Cowboys ready for round two with SMU

[4] OKLAHOMA STATE (16-17) at [1] SMU (24-10)
National Invitation Tournament | Second Round
Sunday, Mar. 23, 2025 | 2 p.m. CT
Dallas, Texas | Moody Coliseum (7,000)

Tickets: SMUMustangs.com
NIT Central: NCAA.com/NIT
Watch: ESPN2 (Mike Corey & Fran Fraschilla)
Listen: Cowboy Radio Network (Dave Hunziker & John Holcomb)
Live Stats: okstate.statbroadcast.com
Series: OSU leads 20-6 (8-3 in Dallas); Streak: OSU, Won 10
Last: Dec. 28, 2011 in Dallas (American Airlines Center)—OSU, 68-58 2ot

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Follow the Bouncing Ball:

Fans can watch Sunday's second round matchup on ESPN2 or tune in to Dave Hunziker and John Holcomb on the Varsity App and across the Cowboy Radio Network. Visit okstate.com/radio for a complete list of affiliates.
Find the bracket, schedules, scores, stats, recaps and other fan information on the championship central page at NCAA.com/NIT.

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Opening Tips:

Oklahoma State takes on SMU Sunday afternoon in the second round of the NIT.
The Dallas Region was the only one of the four to avoid a first-round upset. The winner of No. 4 OSU and No. 1 SMU will meet No. 2 North Texas or No. 3 Arkansas State in the quarterfinals, to be played on either Tuesday or Wednesday.
The Cowboys put away Wichita State, 89-79, in Tuesday's opener. Bryce Thompson led a group of five double-figure scorers with 23 points and Brandon Newman logged his first double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
This is OSU's 43^rd postseason tournament and 14^th NIT bid. The Cowboys reached the quarterfinals in their two most recent NIT appearances (2018 and 2023).
With Tuesday's victory, OSU has now won at least one game in each of its last four postseason appearances, including the 2021 NCAA tournament.
October's OSU-SMU charity scrimmage in Stillwater marked the unofficial start of Steve Lutz and Andy Enfield eras. The two first-year coaches meet again Sunday, looking to build positive momentum heading into year No. 2.
Lutz has made the postseason in each of his first four seasons as a head coach with this year's NIT preceded by NCAA bids at Corpus Christi ('22, '23) and Western Kentucky ('24).
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.
OSU has made impressive strides in year one, improving 31 spots in the NET (95 from 126) and by (at least) four wins over last year's total.
The group played some of its best basketball down the stretch, highlighted by a Feb. 25 victory over No. 9 Iowa State.
The Pokes reestablished home court advantage under Lutz (13-3) but now must learn to get it done on the road. They've dropped 12 straight away from Stillwater.
Thompson, an honorable mention All-Big 12 pick, is the team's leading scorer (12.5 ppg) and continues to climb OSU's all-time lists for career points (22nd, 1,353) and three-point field goals (14th, 154). He's in line for his 112^th OSU start on Tuesday, which be seventh all-time.
One of 12 newcomers who have logged time this season, 6-foot-10 Xavier transfer Abou Ousmane (12.3 ppg) is OSU's top rebounder (5.3) and shot-blocker (29). The fifth-year forward scored his 1,400^th collegiate point in Tuesday's victory.
Junior guard Arturo Dean leads the Big 12 in steals (2.47) and is among the keys to a defense that forces just under 15 turnover per game.

OSU is averaging 9.030 steals this season, which is just three one-thousandths off the school record held by the 1988-89 team (9.033).

OSU's bench unit ranks 10^thnationally in points (31.2) and ninth in minutes (42.4%). The group scored its 1,000^th point early in Tuesday's win and went on to post its 20^th game with 30-or-more points.
That depth has helped sustain a breakneck pace. OSU is 14^th in adjusted tempo, per KenPom, with nearly one-in-five points coming in transition.
OSU has also made a living at the line with nearly a quarter of its offense coming on free throws (23.6% is 10^th nationally). The Cowboys also lead the Big 12 in free throw rate (19^th, 41.4) and rank among the national leaders in makes (17^th, 17.3) and attempts (16^th, 23.9).

