What's next for Oklahoma State basketball after Big 12 Tournament exit?
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KANSAS CITY, MO — Though they lost to TCU after letting a 10-point lead slip away, scoring wasn’t the problem for the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
OSU dropped a 95-88 decision to the No. 6 Horned Frogs on Wednesday night, ending the 14th-seeded Pokes’ stay at the Big 12 men’s basketball tournament.
And the third loss of the season to TCU further highlighted the key deficiency that OSU faced in the matchup.
“Ultimately, we shot ourselves in the foot in the inability to box out, be physical and get a rebound,” OSU coach Steve Lutz said. “And give TCU credit for that.
“We've had three games with them where, ultimately, at the end of the day, the game was won in the trenches. And we have not rang the bell to win any of those three games.”
Now OSU turns its attention to the possible postseason invitations that could come, either from the College Basketball Crown or the National Invitation Tournament.
Here are three takeaways from Wednesday’s loss:
Offense wasn’t enough for OSU
The Cowboys (19-14) got 25 points from Anthony Roy, and five others scored at least 10.
Typically, that’s enough offense to carry the Pokes to victory. In Lutz’s two years, they’ve lost just twice in 31 games when scoring at least 81 points — both to TCU within the last month.
The Cowboys shot 49.3% from the floor, and though they hit just 4 of 19 3-pointers, they had been more effective in the paint.
Nineteen of Roy’s 25 points came on drives or free throws, often generated by his drives to the basket. All of Clary’s 14 points came in much the same way.
Christian Coleman had 15 points, mostly coming on the interior, and the same went for the 10 from Ahmed.
But the well went dry as OSU was outscored 20-8 over the final 6:32.
“We've got to be able to look in the mirror and take ownership of this, but also not lose sight of the fact that we've made strides and we've had a good year and we're continuing to move the program forward,” Lutz said.
“I'm very proud of these guys and their efforts, especially after how the season ended and unfolded with losing a couple players.”
Rebounding dooms Cowboys late
OSU led 67-57 with just under 14 minutes to play, after an 8-0 run that included a pair of 3-pointers by Roy.
But TCU gradually chipped away before taking the lead for good with 5:07 to go. And over that final stretch, TCU grabbed seven of 11 available rebounds. And two of the four OSU was credited for were after TCU blocked an OSU shot attempt out of bounds.
“We didn’t rebound,” said point guard Kanye Clary, who had 14 points and five assists. “The last five minutes of the game, it came down to toughness and rebounding. Kudos to their coach for how hard he gets their big men to play. They got almost every rebound the last five minutes of the game.”
Roy led the Cowboys with nine rebounds and Benjamin Ahmed had six, but battled foul trouble in the second half.
Mekhi Ragland, another freshman who had played hardly any meaningful minutes until recently, had two boards over 10 minutes but got tagged with a pair of quick fouls in the middle of the second half that left him with four as well.
That’s when the Cowboys’ lack of depth in the frontcourt came into the spotlight.
Starter Robert Jennings III was lost for the season after three games. The team’s most reliable player, Parsa Fallah, tore his ACL on Feb. 24. Lefteris Mantzoukas left the team to return to his home country of Greece. Andrija Vukovic didn’t play this week because of a knee injury.
Then the foul trouble hit, and the Cowboys didn’t have the size to battle Punch and Edmonds.
Will Cowboys accept postseason bid?
Two postseason tournaments loom in the distance for the Cowboys after the NCAA Tournament field is named on Sunday.
Last year, OSU had a successful run in the NIT, and could be a target once again. And the Crown, which is set to take just eight teams in its second year of existence, is also a possibility.
Players seemed mostly intrigued by the idea of continuing the season when asked after the loss.
“I love each and every one of these guys and I love taking the floor with them,” Clary said. “Hopefully we can win one of those two tournaments.”
After the dust settles, Lutz will discuss the future with the team.
“We've got to see who has interest in us playing,” he said. “I would think that the way that these guys are playing and because they're playing so hard and having fun and playing for one another, I would think that they want to continue on.
“And if they want to continue on, I want to continue to coach them. I've enjoyed coaching them the entire year, but I've really enjoyed coaching them these last five games. It's been fun.”
Scott Wright covers Oklahoma State athletics for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Scott? He can be reached at swright@oklahoman.com or on X at @ScottWrightOK. Sign up for the Oklahoma State Cowboys newsletter to access more OSU coverage. Support Scott’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com or by using the link at the top of this page.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State basketball weighs postseason options after loss to TCU
