Cowboy Basketball opens Big 12 Tournament play Tuesday vs. Colorado

Tuesday, March 10

Kansas City, Mo. / T-Mobile Center

8:30 PM

Oklahoma State University

Colorado

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Cowboy Basketball opens Big 12 Tournament play Tuesday vs. Colorado

March 08, 2026 | Cowboy Basketball

Cowboy Notes (PDF)Bracket (PDF)Tournament Central

[14] OKLAHOMA STATE (18-13, 6-12) vs. [11] COLORADO (17-14, 7-11)
Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament | First Round
Tuesday, March 10, 2026 | 8:30 p.m. CT
Kansas City, Mo. | T-Mobile Center

Tickets: Big12Sports.com
Watch: ESPN+ (Jon Sciambi & Fran Fraschilla)
Listen: Cowboy Radio Network (Dave Hunziker, John Holcomb, Kendall Mae Stark)
Stats: okstate.statbroadcast.com
Series: OSU leads 62-49 (1-0 Big 12 Tournament)
Last: CU won in Boulder, 83-69 (Feb. 21)

The Basics:

No. 14 Seed Oklahoma State takes on No. 11 Colorado Tuesday night in a first-round matchup at the Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament inside the T-Mobile Center in downtown Kansas City, Mo.
This is the second year of the Big 12's expanded, 16-team format, which offers first-round byes to the top eight seeds and double-byes to the top four. OSU and seven other schools on lines 9-16 must win five times in five days in order to claim the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The OSU-Colorado winner battles No. 6 seed TCU in Wednesday's second round (8:30 p.m. CT) for the right to face No. 3 seed Kansas in Thursday's quarterfinals (8:30 p.m.).

Follow the Bouncing Ball:

Fans can watch Tuesday first round matchup on ESPN+ with Jon Sciambi and Fran Fraschilla or tune in to Dave Hunziker and John Holcomb's radio broadcast on the Varsity App and affiliates across the Cowboy Radio Network. Visit okstate.com/radio for a complete list of affiliates.
Find the bracket, schedule, scores, stats, recaps and other fan information on the tournament central page at Big12Sports.com.
Follow live -statistics from a variety of OSU sports via StatBroadcast. Visit okstate.statbroadcast.com to view the latest games.
Go behind the scenes with Cowboy Basketball on X (@OSUMBB), Instagram (@OSUMBB) and Facebook (CowboyBasketball).
Read all the latest news at okstate.com and watch highlights, interviews and more at YouTube.com/OSUAthletics.

Opening Tips:

The Pokes are seeking their first victory in Kansas City since 2023 and their first title since winning back-to-back in 2004 and 2005.
This is the 37^th time that OSU and Colorado have competed together in a conference tournament but only their third meetup. CU won a 1990 Big Eight semifinal matchup, but OSU bounced the Buffs in the 2005 Big 12 quarterfinals.
The Cowboys are looking to avenge an 83-69 loss in Boulder back on Feb. 21. In that game, they rallied from a 17-point deficit to take the lead early in the second half before fading.
OSU improved from 12-20 to 17-18 in Steve Lutz's first season, reaching at the 2025 NIT quarterfinals. The progress continues in year two with an 18-13 record and another 14-spot improvement in the NCAA NET rankings.
In similar rebuilds at Corpus Christi and Western Kentucky, Lutz was 8-0 in conference tourneys, winning two SLC titles and one CUSA crown.
Injuries have taken a major toll on the Cowboy front court with three projected rotation players out for the season, most notably 6-10 senior Parsa Fallah, the team's top rebounder (6.0) and second-leading scorer (14.6) who injured in his knee in the Feb. 24 win over West Virginia.
OSU, nonetheless, enters with optimism following strong performances from his understudies -- freshman Benjamin Ahmed and sophomore Andrija Vukovic -- during the final week of the regular season. The pair combined to average 16 points, 11 rebounds and 1.5 blocks.
Lutz likes to push the pace and has the horses to do it. Guards Kanye Clary (10.1 ppg, 4.7 apg, 2.35 A:TO) and Jaylen Curry (10.1 ppg, 3.7 apg, 2.57 A:TO) are among the keys to an offense that ranks ninth nationally in adjusted tempo and among the top-25 in scoring offense (83.9).
OSU also ranks 24^th in free throw makes (18.4) and tops the Big 12 in bench scoring (28.6 ppg).
Senior guard Anthony Roy leads a group of five double-figure scorers at 16.7 points and ranks among the nation's best three-point shooters by both volume (3.04 per game) and precision (.395).
Senior forward Christian Coleman (9.4 ppg) enters 21 points shy of 1,000 for his NCAA career.

