Oklahoma State Basketball

Oklahoma has won seven in a row, including their latest victory against Baylor, 95-76. Baylor was never in this game and the Sooners have now defeated the Baylor Bears 29 straight times.

Blake Griffin was his usual self, scoring 20 points and grabbing 17 rebounds despite a collapsing zone meant to slow down the All-American. There are several theories on how to stop Griffin, and this one didn’t work.

Do you double-team him, pack a zone, or man him and shut down the rest of the team? The packed zone opened up opportunities for Griffins teammates and they came through. Taylor Griffin (18 points), Willie Warren (17 points) and Tony Crocker (12 points) all scored over their season averages.

Meanwhile, the defense held Baylor to 34.6 percent shooting which is about 15 percentage points below their season average.

Oklahoma State got the big road win they needed in beating Nebraska 76-74 in overtime on Saturday. The Cowboys shot a sizzling 54.7 percent both from the field and from the three-point line.

For the season, Oklahoma State is shooting 41.5 percent from behind the arch to rank No. 2 in the nation in that category. That three-point production has led the Cowboys to a No. 4 national ranking in total points scored at 85.4 per game.

ATS: Oklahoma is 9-6 ATS including 4-2 on the road Oklahoma State is 6-5-1 ATS including 5-1-1 at home. This should be a high scoring, fun game to watch.

Both teams can light it up, but Oklahoma has the better chance to have success on the defensive end.

The supporting cast for Griffin is improving and taking advantage of open shots, and the Sooners should be able to pull out a good road win.

Dave’s Pick: Oklahoma -4

See all of Dave's College Basketball Picks Against the Spread at cfbplace.com and soon at cbbplace.com

Maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part, as a Missouri fan.

Maybe it's the past experience I had with Bill Self as a former Illinois fan.

Or maybe it's just that T. Boone Pickens will donate a hefty sum of money to get Self back to Oklahoma State, where Self played his college ball.

Whatever it is, I think Self will be on the sidelines in Stillwater, not Lawrence, come next November.

There have been rumblings since Sean Sutton was fired that Self was going to be offered the head coaching position at Oklahoma State, but Self categorically denied that he would even consider it. 

Well, that's understandable. It's not like he was in the middle of a championship run or anything. 

Now that he's won his championship and accomplished all he can at Kansas, will he take on a new challenge at his alma mater?

Call it a hunch, but I think he does. It's not like Self is deeply committed to Kansas–I mean, everybody thought he was committed to Illinois, and look what happened.

Back in 2003, Self stated that he had no intention of leaving the Illini after Roy Williams left kU for the head coaching job at North Carolina. Within ten days, Self was a Jayhawk.

It didn't matter to Self that he had a commitment from Charlie Villanueva to play at Illinois, which Villanueva understandably reneged upon after Self left. It didn't matter to Self that he was leaving behind a promising group of young players that included James Augustin, Luther Head, Dee Brown, and Deron Williams, who all played huge parts in the Illini's run to the 2005 NCAA title game.

Basically, what I'm getting at is that there's no guarantee that Self will stay with Kansas. He could pull a Les Miles and gouge kU for all the money they have, though, but in the end, I think he bolts for Stillwater. 

I'm willing to eat lots and lots of crow on this one if Self comes out tomorrow and signs a massive long-term extension with kU, but until that happens or Oklahoma State hires another coach, I'll stick to my hunch that Self will be coaching there come next season. 

When I arrived at the office this morning, I was shocked to read this story from ESPN.com saying that Sean Sutton has been asked to leave Oklahoma State.

Mike Gundy, the Oklahoma State football coach, has had two consecutive mediocre seasons in Stillwater... and has the full support of T. Boone Pickens, A.D. Mike Holder, and the rest of the Oklahoma State community.

Sean Sutton took over under an adverse situation (his father, Eddie, left due to health reasons), took the Cowboys to two straight NIT Tournaments... and is told the program is "going in another direction".

Two names being thrown around in Stillwater as possible replacements for Sutton at OSU?  Billy Gillespie and Bill Self.  Gillespie is coaching at Kentucky, Self at Kansas.  Holder seriously believes that Self will leave Lawrence, Kansas to come home to the Cowboys (Self graduated from OSU), even though he will be heading down to San Antonio for the Final Four in a matter of hours.

It's that mindset that has me scratching my head.  Why would any athletic director think that a coach would leave one of the top five coaching jobs in the country to take the same position at a lower-tier program? 

It doesn't matter that the coach could go "home" to his Alma Matter, when they are already at one of the best jobs in the country.  Sure, Roy Williams left Kansas to go home... to North Carolina.  If you think Oklahoma State is on the same level as North Carolina, I have some ocean-front property to sell you here in Waco.

