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It’s too early to write off Marcus Smart and Oklahoma State

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Gregg Doyel of CBSSports.com wrote a column today on Marcus Smart, the gist of which I agree with.

Doyel’s point?

“Bad guy does something bad, victim responds in a way we don’t like ... we blame the victim. ... All [Marcus Smart] did was shove a guy who yelled something horrible right into his face. It was a mistake, but the punishment continues to be meted out, and it will never fit the crime.”

There’s a lot more to it than that, but generally speaking, that’s what he’s saying.

And to a point, I think he’s right. If Smart isn’t careful, that shove could end up defining his career as a basketball player, and that would be sad. And unfair. He’s 19-year old frustrating by losing reacting to what he thought was someone using a racial slur. Anyone worth knowing would be able to forgive Smart for that, even the guy that got pushed.

Here’s where I disagree with Doyel: he’s already written Oklahoma State and Smart off, and that’s wildly premature.

Remember, Oklahoma State’s RPI is currently 47. They have wins over Memphis, Texas and Colorado, which came on a neutral court. They have just one bad loss on the season, and that was a road game in conference. The 4-9 league record and seven-game losing streak? That certainly doesn’t help, but it can be quickly forgotten with games remaining against Kansas, Kansas State and Iowa State, not to mention the Big 12 tournament.

The Pokes aren’t in an ideal spot, but they A) aren’t all that far from the (admittedly weak) bubble’s cut line, and B) they have plenty of time and a number of chances to turn this around.

I think they will.

I think this will be a wakeup call for Smart. I think the exaggerated flopping and the whining to officials will stop. I think he’ll play just as hard as his teammates did the last two games, when they lost to Oklahoma by three and at Baylor in overtime. I think they’ll do enough to make the NCAA tournament, and I think they could even end up winning a game there.

And as far as the idea of his draft stock tumbling? That’s true, but it has a hell of a lot more to do with the fact that the can’t hit a jumper than the fact that he shoved a fan.

This season is far from over for Oklahoma State.

Let’s not act like it is yet.

Follow @robdauster