Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State University
Texas
Cowboys Set To Face Texas In Big 12 Championship
March 09, 2023 | Cowboy Basketball
KANSAS CITY, Mo ---- Another opportunity awaits Oklahoma State men's basketball as the Cowboys get set for another game on a national stage in America's toughest conference. After a commanding 57-49 victory over Oklahoma in the opening game of the 2023 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship, OSU is set to face No. 2-seed Texas on Thursday at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN2.
Rich Hollenberg (play-by-play), Chris Spatola (analyst) and Kris Budden (reporter)Â will have the call while Cowboy fans can listen to Dave Hunziker and John Holcomb on the Cowboy Radio Network or the Varsity App.
For the Cowboys, the storylines are simple.
According to ESPN's Joe Lunardi, OSU moved into the "Last Four Teams" grouping in his NCAA Postseason predictions following its win over the Sooners. A win against the Longhorns would only add to the positive momentum and give Oklahoma State its first win of the season against Texas after the Longhorns swept the season series.
Wednesday night's victory was key to Oklahoma State's future goals this season. Thursday night has a chance to solidify those hopes and aspirations even further as championship week rolls on around the country.
You Have To Start Somewhere
John-Michael Wright is no stranger to postseason play.
A senior transfer from High Point, he knows the emotions and stress of March basketball well. Having played in a conference that can only reasonably expect its automatic qualifier (the conference champion) to advance to the NCAA's March Madness, he's felt that pressure for three years.
Even as a seasoned veteran of college basketball, though, Wright still found surprises in his first Big 12 Championship game.
"It was great," he said. "Nice environment. A lot more people than I expected. The scenery of the gym was great, and the energy was electric. We had a lot of OSU fans come support us, so my first game was a great experience."
Find a way to throw out all the emotions that surround basketball in March and Wednesday night's game still had an extra level of importance.
When Oklahoma State and Oklahoma meet, no matter the setting, the game always carries weight around the state.
While the focus all along was earning a victory to advance and continue to bolster the postseason resume, the importance of beating OU for the third time in the same season was not lost in the Cowboys' postgame locker room.
"They're a good team and they've had a good year," Wright said. "Everybody knows about the rivalry and it's always good to get a win against your rival school. We played hard and they played hard. The first game here being against them added an extra chip to our shoulder and we wanted to make sure that we came out with as much energy as possible against our rival."
The victory improved Oklahoma State to 18-4 on the season and gave it its ninth win over Big 12 opponents this year. It marked the first time OU failed to score 50 points in a game since a 66-42 loss at Texas Tech on Feb. 2, 2022.
It was also the first time since a 78-48 loss to Louisville on March 23, 2008, that OU failed to score 50 points in a postseason game.
Looking To Make The Third Time The Charm
Texas comes into Thursday's meeting with a 2-0 record this season against Oklahoma State. The Longhorns earned a 56-46 victory in Stillwater in January before taking an 89-75 win in Austin later that month.
Since then, Texas has faired well on its way to a 23-8 record, including a 12-6 in conference play thanks in large part to a 17-1 record at home.
As good as the Longhorns have been at home, they've struggled away from it on their way to a 6-7 record in road and neutral site games. Coming into the Big 12 Championship, Texas has lost four-straight games away from Austin, with the last victory away from home coming Feb. 4 at Kansas State.
But don't let that impact your thoughts on interim head coach Rodney Terry's crew.
Graduate guard Marcus Carr claimed All-Big 12 First Team honors, graduate guard Sir'Jabari Rice earned the league's Sixth Man Award, joining Kai Jones (2020-21) and also was named to the All-Big 12 Third Team and the five-person Big 12 All-Newcomer Team. To round out Texas' All-Big 12 honors, super senior forward Timmy Allen was selected Honorable Mention All-Big 12.
To sum it up, the Longhorns are talented across the board. They closed the year winning three of their last five regular season games, including a statement making 75-69 victory over Kansas at home.
While a victory against anyone on Thursday night would be impactful, the Cowboys know getting a win over a team that swept them in the regular season would only add to the significance.
"We're just going in making sure we do what we do best," Wright said. "Which is playing defense. We just have to execute and play a full 40 minutes against a great Texas team."
Kalib Boone was a bright spot for the Cowboys in the pair of Texas games, as he averaged 17.0 points and 7.0 rebounds to go along with his 4.0 blocks per contest. A Tulsa native, he shot 77.8 percent from the field against the Longhorns.
Wright found plenty of success, himself, averaging 12.5 points per game against the Longhorns while Bryce Thompson averaged 8.0.
OSU will be looking for a quick start Thursday night, as Texas has outscored it 72-56 in the opening half this year.
Thursday night, the Cowboys will face their burnt orange counterparts approximately 16 hours after leaving the arena Wednesday night. The turnaround will be tight, with another stout opponent on deck.
But what's new in the conference without a night off?
"Just be ready for a great environment and game," Wright said. "A lot of high-level basketball where anything is possible."
FUN QUICK FACTSÂ
- Caleb Asberry has been tough to guard as of late, averaging 15.8 points per game over his last five contests. During the stretch, he's shot 14-for-41 from behind the arc and gone 21-for-23 at the free throw line.
- The guards, in general, have been the catalyst of this OSU offensive effort over the past five games. The trio of Asberry, Bryce Thompson and John-Michael Wright have combined for 194 of Oklahoma State's 331 points (59 percent). Add in Quion Williams, and it jumps to 210 of 331 (63 percent).
- ·The key for the Cowboys on Thursday night will be a fast start in the first half. Not only has Texas outscored OSU by 16 in the opening period this season, but Oklahoma State has also been outscored by 19 in the first half over the past five games. Good news can still be found in this, as the orange and black have made the necessary halftime adjustments to outscore their opponents 184-183 in the second halves of the past five contests.
- Continuing on Asberry, he's scored a combined 49 points the past two games on 10-for-20 shooting behind the arc.
- Don't overlook Tyreek Smith, either. He's recorded a combined 19 rebounds over the past two games, including 14 Wednesday night against Oklahoma. To add to his physical rebounds, he's also posted 18 points in those two games.
- With a win Thursday night, the Cowboys would snap a three-game losing streak against the Longhorns and earn the first victory in the series in Kansas City since 1999.
