Cade Cunningham out for Oklahoma State vs. West Virginia with Ankle Injury

Oklahoma State superstar freshman Cade Cunningham will not play Saturday against West Virginia.

According to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, Oklahoma State head coach Mike Boynton announced that Cunningham will miss the game with an ankle injury. He rolled his ankle during Thursday's 81-70 loss to No. 3 Baylor.

The 19-year-old is a consensus top pick in the 2021 NBA draft. He was the only freshman named to the Associated Press Preseason All-America team, joining James Wiseman, RJ Barrett, Michael Porter Jr. and Ben Simmons as the only other first-year players to do so in the last six seasons. He was the first Oklahoma State player to be named to the team since Marcus Smart in 2013.

With Cunningham leading the way, the Cowboys are 17-7 and are the No. 17-ranked team in the country.

The freshman has averaged a team-leading 19.7 points per game to go along with 6.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.4 steals. He was named a finalist for the 2021 Bob Cousy Award, given annually to the country's top point guard. 

Cunningham averaged 13.9 points, 6.4 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game as a senior at Montverde Academy, leading his team to an undefeated 25-0 season that resulted in a national ranking of No. 1. He was ranked as the class of 2020's top recruit by 247Sports.

B/R's Jonathan Wasserman put the 6'8", 220-pounder at the top of his big board in early March, writing, "As advanced as he's looked as a scorer, he's equally skilled as a passer—he just hasn't been asked to be a playmaker as much for a team that needs his scoring punch."

With both Cunningham and No. 3 scorer Isaac Likekele set to miss Saturday's regular-season finale, look for Avery Anderson III and Kalib Boone to be the team's top options offensively.