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Last Time on Cowboy Basketball:
Mar. 18, 2025 | NIT First Round in Stillwater| OSU 89, Wichita St. 79

Bryce Thompson tallied 23 points and five steals to lead OSU to a first round NIT win.
Abou Ousmane added 13 points, Jamyron Keller (12 pts) made all four of his three-point attempts, and Brandon Newman (10 pts, 12 reb) logged his first double-double of the season.
Xavier Bell (24 points), Corey Washington (21 pts, 11 reb) and Quincy Ballard (19 pts, 15 reb) accounted for 64 of the 79 Shockers points.
Cowboy reserves were difference-makers, outscoring their WSU counterparts 31-10. They did all of the scoring in a 15-2 run that snapped a 52-all tie with 13:00 remaining.
Khalil Brantley had eight of his 12 points in that span.
OSU shot 44.3% and converted 9-of-21 threes.
WSU made 40.8%, including 6-of-20 from deep.

89 points is the most ever scored by an OSU team in NIT play. The previous mark came in a 90-88 loss at New Mexico in the second round of the 1990 NIT.

Thompson hit his first five shots in a 19-point first half. The Cowboys led by as many as 15 with 5:00 to play after a 27-6 run.
WSU closed the half on a 13-3 push to get within 40-35, then scored the first seven points of the second half to move in front.

OSU extended its all-time series lead over WSU to a 33-11 (16-5 in Stillwater).
Prior to Tuesday's win, the visiting team had won each of the last seven meetings in the series going back to 2002.

Keller's 4-for-4 three-point performance marked the first time in OSU postseason history that a Cowboy has made at least four triples without a miss.
Thompson's career-high five steals were also a new OSU NIT record.
Thompson's 23 points threatened another mark. Just two other Cowboys have produced more points in an NIT game: Royce Jeffries (26 vs. Tulsa in 1990) and Jeffrey Carroll (26 vs. Stanford in 2018).
Thompson reached the 20-point mark for the sixth time this season and for the 13th time in his Cowboy career. Two of those 20-point games have come in postseason play (22 in the NIT second round vs. Eastern Washington).
With two more steals, Arturo Dean is now tied for fifth on OSU's single-season chart with Andre Owens (79 in 1994-95), trailing only Brooks Thompson (99 in 1993-94), Marcus Smart (99 in 2012-13 and 89 in 2013-14) and Cornell Hatcher (86 in 1991-92).
Dean is averaging a Big 12-best 2.47 steals per game, which would be the fourth-highest season average in Cowboy history.
Newman's 12 rebounds matched his career-high set Dec. 19, 2023 at Cal Baptist.
Newman logged his first double-double of the season and the second of his collegiate career.

OSU improved to 13-3 (.813) at GIA this season, which is the highest home winning percentage by a Cowboy team since the 2013-14 season (also 13-3).

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Trending:

OSU is 11-0 when scoring at least 80 points.
OSU is 15-6 when holding opponents to less than 80 points.
OSU is 15-2 with a halftime lead (1-15 when trailing).
OSU is 10-2 when outshooting opponents.
OSU is 9-4 when forcing 16+ turnovers.
OSU is 8-3 with 20+ points off turnovers.
OSU is 11-1 this season when scoring 40+ points off free throws and turnovers.

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The Series with SMU:

OSU has won 10 straight in the series and leads 20-6 all-time (9-3 in Dallas).
Eddie Sutton went 9-0 against the Mustangs between 1992 and 2005 and Travis Ford continued the winning streak with a neutral court win at the Dallas Mavericks' American Airlines Center, 68-58 in double-overtime.
OSU assistant Keiton Page was a senior that year and finished with a game-high 27 points. He hit a pair of threes to help OSU erase a 58-52 deficit over the final 1:17 of overtime. The Cowboys then pitched a 10-0 shutout in the second overtime period.
While they haven't officially met since, OSU and SMU have scrimmaged in each of the last two preseasons (2023 behind closed doors at Moody Coliseum and in 2024 as part of a charity game at GIA).
The first 12 meetings series took place between 1922 and 1925 when OSU and SMU were both members of the Southwest Conference.
SMU's last series win came in the semifinals of the 1985 All-College tournament in Oklahoma City.
OSU is 4-1 in Moody Coliseum with four straight wins. The last came Nov. 29, 2004 when a Final Four bound Cowboy team that came in ranked No. 6 in the AP Poll rolled to a 76-57 win. John Lucas led the way with 24 points.

