Cowboy Basketball set for Big 12 clash with Arizona

Tuesday, January 21

Stillwater

8:00 PM

Oklahoma State University

Arizona

Buy Tickets

Image Taken at the Oklahoma State Cowboys vs Colorado Buffaloes Basketball Game, Saturday, January 18, 2025, Gallagher-Iba Arena, Stillwater, OK. Bruce Waterfield/OSU Athletics

Photo by: Oklahoma State University

January 20, 2025 | Cowboy Basketball

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rv/rv ARIZONA (11-6, 5-1) at OKLAHOMA STATE (10-7, 2-4)
Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025 | 8 p.m. CT
Stillwater, Okla. | Gallagher-Iba Arena (13,611)

Tickets: okstate.com/tickets
Watch: ESPNU (Chuckie Kempf & King McClure)
Listen: Cowboy Radio Network (Dave Hunziker & John Holcomb)
Live Stats: okstate.statbroadcast.com
Series: UA leads 3-0 (First Meeting in Stillwater)
Last: Mar. 24, 2005 in Chicago; NCAA Sweet 16 (UA, 79-78)

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Opening Tips:

OSU welcomes Big 12 newcomer Arizona to Gallagher-Iba Arena for the first time ever.
The schools have met just three times on the hardwood, all of them top-25 matchups between hall of fame coaches Eddie Sutton and Lute Olson. The most recent came in the 2005 NCAA tournament when the Wildcats defeated the Cowboys, 79-78, to earn a spot in the Elite Eight.
The current Cowboys are 7-1 on the floor that now bears Sutton's name, following Saturday's 83-73 victory over Colorado. Bryce Thompson and Chi Chi Avery scored 15 apiece for the Pokes, who set new season-highs for second-chance points (22) and free throw attempts, sinking 31-of-42.
Saturday's game was Thompson's 100^th in an OSU uniform, and Tuesday against Arizona, the former Kansas transfer is in line to make both his 100^th collegiate start (4 at KU, 96 at OSU) and 50^th Big 12 start.
Likewise, Devo Davis is set for his 150^th collegiate game (t-14^th among active players).
The Cowboys have averaged 80.9 points on 47% shooting in their 10 wins compared to 64.1 points on 35.5% accuracy in seven losses.
First year head coach Steve Lutz brings a fast and physical brand of basketball to Stillwater with a team that relentlessly attacks the rim and feasts on transition opportunities created by a smothering half court defense.
One of 10 scholarship newcomers, fifth-year forward Abou Ousmane is the Cowboys top scorer (12.7 ppg), rebounder (5.8 rpg) and shot-blocker (15).
Arturo Dean, the NCAA's active career leader in steals per game (2.77), is among the keys to an OSU defense that averages 9.0 steals, 15.4 forced turnovers and 13.9 fastbreak points.
OSU leads the Big 12 and ranks 12^th nationally in both free throw makes (18.4) and attempts (25.4). The Cowboys have the NCAA's sixth-highest free throw rate (24.9) with nearly one attempt for every four field goal tries.
In conference play, OSU has a league-best .756 defensive rebounding percentage.
Lutz has leaned heavily on his bench with nine Cowboys clocking between 16 and 24 minutes.
OSU reserves are averaging a league-best 33.9 points (12^th nationally) while clocking 42.0% of the minutes (14^th).
Avery's scoring average (12.2 ppg) is the nation's second highest among players who have not started a game this season.
The Cowboys will play three of the next four on the road beginning Sunday at Texas Tech.

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Last Time on Cowboy Basketball
Saturday, Jan. 18 in Stillwater | OSU 83, Colorado 73

Free throws and putbacks helped OSU put away Colorado in the first Big 12 matchup between the schools in 14 years.
Playing in his 100^th game in a Cowboy uniform, Bryce Thompson shared high scoring honors with 15 points and matched his career high with seven free throw makes on eight attempts.
Chi Chi Avery chipped in 15 points of his own along with a team-best seven rebounds.
The Cowboys made 31-of-42 foul shots and outscored the visitors 22-7 on second-chances, helped by a 36-23 rebounding margin. They turned 11 of their 13 offensive boards into points.
OSU had as many free throw makes (21) as field goal attempts (21) in a whistle-filled first half that included 10 CU turnovers and 16 personal fouls.
OSU pushed a 43-33 halftime lead to as many as 18 points near the 5:00-mark.
CU made its first 16 free throw attempts of the game and finished 22-of-25.
Ten Buffaloes combined for 12 steals.

