No time to celebrate
Oklahoma State savored its Bedlam victory on Saturday, but the Cowboys turn their attention to a challenging remaining schedule that begins Tuesday against Texas Tech in Lubbock.
STILLWATER — Oklahoma State’s victory Saturday against No. 4-ranked Oklahoma could mean a great deal come March. But in coach Mike Boynton’s eyes, it won’t mean anything Tuesday.
That’s when the Cowboys take on No. 8 Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas. The team took time to celebrate Saturday, with thousands of the Cowboys’ peers joining them on Eddie Sutton Court after an 83-81 triumph over their rival. Boynton wanted his players to revel in their achievement while also turning toward a daunting remaining schedule.
“That’s the delicate balance,” Boynton said Saturday. “You’ve gotta enjoy this. Winning is hard, anywhere. Certainly at this level against the type of competition and coaches and all that stuff. You have to enjoy it. You win by one or you win by 15, you enjoy it the same, but you know that this game isn’t gonna help us at all on Tuesday in Lubbock, Texas.”
After a 15-1 start to the season, the Red Raiders have lost three of their past four. They are, though, 12-0 at United Supermarkets Arena.
OSU has yet to claim a road victory this season yet finds itself in the hunt for a spot in the NCAA Tournament. It took the Cowboys until their seventh Big 12 game to earn conference victory last season, when Boynton was an assistant under Brad Underwood, but that team won its way into March.
This season, the firstyear coach takes OSU into Lubbock tied for fifth in the league with a 3-4 conference record and resume-boosting victories against the Sooners and Florida State.
At least six Big 12 teams have made the tournament every year since 2014. This year, that number might undersell the talent in the conference.
“It’s the best college basketball that you’ll see anywhere,” Boynton said. “I think there are 10 NCAA Tournament teams in this league. I think anybody in our league can get into the NCAA Tournament and win a game. Anybody.”
For that reason, OSU is far from a lock to make the bracket. With 11 conference games remaining, including visits to ranked opponents Kansas, West Virginia and TCU, the Cowboys will need to find ways to win in tough venues to ensure a postseason berth.
But Boynton said his team is more than capable of doing so.
“We can compete with anybody in the country,” Boynton said. “We talk about that every day. We have set no ceiling for this team because we believe, no matter what, whatever situation we get in, we can win if we play the right way if we’re committed to competing the way we had (Saturday).
“... Really happy for my kids as they continue to show what they’re about and who they are as people, guys that will just keep fighting for each other, keep fighting for the culture that we’re trying to build, keep fighting to try to help people understand that we’ve got a pretty good basketball team.”