Big 12 Tourney Tidbits:

OSU is in search of its first Big 12 Tournament crown since winning back-to-back titles under Eddie Sutton in 2004 and 2005. The latter was this event's final appearance at Kemper Arena.
OSU is 19-9 all-time in Big 12 Tournament openers, including 14-5 in first and second round games (pre-quarterfinals).
The Cowboys are 19-20 in Kansas City heading into what will be their 24th appearance. That includes an 11-15 mark at the T-Mobile Center.
OSU's historic white maple -- installed in 1938 -- is the nation's oldest original court still in use. This week the Cowboys will experience the opposite extreme as the Big 12 debuts its next-generation, glass-topped LED floor.

Recent Big 12 Tournament History:

OSU has been the first team eliminated from each of the last two tournaments. The Cowboys were the No. 13 seed in 2023, falling 77-62 to No. 12 UCF, and drew the No. 12 seed in 2024, losing 87-68 to Cincinnati.
The Cowboys' last win came in the 2023 tournament when they defeated Oklahoma in the first round as the No. 7 seed.
The 2022 Pokes were ineligible to compete due to an NCAA postseason ban.
In 2021, an OSU team led by Cade Cunningham knocked off West Virginia and Baylor (both AP top-10 teams) to reach the tournament final.
The Cowboys meet the Buffaloes for just the second time in Big 12 Tournament play. The other came in the 2005 quarterfinals. OSU's eventual title run nearly ended before it began, as the 11th-seeded Buffaloes rallied in the final minute. The Buffs' Marcus Hall missed an off-balance three at the buzzer, and OSU held on for an 87-85 win. Joey Graham's 24 points and Ivan McFarlin's 16 points and 15 rebounds led the charge for OSU, which went on to defeat Kansas and Texas Tech over the next two days.
The only other postseason conference tournament matchup between OSU and Colorado came 36 years ago to the day -- March 10, 1990. A 10-win CU team, seeded eighth in the Big Eight bracket, knocked off sixth-ranked and top-seeded Missouri in the quarterfinals, then extended its stay by defeating No. 5 seed OSU in the semifinals (82-72).

Last Time on Cowboy Basketball:
Saturday, March 7 in Stillwater | #7 Houston 82, OSU 75

No. 7 Houston rallied late for an 82–75 win in the regular-season finale for both teams.
OSU built an early cushion, leading by as many as 13 points near the 6:00 mark of the first half. Isaiah Coleman capped a 9–1 run with a pair of transition baskets to give the Cowboys a 32–19 advantage.
The Pokes carried a 41–37 lead into halftime, fueled by strong starts from Anthony Roy and Kanye Clary, who combined for 20 first-half points on six made 3-pointers.
Roy, one of four seniors honored in pregame ceremonies, led OSU with 18 points. Fellow senior Christian Coleman added seven rebounds, helping OSU control the glass, 36-33.
Houston caught fire from deep after the break, hitting 8-of-15 threes in the second half. Back-to-back triples in the final 90 seconds stretched a one-point lead to seven and sealed the comeback.
Chase McCarty knocked down 6-of-9 from beyond the arc on his way to a career-high 20, and freshman Kingston Flemings added 13 points and nine assists with just one turnover.