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More Colorado Leftovers:

Though he played with a heavy heart, Patrick Suemnick also had a little extra spring in his step during Saturday's win over Colorado. The fifth-year forward dedicated his performance to his late grandfather, who passed away on Jan. 8 and was laid to rest last Thursday in Wisconsin. Patrick was unable to get back for the funeral, but a large group of family and friends came down to Stillwater to support him and witness arguably his best game as a Cowboy.
Suemnick tallied all 10 of his points in the first half to give OSU a much-needed lift. He grabbed four rebounds and scored on three putbacks. It was his second double-figuring scoring game of the season and first in Big 12 play (11 points vs. St. Thomas on Nov. 10).
Arturo Dean has recorded more steals (9) than points (8) in three games since joining the starting lineup but is nevertheless making an impact. The Cowboys are 2-1 with Dean in the starting five (he missed the loss at Utah with an illness). In those three games, he's handed out 10 assists with only three turnovers.
Bryce Thompson has topped the 15-point plateau in each of his last three games (16 at Utah, 15 at BYU and 15 against Colorado).
Notably, Thompson has done it while going a combined 1-of-5 from deep. He was 0-for-2 at BYU and missed his only attempt against CU.
Thompson has had 31 games with 15+ points in his NCAA career. Only five of them have come without the benefit of a three-point field goal.
In these last two games, Thompson has instead made an impact at the foul line, knocking down 14-of-17 free throws. He twice matched his career high for free throw makes (7).
Thompson and Abou Ousmane each crossed over the 1,200-point threshold for their collegiate careers, while Khalil Brantley ended the night with exactly 1,300 points.
Robert Jennings also set a new career-high with seven free throw makes. The junior is shooting a career-best 83.6% at the line this season, good for seventh on the Big 12 leaderboard.
OSU's 84.0 free throw rate (42 FTA / 50 FGA) was its 10^th highest ever in a Big 12 game.
The Cowboys also posted their ninth-best defensive rebounding effort in a Big 12 contest, limiting the Buffaloes to just three offensive boards on 26 chances (.885).
OSU's +13 rebounding margin was a welcome bounce back after a -12 performance at BYU.
All six of OSU's Big 12 games have been decided by double-figures in either direction. All six have had double-digit halftime margins, as well.
OSU enters the week as one of only 18 Division I teams that have not been involved in a one-possession game this season. The Cowboys' closest was a five-point win over Tarleton State.

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On This Date: Jan. 21
2023 – The Cowboys knocked off No. 12 Iowa State, 61-59, at GIA. They trailed by a dozen points near the 17:00-mark before rallying. Avery Anderson scored a game-high 18 including the go-ahead basket with 61 seconds to play.

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Trending:

OSU is 10-2 when holding its opponent to less than 80 points (0-5 otherwise).
OSU is 7-0 when scoring at least 80 (3-7).
OSU is 9-1 with a halftime lead (1-6 when trailing). The Cowboys overcame a six-point deficit to defeat Tarleton State (Dec. 18) but let a 39-34 advantage slip against FAU (Nov. 21).
OSU is 5-0 when outshooting opponents (5-7).
OSU is 7-0 when forcing 16+ turnovers (3-7).
OSU is 6-0 with 20+ points off turnovers (4-7).

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The Series with Arizona:

This is the lone meeting between the schools during the 2024-25 regular season due the league's unbalanced schedule.
The schools have met just three times on the hardwood, all of them top-25 matchups between hall of fame coaches Eddie Sutton and Lute Olson. The most recent came in the 2005 NCAA tournament when the Wildcats defeated the Cowboys, 79-78, to earn a spot in the Elite Eight.

Dec. 5, 1993: #19 UA 97, #8 OSU 84
Phoenix, Ariz. (Dial Invitational)

No. 19 Arizona upset No. 8 OSU, 97-84, on neutral floor in Phoenix behind 22 points and 11 assists from Damon Stoudamire.
OSU's Brooks Thompson led a group of five double-figure scores with 25 points and nine assists, and current OSU staffer Scott Sutton handed out seven assists of his own in 25 turnovers-free minutes.
The Wildcats slowed Bryant "Big Country" Reeves, who came in averaging 28.5 points, with a series of double-teams. He finished with 12 points but managed just two shots after halftime.
The game was the nightcap in a double-header (the Dial Invitational) that also included Arizona State and Boston College.
Arizona went on to reach the 1994 Final Four.

Nov. 26, 1994: #5 UA 73, #19 OSU 63

Anchorage, Alaska (Great Alaska Shootout)
No. 5 Arizona defeated No. 19 OSU in the fifth-place game at the 1994 Top of the World Classic in Anchorage, Alaska.
Ray Owes (18) and Damon Stoudamire (17) led the Wildcat scoring, and freshman guard Miles Simon added 11 points off the bench.
OSU's Randy Rutherford (23 points) set a tournament record with seven three-pointers on 12 attempts, and Bryant Reeves tacked on 21.
The loss was part of a 1-2 start for the Cowboys, who would go on to play in the 1995 Final Four.
The game featured two players who would become the faces of new Canadian NBA expansion teams that summer. Reeves was taken sixth overall by the Vancouver Grizzlies, and Stoudamire went one pick later to the Toronto Raptors.

