Cade Cunningham Drops Double-Double in Debut as Oklahoma State Tops UT Arlington

Blake SchusterSenior Analyst INovember 26, 2020

Gregory Payan/Associated Press

The Cade Cunningham Show has arrived in men's college basketball.

Wednesday marked the NCAA debut of the 6'8" shooting guard ranked as the No. 1 high school prospect in the country, and Cunningham led Oklahoma State to a 75-68 victory over UT Arlington.

ESPN @espn
Cade Cunningham, ladies and gentlemen. Remember the name 🔥 https://t.co/wdbeZ0lX6u

The Cowboys' newest star finished 7-of-16 from the field, including 2-of-5 from three, with 21 points, 10 rebounds and three assists in 36 minutes. That he turned the ball over five times and committed three fouls was understandable as he transitions to college, but the presumptive No. 1 pick in next year's NBA draft had social media in awe over his potential.

Jeff Borzello @jeffborzello
Solid debut for Cade Cunningham -- took on more of a ball-handling, creating role as game progressed. Had the ball in his hands on most big possessions in the second half. Started to grab boards and push. OK State struggled vs. UTA's zone in general. Cade finished with 21-10-3.

Rob Dauster @RobDauster
Cade Cunningham finished with 21 points, 10 boards and three assists and it never really felt like he got out of second gear. And he definitely did not show off his passing or ability to manipulate a defense yet. But there were a few *WOW* moments in transition.

Jeremy Woo @JeremyWoo
Everything I have to say about Cade Cunningham this season is just going to feel like stating the obvious, but even after a dozen or so live viewings over two years it still blows me away watching him operate at a completely different speed than everyone else at all times

Sam Vecenie @Sam_Vecenie
The word out of Oklahoma State in camp was that Cade Cunningham had really improved as a jump shooter and was knocking down 3s at a higher clip than he did at the prep level. He’s already hit two and the mechanics look very clean.

Sam Vecenie @Sam_Vecenie
Cunningham played fine and still had 21/10/3 in his debut. It says he had five turnovers, but two of those were legit incorrect calls by officials, and another was shaky. The final 10 minutes or so in the first half, before UTA went zone, he completely obliterated them.

Jerry Brewer @JerryBrewer
Cade Cunningham has so much Grant Hill in his game. He doesn't seem to have the first step & explosion of G, and he's a couple of inches shorter. But the way he glides all over the court and how easily he handles the ball at that size is similar.

Cunningham proved he can contribute both on and off the ball, easily finding teammates in transition.

Oklahoma State is back in action against Texas Southern at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday on ESPN+. His audience will only continue to grow as the NCAA's latest big name begins his career.

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