklahoma State Cowboys were about to lose their fifth game in their last six tries, Marcus Smart's bubble of frustration officially burst. 

He completely lost control and shoved a fan with a blow to the chest—an obvious no-no at any and every level. And there's really nothing Smart can do at this point to justify his actions, whether the fan verbally crossed the line or not.

But if we're looking at this incident from under an NBA-draft lens, it's not likely to make as big of a wave.

You're probably not going to find many general managers who immediately went running to their draft boards to penalize Smart. 

“He is frustrated with the season and I believe that had a lot to do with his outburst," one scout told SNY's Adam Zagoria. "No excuse for his actions but how he addresses it will determine whether he drops at all. If he does slip it will not be significant.”

This was just your textbook case of competitive rage intoxication. Any athlete has likely seen red in a game at one point in their careers. And unfortunately, Smart just wasn't able to control himself in this particular instance. 

But Smart has been in the public eye long enough for us to know what we're dealing with and what we're not. He's just a fiery, intense competitor who's willing to run through traffic to get a win, a result he frequently earned before enrolling in college as a two-time high school state champion. 

But lately he's losing, something he's not used to, and he's handling it poorly. It's a part of the maturation process, and this is just a rough stage in that process. 

However, it's not something Smart will be able to simply brush off and forget. General managers are going to grill him during the pre-draft period—because if there's one thing that draws a red flag, it's a pattern. 

And this shoving incident wasn't the first sign of a temper problem. On Jan. 25 against West Virginia, Smart's frustration got the best of him again, when he was seen karate-kicking a chair in disgust before storming off the court to cool down behind the bleachers. 

Prior to January, Smart seemed like a guy who'd seamlessly breeze right through NBA security. And now he's likely to get the full search.

Still, if anything, an NBA team might force him to see a sports psychologist or something of that nature. But we're not exactly talking about a dangerous loose cannon or a toxic locker-room presence here. 

The shove isn't going to be the reason a team passes on him on draft night. Frankly, if a team isn't interested in Smart, it's probably because of his 28.1-percent three-point stroke or his mediocre 1.59 assist-to-turnover ratio.

But Smart's character had never been questioned. He's built up the reputation as a humble leader, and if you've ever spoken with or listened to him, self-awareness appears to be a strength. 

When NBA decision makers interview him in June, chances are they're just going to see a die-hard competitor who lost his cool in the heat of the moment—a moment that seems unlikely to repeat itself.

Smart plays the game with a visible edge. You don't need to know much about basketball to detect the fire and intensity that fuel his production. And in this particular instance, Smart wasn't able to channel that fire appropriately. 

"I let my emotions get the best of me," Smart said in a press conference held Sunday afternoon. And that's really all this was. It's not going to permanently stain his image or NBA draft stock. 

Unless he sets off another alarm between now and June, there's really nothing more to this than a frustrated competitor who needs to learn how to lose. 

One of the things that makes Smart so likable as a prospect is that he cares more than anyone else on the floor. This was just an instance of Smart caring a little too much, and there's just no way enough NBA coaches or general managers are going to hold it against him to such an extent that it damages his long-term professional outlook. 

UPDATE Sunday, Feb. 9, 6:12 PM ET: The Big 12 announced that Marcus Smart will be suspended for three games for inappropriate conduct with a spectator during the final seconds of Oklahoma State's loss at Texas Tech on Saturday. 

On Saturday night, the world witnessed what has been known to those surrounding the Oklahoma State basketball team for the last two months. 

Marcus Smart is out of control.

Smart was out of his mind when he went into the stands at Texas Tech and pushed superfan Jeff Orr, as per ESPN, but that's not when Smart lost control. That was just the climax.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFUj4YCKMyM

This has been building as the losses pile up for the Cowboys—a team that was once ranked fifth has now lost four straight games. 

Two weeks ago, Smart kicked a chair against West Virginia when his team won, but he struggled. On Jan. 4, he pulled himself up over the rim on a dunk at K-State that resulted in a no-doubt technical and was a direct cause of his team's loss that day.

Last Monday at Iowa State, Big 12 referees finally caught on to his endless flopping, and when his act didn't get a call, he pouted.

On their own, each of these instances appeared to be small lapses in judgement. Together, they were signs of a renegade without an authority figure to hold him accountable for his actions.

Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford should have been that man, but it's understandable why he has stood by his player and hoped that he would eventually figure things out on his own. After all, Smart, in many ways, saved the Cowboys program. 

At Big 12 media day in October, I listened to Ford say that Smart had "never had a bad day" since he arrived in Stillwater. His attitude was always great. He never pouted. He never gave anything but maximum effort.

And a year ago, Smart changed the culture at Oklahoma State. He played so hard and with so much passion that his teammates couldn't help but try to match him.