Mar. 24, 2005: #9 UA 79, #6 OSU 78
Chicago, Ill. (NCAA Sweet 16)

OSU's last NCAA tournament game under Eddie Sutton ended in heartbreak when Salim Stoudamire (cousin of the aforementioned Dameon) sank an off-balanced jumper from the left side with 2.8 seconds left to send Arizona to the Chicago Regional Final.
Prior to Stoudamire's heroics, Joey Graham (26 points) had put OSU in front, 78-77, on a short jumper in the lane with 17.8 seconds left.

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Scouting the Wildcats:

Fourth-year head coach Tommy Lloyd has one starter back from last year's team, which finished 27-9, won the Pac-12 title and advanced to the Sweet 16.
Fortunately, that one starter is the former Pac-12 player of the year – fifth-year guard Caleb Love.
Arizona (5-1 Big 12) enters the week tied with Iowa State for second place in the Big 12 standings behind unbeaten Houston (6-0).
The Wildcats rank outside the top-25 in both major polls but are well regarded by the computer metrics (No. 14 in NCAA NET and No. 16 in KenPom).
After starting the season 3-4, they ripped off seven straight victories, including five in a row to start Big 12 play. Saturday's 70-54 setback at Texas Tech was their first since Dec. 14.
Arizona is putting up 82.4 points per game, including a Big 12-best 14.1 points off fastbreaks. Defensively, the Wildcats have held opponents to less than 40% from the field (.396) and rank among the top-25 in rebounding margin (22n^d, +7.5).
The Wildcats' top three scorers are returners, led by Love, a 6-4 shooting guard who is averaging 14.9 points.
Junior point guard Jaden Bradley has made a smooth transition to the starting lineup, averaging 11.6 points while leading the team in assists (3.5), steals (1.8) and minutes (32.2).
Sophomore wing KJ Lewis has done the same at small forward, putting up 10.2 points.
Arizona has gotten an additional lift from its transfer class, which includes Trey Townsend (Oakland), Anthony Dell'Oroso (Campbell) and Tobe Awaka (Tennessee).
Dell'Oroso has knocked down 28 threes on 45.2% accuracy.
Awaka is a pulling a team-best 7.4 rebounds and leads the nation, per KenPom, in offensive rebounding percentage (19.9), grabbing nearly 1-in-5 Wildcat misses when he's on the floor.

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Matchup Mashup:

This is the second of four straight home games against the four Big 12 newcomers. They Cowboys defeated Colorado on Saturday and will play host to Utah (Feb. 1) and Arizona State (Feb. 9) next month.
OSU/Arizona is a battle between the Big 12's highest scoring benches. Cowboy reserves are averaging a league-best 33.9 points, ahead of the Wildcats' 30.7.
Both sides are at their best when the pace quickens. The Wildcats are 10-1 when they score at least 80 points (1-5 otherwise). The Cowboys are 7-0 (3-7 otherwise).
OSU is also 10-2 when holding its opponent below 80 (0-5 when surrendering more).

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A Cowboy win would...

Make them 3-4 in Big 12 play (3-1 at home, 0-3 on the road).
Give them back-to-back conference wins for the first time since last Feb. 17 and 21 when they knocked off BYU at home and won at Cincinnati.
Improve their home record to 8-1.
Be their first over Arizona (1-3).
Be their 300th since GIA's 2000 renovation (300-91) and make them 868-265 all-time.

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Up Next: at Texas Tech
Sunday, 2 p.m. CT (ESPN+)

OSU takes on Texas Tech this Sunday in Lubbock.
It's the first of two meetings between the teams with the Red Raiders returning to Stillwater on Feb. 15.
Texas Tech swept last year's series. Prior to that, OSU had taken three straight games.
The Cowboys lead the all-time series 50-26 but trail 17-12 in Lubbock.
The Red Raiders (13-4, 4-2 Big 12 heading into Tuesday's game at Cincinnati) broke into the Coaches Poll on Monday at No. 25 but fell 21 votes short of the AP top-25.
Texas Tech is No. 12 in KenPom's efficiency rankings and No. 15 in the NCAA NET.
The Red Raiders are 9-2 at home this year with the only losses coming in overtime to current AP No. 3 Iowa State and in the Big 12 opener to UCF.
Texas Tech leads the Big 12 and ranks 10th nationally in field goal percentage (.496). The Red Raiders are also rank among the top-25 in scoring offense (23^rd, 83.1), scoring margin (9^th, +17.7), three-point percentage (15^th, .389), assist-to-turnover ratio (16^th, 1.63), assists (17^th, 17.6) and rebounding margin (22^nd, +7.5).