Holder lost all respect as an A.D. last year, during that amazing Oklahoma State vs. Texas game in Stillwater.  I'm sure you remember that classic triple overtime game, which featured a dominant Kevin Durant and one of the most amazing shots I've ever seen (Byron Eaton's fling while falling out of bounds).

Well, Holder was there, too.  At least for part of it.  See, Holder likes to keep a certain schedule.  He likes to go to bed at the same time each night, so he can get up and work-out in the morning.

So Holder left Gallagher Iba Arena at the end of the first over-time, because it was getting close to his bedtime.

That story just begins to scratch the ineptitude of Holder as an athletic director.  Unless he has a big-time coach lined up to replace Sutton, he will find himself in some seriously hot water.

Many fans in Stillwater are already outraged at the firing, if only because he shouldn't treat the First Family of Stillwater like that.  Eddie's signature is on the court, for crying out loud.

Only time will tell if Holder made this move with another coach already lined up to take over.  If not, he might be run out of town before he has a chance to fix his blunder.

With the score 74-72 in favor of Oklahoma State, Byron Eaton missed the front end of a one-and-one following a Martin Zeno foul with 20.5 seconds left in the game.

Texas Tech turned the ball over when Charlie Burgess lost his balance going after a Zeno no-look pass, and James Anderson hit his last two free throws to give Oklahoma State a 76-72 win in the first round of the Big XII Tournament in Kansas City, Mo.

Tech coach Pat Knight held his head in his hands after his team failed to convert on its last possession, with a chance to tie or take the lead in the game.

"We missed eight layups in the second half, missed four out of five free throws,” said Knight.

“We made a lot of dumb mistakes. It comes from being casual. Kids think they've got a thousand possessions. They make a bad pass or they walk with it and they think they've got a couple hundred more to get it back.

"It was a hard-fought game offensively and defensively. We just made too many dumb mistakes."           

The Red Raiders committed 14 turnovers and made only six of 11 free throws. Tech shot just shy of 55 percent from the field and shot 53 percent from three.

OSU committed 11 turnovers and made 15 of 21 free throws. OSU shot 50 percent from the field and 38 percent from three.

Tech had several opportunities at the end of the game to tie or win it.

After Obi Mounelo hit a two-point jumper to give OSU a 69-67 lead with 3:28 left in the game, Trever Cook was fouled by Eaton.

Cook only made one of two free throws. Burgess was fouled with 2:23 left in the game and missed both free throws, denying the Red Raiders a chance to take the lead or tie the game.

After Eaton made a two-point jumper to increase Oklahoma State’s lead to 73-70, Burgess missed a layup that could have brought Tech within one. Burgess missed another layup with 27 seconds left but got his own rebound and put it in, to make it a two-point game.           

Anderson led the Cowboys in scoring and rebounds with 18 and eight, respectively.

Eaton scored 12 points in the second half after not scoring in the first. Terrel Harris had 12 points and Martavius Adams contributed 10. Eaton led the team in assists with four.           

OSU coach Sean Sutton told ESPN he motivated Eaton to be the best point guard on the floor at halftime.

“I challenged him at halftime that he had to be the best point guard on the floor and he came back and scored 12 points in the second half and made a lot of big plays down the stretch," Sutton said.           

Alan Voskuil led Tech in scoring with 19 points, and was five-for-eight behind the arc. Cook had 16 points and Burgess and Mike Singletary scored 14 points each.

The Cowboys held Zeno to only seven points and just two in the second half. Damir Suljagic, Cook, and Singletary led the team in rebounds with five each. Zeno led in assists with five.           

Both teams went on runs to control the first half. OSU scored the opening six points of the contest, but Tech followed by going on a 14-0 run with Burgess scoring six of those points to take a 14-6 lead.

OSU tied the game with 9:02 left in the first half with Anderson scoring four points including a three, which prompted Knight to take a timeout. Tech would lead by six twice in the half, but OSU closed the first half on a 13-3 run to lead 36-32.

OSU (17-14) will play top seed Texas Friday at 12:30 PM EST in the quarterfinals of the Big XII Tournament.

After losing, Tech (16-15) will have to wait till Sunday to see if they receive an invite to the NIT, which starts Tuesday.

The Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Oklahoma State Cowboys may come from different states, and certainly their teams are very different. But they enter Thursday’s first round game of the Big 12 Tournament under similar circumstances.

Both Pat Knight and Sean Sutton succeeded their fathers as head coaches of their respective teams.  

Both teams are 16-14 and 7-9 in conference, having won against high ranked teams. Texas Tech beat then-ranked No. 14 Gonzaga, No. 9 Texas A&M, No. 22 Kansas State, and No. 5 Texas. Oklahoma State beat No. 5 Kansas.