"It's contagious," Ford said.

Smart was the leader of the Cowboys as much as his coach, and maybe even more so.

But when the Cowboys started to struggle this year, Smart, probably for this first time in his life, felt powerless on a basketball court. He didn't know how to handle the losing.

The longer it took Ford to regain control and put an end to Smart's act as a rebellious victim, the more likely that something like Saturday night was bound to happen.

As for what took place in Lubbock, it's important to acknowledge that Smart and Ford are not the only men who should step up and take accountability for what happened.

Orr said something to ignite Smart—he told Oklahoma State coaches it was a racial slur, ESPN.com reported—and honestly, it's surprising you don't see more of what happened in Lubbock.

I hear stuff from fans at nearly every college game I attend that makes me want to go up into the stands and ask the spectators, "Do you hear yourselves? These are kids. This is a game. This is a public place."

Cruel and hateful language is the norm, and it shouldn't be.

But Smart isn't the only one victim to it. It happens everywhere. And no matter what Orr said to him, there's no excuse for leaving the court and doing what he did.

Smart deserved to be suspended. He deserved to be held accountable for his actions.

And maybe if Smart had been put in his place before those final moments in Lubbock, an ugly scene never would have taken place.

C.J. Moore covers college basketball for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @CJMooreBR.

At times, it's easy to forget that Marcus Smart is undoubtedly one of the best players in America. 

Unfortunately for the Oklahoma State Cowboys, those times have been far more frequent as of late. After another painfully inefficient offensive game against rival Oklahoma on Monday night, the talented sophomore is now averaging just 14.0 points per game over the last three. 

Even worse, he's 10-of-39 (25.6 percent) from the field, 3-of-21 (14.3 percent) from beyond the arc and 19-of-25 (76.0 percent) from the charity stripe during the stretch, which has seen the Cowboys go 1-2. 

Let's not kid ourselves. Smart is one of the best two-way players in America. He's a ferocious defender: 2.5 steals per game and 20th in the nation in steal percentage, per kenpom.com (subscription needed). He's a savvy playmaker: 4.4 assists per game to just 2.6 turnovers. He rebounds well for his position: 5.7 'boards per contest. 

And it's not as though he has been invisible during this recent stretch. Against Kansas, he had 10 rebounds, nine assists, four steals and made all 10 of his free-throw attempts. Against West Virginia, his worst game of the season, he still had five rebounds, four assists and a steal. 

But his shooting—and his shot selection in particular—is hurting his team. 

That was never more apparent—although his early pull-up attempt over Joel Embiid against Kansas deserves an honorable mention—than in the waning moments vs. the Sooners on Monday night. 

To set the scene: Oklahoma State, down by 13 just minutes earlier, is in the midst of a comeback. A Phil Forte three-pointer, Markel Brown three-point play and Le'Bryan Nash jumper cut the lead to six. 

After the Sooners' Jordan Woodard hits a free throw to make it 77-70 with 3:30 remaining, the Cowboys dribble down the court with a chance to further eat into the lead.

What does Smart do? he receives the ball, doesn't survey the offense or defense, takes one dribble and pulls up for a contested three with more than 20 seconds remaining on the shot clock:

Naturally, it goes clank, the Sooners rebound and Woodard drills a three on the next possession to seal the win.

Considering the time on the clock, the game situation and the fact that OSU hadn't gotten into any kind of a set on offense, it was a horrendous decision and shot from Smart. At the very least, you run a play for Forte, who made all six of his long-range attempts on the night. If nothing's there, then you create. 

USA Today's Dan Wolken summed it up:

Perhaps what's more troubling than the fact Smart has missed 29 shots and 18 three-pointers over the last three games is all the talent around him. 

If he was stuck by himself on North Southwestern State Tech, then forcing shots would be understandable. But the Cowboys have one of the most dynamic offensive arsenals in America. 

In Lawrence, Forte, one of the best shooters in the country, came off the bench to pour in 23 points. At home against the Mountaineers, Smart now infamously took his anger out on the bench after scoring just four points, but Nash came to rescue with 29. 

Against the Sooners, Forte had 20 and the ultra-athletic, instant-offense Brown had 18. 

Smart, who is shooting barely over 30 percent from long range on the season, is showcasing an offensive tendency that is taking away shots from players who have been far more efficient and command far less defensive attention. According to kenpom.com, Smart is last on the team in effective field-goal percentage but has taken the most shots.

Smart can be an All-American without taking five treys per game.

His teammates don't need him to be a shooter. They need him to be a vocal leader, a distributor, a difference-maker on defense, a player who pushes one of the most athletic teams in America into transition and a strong, explosive guard who gets to the rim. 

If he continues doing those things—and cuts out the uncontested threes—good things will be on the horizon for everyone in Stillwater.