cade-cunningham.jpg
USATSI

Cade Cunningham will be back on the floor Thursday for No. 12 Oklahoma State. 

Cowboys coach Mike Boynton told CBS Sports that his star freshman point guard practiced on Tuesday, prior to the team's departure for the Big 12 Tournament, and Boynton expects Cunningham to be able to play in OSU's Thursday Big 12 quarterfinal vs. West Virginia. Oklahoma State is the No. 4 seed, WVU is the No. 5 seed.

Cunningham, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft who also just became the fourth Big 12 player in history to win both Player and Freshman of the Year in that conference, twisted his ankle late in Oklahoma State's loss at Baylor last Thursday. It was Oklahoma State's only loss in its past seven games. The Cowboys won Saturday without Cunningham at West Virginia.

The Cowboys' starting five should return in full, as Boynton added that starting shooting guard Isaac Likekele will also be back after dealing with a foot and hand injuries, causing him to miss OSU's past four games. Likekele leads the team rebounds (6.9 per game) and assists (3.7). Likekele has missed six of OSU's past seven games. The 18-7 Pokes currently sit as a No. 4 seed in Jerry Palm's latest Bracketology.