In addition, both teams suffered surprising losses. Texas Tech dropped games to Sam Houston State and Centenary. Oklahoma State lost at North Texas and Oral Roberts.

The squads go into Thursday knowing the only way to make the NCAA Tournament would be to win the Big 12.

Going into the game, what do the Red Raiders have to do to beat the very similar Oklahoma State?

First, Martin Zeno needs to be the leader and coach on the floor for the Red Raiders.

Zeno has done this in the last three games. Against Texas, he had 15 points and hit crucial free throws at the end to secure the win. In Tech’s loss to Kansas, he had 19 points and scored 27 against Baylor.

Alan Voskuil must put the Baylor game—in which he did not score—behind him and produce close to his 12.9 points per game. When Voskuil is moving and hitting his shots, the Red Raiders can be tough to stop.

Freshman guard, John Roberson must continue his strong play. Roberson has scored in the double digits in his last three games, and in six out his last 10.

Trever Cook and Esmir Rizvic need to be factors for Tech in this game. Both Cook and Rizvic need to contribute in altering shots and getting rebounds.

Cook put up 14 points against both A&M and Texas, leading to Tech victories in both games. Rizvic had six points and five rebounds in a Tech victory over Iowa State.

The main thing Tech needs to do is play fundamentally sound. They need to limit turnovers, box-out on defense, and make the easy baskets.  

In the Baylor game last Saturday, Tech missed several lay-ups. They also need to hit free throws.  Tech shot only 67.9 percent from the line against Baylor.

Finally, Tech cannot let the opponent’s top three-point shooters get easy looks from the outer range. In the game against Baylor, Tech hardly got a hand in LaceDarius Dunn’s face when he hit six out of nine three-pointers.

Byron Eaton and James Anderson are shooting 39.5 percent and 37.8 percent respectively from behind the arc. 

Tech has some psychological advantages entering Thursday’s contest. Since Bob Knight was head coach in 2001, Tech has won the first game in the Big 12 Tournament every year.

Plus, Oklahoma State is the only Big 12 southern school yet to face Tech since Pat Knight became head coach.

However, Oklahoma State has won the last two games against Tech in the conference tournament.  Therefore, Thursday’s game will come down to who can make the least amount mistakes—and who wants it more.

At Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Oklahoma tonight, the Sooners and Oklahoma State Cowboys square off for the second time this season in the bitter in-state rivalry now known as the Bedlam Series.

Neither team is ranked in the top 25 this year, but don't tell them—don't tell the state of Oklahoma for that matter.  Sports fans won't get a better show than the emotion and passions displayed when these two squads play each other.

There are no professional teams in Oklahoma, so the focus is squarely on Norman and Stillwater.  No matter the contest, each school and each city will pride itself on their team while tearing apart the other.  Each game in this storied rivalry begins a new chapter in a book that has seen everything.

But tonight's game is more than a simple contest between the two schools.  An invitation to the Big Dance is looming...

Oklahoma State comes into tonight's matchup as the hottest team in the Big 12 right now, after winning five straight conference games, one of which confronted juggernaut Kansas.

Meanwhile the Cowboys, at 7-7, have positioned themselves in a three-way tie for the fifth spot in the Big 12 standings.

Currently Kansas and Texas lead the Big 12 at 12-3, followed by Kansas State (9-6) and Baylor (8-6).  Now you begin to see why the whole Big 12 will experience Bedlam, and not just the teams from Oklahoma.

Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M are all sitting at 7-7, with Texas Tech close behind at 7-8.

The Big 12 has already had several instant-classic games this season, such as the Baylor and A&M five-OT game.  But the season is coming to a close and teams are desperately vying for their spot in the NCAA Tournament.

The Big 12 could see as many as six teams in the NCAA tournament this year.  As of now, however, Texas and Kansas are the only locks.

Both OU and OSU are coming off key victories, but will be tested this evening.

Tonight's Bedlam game will test the Sooners.  They will be without top scorer and rebounder Blake Griffin, who is averaging 15.2 points a game and 9.3 rebounds.

The Sooners will also have to play with a struggling Longar, who has been plagued by decreased mobility since breaking a bone in his right leg early last month.

The Cowboys' top scorer, James Anderson, is a averaging 14 points but only scored four points in the earlier contest against Oklahoma this year.  Since Anderson is a true freshman, perhaps he will perform better tonight now that he has more experience under his belt.

However, I expect Marcus Dove, the big senior, to step up big for the Cowboys tonight.

It will be a thrill to see these two teams go at it, especially with Big 12 Tournament berths at stake, along with a possible NCAA bid.  The Cowboys will be riding their momentum into this game along with their home court advantage.  But don't count those Sooners out.  They have had, after all, two miraculous buzzer-beating three-pointers to win close contests earlier this year.