Oklahoma State Throttled by Cincinnati 87-68 In Opening Round of Big 12 Tournament

STILLWATER – Oklahoma State’s time in Kansas City was short-lived following the 19-point blowout loss to Cincinnati in the opening round of the Big 12 tournament on Tuesday. 

With the loss, the Cowboys finish the season 15-17 overall and 7-13 in Big 12 play.

“You want to give credit where credit is due; I give coach Miller and his team a lot of credit, they played with a lot of toughness, a lot of discipline, and we did not,” head coach Steve Lutz said after the game. “At the end of the day, we just did not perform we today. We did not play our best basketball, and they played better than us, therefore they won. They get to play another day, and we get to go home and figure out what the next step is.”

Foul trouble and turnovers doomed the Pokes from the get-go as they combined for a season-high 24 turnovers, leading to 26 points for the Bearcats on the other end. They also combined for 21 team fouls, with big man Abou Ousmane fouling out with just four points and one rebound in nine minutes of action. Arturo Dean had four fouls and a technical with just seven points with six turnovers.

Connor Dow was the lone bright spot of the game for the Cowboys as he led them in scoring with 12 points off the bench going 4-of-5 from 3-point range. 

The Cowboys shot the ball well as a team, going nearly 45% from the field and 44% from 3-point range. 

But it was a rough start to the game for the Pokes as they went on a near six-minute scoring drought less than halfway through the first half, which included six turnovers in the first 10 minutes, including a shot clock violation.

The Pokes went into the break trailing the Bearcats by 12 points, 38-26. Bryce Thompson hit the first bucket of the second half, getting the game to 10 points, but 10 would be the closet the Cowboys would ever be as Cincy dominated their way through the second half. 

They outscored the Pokes 32-16in the paint and recorded 11 steals in the final frame. 

Head coach Steve Lutz was asked after the game if they were open to playing in a postseason tournament, most likely the NIT should an invite be extended.

“We’re absolutely open to [postseason tournaments],” said Lutz. “These guys deserve it. It’s sad because they’re going to miss it. You get to sit up here [on stage] and have a moderator and [media’s] out [in the crowd] and these guys aren’t going to be able to experience that because we didn’t win this tournament. But if we can play postseason and have an opportunity to continue to fight for a championship, these guys deserve it. They’ve given us a lot all year long and have set the culture for the future.”

Steve Lutz and his staff will have a busy offseason ahead of them as seven of the scholarship players are now out of eligibility, with the possibility of more entering the transfer portal.