Houston Leftovers:

OSU fell for just the second time this season when tied or leading at halftime. The Cowboys were 15-1 coming in (30-3 overall under Lutz).
Likewise, OSU was only the sixth Houston opponent to take a lead into halftime.
OSU lost despite a 36-33 rebounding advantage. The Cowboys were previously 14-1 when winning the battle of the boards (26-6 under Lutz).
Saturday marked the fifth time in Houston's three Big 12 seasons that a conference opponent has scored 75 or more points in regulation and just the second time this year (Texas Tech). The Cougars currently rank third nationally in scoring defense (62.7).
Houston made the most of a slim, 11-9 turnover margin, outscoring the Cowboys 21-6 off of those extra opportunities.
Facing a Cougar team that thrives on offensive rebounds and putbacks, OSU finished with an 18-9 advantage in second-chance points.
OSU outscored Houston 17-6 at the foul line.
OSU's .895 (17/19) free throw percentage was its best in Big 12 play.
For the second straight game, freshman Benjamin Ahmed set a new career scoring high. He followed up last Tuesday's 10-point night at UCF with an 11-point performance against Houston.
Ahmed, who missed the first 10 games of the season to a foot injury, is getting more comfortable in all aspects, including the free throw line, where he started the year 10-of-21. He's knocked down 12-of-13 in the last three contests, including 6-of-7 at UCF and all five in the Houston game.
For the second straight game, Kanye Clary matched his career-high, sinking 4-of-7 three-pointers. The junior is 13-of-27 from deep over his last four games.
Clary has now made a three in each of the last nine games. Over that span, he's 18-of-38 from deep (.474), raising his season percentage from .299 to .362.
Clary finished his first run through the league with the fifth-highest Big 12 only assist total in OSU history (88), the seventh-highest assist average (4.89) and the sixth-highest assist-to-turnover ratio (2.32).
Likewise, Anthony Roy's 57 three-pointers and 3.17 threes-per-game rank third and fourth respectively on OSU's Big 12 only lists.
With four triples against Houston, Roy also broke into the top-10 on OSU's single-season list (85), tying Phil Forte (2016-17) for ninth. Roy is now three shy of Obi Muonelo (88 in 2007-09) and JamesOn Curry (88 in 2006-07) for seventh-place.

Also Trending:

OSU is 12-4 in evening games (after 6 p.m. local time) compared to 6-9 in morning/afternoon tipoffs. Should the Cowboys continue winning in KC, they will play each of the first four games at (or after) 8:30 p.m.
The Cowboys have scored at least 81 points in all 18 victories but are 0-12 when falling short.
OSU has scored 90+ points a total of 12 times, matching a school record set in 2016-17.
The Cowboys are 7-1 when Christian Coleman scores at least 15 points. He had 16 at UCF.
Kanye Clary and Jaylen Curry have combined for double-digit assists in nine different games.
Two of the Cowboys' non-conference victims recently clinched regular season titles in their respective leagues: South Florida (American) and Bethune-Cookman (SWAC).
OSU has played the nation's 33^rd hardest schedule, per KenPom, while facing the 13^th toughest collection of opposing defenses.

Depth Charged:

Steve Lutz doesn't put much stock in who's on the floor for the opening tip, but rather who's playing well enough to be there at the buzzer.
OSU used 18 different starting lineups during the regular season with 12 different Cowboys logging at least one start.
Seven Pokes have taken a turn as minutes leader, led by Kanye Clary (10 times). Jaylen Curry has done it five times from off the bench.
Reserves are averaging 37.8% of the minutes and a league-best 28.6 points per game.
Fresh legs have helped OSU maintain the Big 12's fastest pace, with nearly one-in-five offensive possessions coming in transition, per Synergy.