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Last OSU-SMU Meeting (Sort of):
Oct. 26, 2024 in Stillwater | Charity Exhibition | OSU, 89-78

New head coach Steve Lutz and the Cowboys made a strong first impression with an 89-78 charity exhibition win over SMU. The teams helped raise several thousand dollars for the American Heart Association.
Bryce Thompson made all five of his three-point attempts on his way to 24 points.
The Cowboys made 14-of-28 from deep, including a run of seven straight late in the first half that helped turn a 24-20 deficit into a 47-38 halftime lead. The margin grew to 61-46 with 16:22 to play.
Abou Ousmane had a team-high eight rebounds to go with three blocks, and Khalil Brantley dished out five assists without a turnover.
OSU had more steals (8) than turnovers (7) and outscored SMU 14-0 on fastbreak opportunities.
Boopie Miller and B.J. Edwards paced the Mustangs with 14 points each.

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Scouting the Mustangs:

An eventful 2024 off-season saw SMU hire Andy Enfield away from USC and jump from the American Athletic Conference to the ACC.
Picked 13th out of 18 teams in the ACC preseason poll, Enfield instead guided the Mustangs to a 24-10 record and a fourth-place tie in the standings (13-7).
This is the program's fourth NIT appearance in five seasons, but a victory would move SMU into the quarterfinals for the first time since a 2014 runner-up finish.
SMU's No. 46 NET ranking is the highest among this year's NIT field.
The Mustangs are also No. 46 in KenPom's offensive efficiency rankings, averaging just under 80 points per game. They rank among the NCAA leaders in field goal percentage (32^nd, .480), three-point percentage (30^th, .373), fast break points (44^th, 12.9) and rebounding margin (25^th, +5.8).
Third team All-ACC point guard Boopie Miller (13.2 ppg, 5.5 apg) was inactive for the NIT opener against Northern Iowa, but SMU still has five other double-figure scorers to pick from.
Chuck Harris (12.7 ppg) has made a team-high 74 threes on 41.8% accuracy and Kario Oquendo (10.6 ppg) has knocked down 53 on 40.8%.
6-foot-7 forward Matt Cross (11.8 ppg) is the team's top rebounder at 7.6 per game.
SMU is No. 58 in defensive efficiency, averaging an ACC-best 8.0 steals per game, due in part to the efforts of junior guard B.J. Edwards, an ACC All-Defensive Team pick. He set the school's single-season steals mark (82 and counting) Wednesday night against UNI, finishing with team-highs 16 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and four steals.
Opponents have struggled to score inside, shooting just 42.0% from inside the arc (34^th lowest nationally) against a Mustang front court anchored by 7-foot-2 freshman Samet Yigitoglu (10.0 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.0 bpg).

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Matchup Mashup:

Steve Lutz's journey to his first head coaching job included a four-year stop at SMU where he served as an assistant coach under Matt Doherty (2006-10).
OSU's Robert Jennings II is from the south Dallas suburb of Desoto.

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A Cowboy Win Would...

Move them into the quarterfinal round for a Tuesday or Wednesday matchup against either No. 2 seed North Texas or No. 3 Arkansas State.
Even their season record at 17-17 (five wins ahead of last year's total).
Be their first on the road since Dec. 8 at Seton Hall, snapping a 10-game skid.
Up their all-time NIT record to 13-14 with three straight quarterfinal appearances (2018, 2023, 2025).
Be just their second NIT road victory in eight tries (the other came in the 2023 first round at Youngstown State).
Be their 11^th straight over SMU and extend their all-time series lead to 21-6 (10-3 in Dallas, 5-1 at Moody Coliseum).

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Khalil Brantley

Arturo Dean

Robert Jennings II

Jamyron Keller

Brandon Newman

Abou Ousmane

Bryce Thompson

Oklahoma State University Athletics