Cowboys ride on
OSU won Big 12 Bedlam, beating OU, 71-60.
KANSAS CITY, MO. — Oklahoma State’s Cam McGriff rose from the Sprint Center court with the ball in his hands, nothing but open air and a basket in front of him. He cocked his right arm back before unleashing a ferocious dunk that left the Cowboys rolling and their bench cheering.
Like McGriff, the Cowboys are on their way up at the right time. OSU downed rival Oklahoma, 71-60, to open the Big 12 tournament Wednesday, their first victory in the conference’s tournament since 2014. The victory further pushed the argument many Cowboys believe to be fact: This is an NCAA Tournament team.
“I thought we were all along,” senior forward Mitchell Solomon said. “It took some big wins to prove it to everyone else.”
McGriff opened the second half with the Cowboys’ first 11 points. Two came on that dunk, but the others were thanks to
a trio of 3-pointers. The sophomore forward finished with four in leading OSU to a resume-boosting victory with 18 points.
“It just came down to a lot of stops,” McGriff said. “Runs are not just about points.”
The Cowboys’ victory relied on more than that. OSU (19-13) nearly doubled the Sooners’ rebounding total, thrashing them 53-27 in that category. Senior guard Jeffrey Carroll’s 13 boards matched a career high, while Solomon and McGriff added nine each.
OSU coach Mike Boynton made rebounding a point of emphasis heading into the matchup after the Sooners were the better team in that area last time they faced, an 83-81 Cowboy victory in Stillwater.
“These kids have always responded no matter what,” Boynton said. “Tough loss on the road, disappointing loss at home, they’ve always found a way to be re-engaged in the process and try to improve for the next time.”
After McGriff’s final 3, the Sooners (18-13) answered with their own flurry. Four 3-pointers, all scored or assisted on by Big 12 Freshman of the Year Trae Young, fueled a 14-2 run as the Cowboys’ lead fell to four.
Solomon handled a 3-on-1 defensive disadvantage as the Sooners tied to cut the deficit to two, denying a Young alley-oop to Brady Manek. From there, the Cowboys outscored the Sooners by seven.
Despite senior point guard Kendall Smith, who has often served as the Cowboys’ closer, fouling out with 2:50 to play, OSU endured as it held on for its third straight victory.
The Cowboys held the Sooners to a season low in points in the season’s third Bedlam contest. OSU has allowed at least 20 fewer points each game.
“I think it’s us getting better,” Boynton said. “We’ve really improved. Anybody who’s paid attention to us has seen our team get better, has seen different guys become a little more confident in what they do.”
The Cowboys will try to add to their resume again Thursday when they face top seed Kansas for the second time in five days.
For now, the Cowboys are focused on a Big 12 title. They figure what comes beyond that will take care of itself.
“This team,” Boynton said, “has got a lot more to play for.”