Unique Starting Lineup Combos:
18 -- Oklahoma St.
8 -- BYU
7 -- Kansas St.
7 -- Arizona St.
7 -- Colorado
7 -- Texas Tech
6 -- Cincinnati
6 -- Kansas
5 -- TCU
5 -- Baylor
3 -- Iowa St.
3 -- UCF
3 -- Utah
2 -- Arizona
2 -- Houston
2 -- West Virginia

All-Time Series w/ Colorado:

The Cowboys lead 62-49 in a series that is nearing the end of its eighth decade.
The teams have split two meetings since Colorado's return to the Big 12 with each side protecting its home court.
The Buffs won the lone regular season matchup less than three weeks ago in Boulder, 83-69, behind 17 points from Bangot Dak.
OSU is 37-10 against the Buffs in Stillwater, helped by a 20-game winning streak from 1980 to 2004. CU snapped it with an 80-78 overtime win in 2006, but OSU has since added three more victories to its tally.
The Cowboys are 17-33 in Boulder (2-7 in Big 12 play, 11-15 in the CU Events Center).
OSU has won six of the nine overtime games in the series, the longest of which went four extra periods (Feb. 5, 1983 in Boulder, OSU 96-91).
In 1934, OSU hired Gallagher-Iba Arena's half namesake Henry Iba from Colorado, and he went on to coach his final 36 seasons in Stillwater.
The series between the schools began 14 years later (in 1948) when OSU (then Oklahoma A&M) twice defeated the Buffaloes on their way to a 27-3 regular season mark.
The teams played annual home-and-homes from 1958-59 until 1995-96 as members of the Big Eight Conference but moved to once-a-year in 1996 as part of the Big 12's divisional split.
During CU's first Big 12 stint, OSU took eight of the 15 regular season matchups and another in the 2005 Big 12 quarterfinals.
OSU is 2-2 against CU's 16^th-year head coach Tad Boyle (1-1 under Lutz).

Scouting the Buffaloes:

Tad Boyle, the winningest coach in CU history (329 in 16 seasons) has guided the Buffaloes to six NCAA tournaments. The program had been just twice in four decades prior to his arrival.
CU (17-14, 7-11) went 5-4 over the second half of Big 12 play on the heels of a 2-6 start.
It was a similar theme in 2025 when the Buffaloes set aside their early struggles to win two games in the Big 12 Tournament as the No. 16 seed, knocking off No. 9 seed TCU and No. 8 West Virginia to reach the quarterfinals.
Four of last year's holdovers are back for more, including sophomore forward Sebastian Rancik (12.3 ppg, 5.6 rpg) and junior 7-footer Bangot Dak (11.2 ppg). Dak is the Buffs' top rebounder (6.5) and shot-blocker (47).
To that mix, Boyle added a pair of impact backcourt performers in UC Riverside transfer Barrington Hargress (14.1 ppg, team-high 4.4 apg) and freshman Isaiah Johnson (17.0 ppg).
Hargress has made nearly half of his three-point attempts this season (49-of-99) and ranks 10^th nationally in A:TO ratio (3.58).
Johnson and Rancik have combined to sink 269 free throws in 31 games on 84% accuracy.
The Buffaloes are averaging exactly 80 points per game. They rank inside the top-third nationally in adjusted tempo (106th out of 365) yet average just 10.3 turnovers (second fewest in the Big 12 behind Houston).
CU opponents average 79.0 points per game, helped by a three-point percentage (.370) that ranks 13^th highest nationally.

A Cowboy win would....

Move them into Wednesday's second round against No. 6 seed TCU (8:30 p.m. CT) on either ESPN2 or ESPNU.
Make them 20-9 all-time in Big 12 Tournament openers and 15-5 in first/second round (pre-quarterfinal) matchups.
Make them 2-0 against Colorado in Big 12 Tournament matchups.
Make Steve Lutz 9-1 all-time in conference tournament games (1-1 with OSU).
Avenge a February loss at Colorado and boost OSU's all-time series lead over the Buffaloes to 63-49 (8-6 on neutral courts).