Cowboys battle Northwestern Thanksgiving night on Big Ten Network

Thursday, November 27

Chicago, Ill. / United Center

9:30 PM

Oklahoma State University

Northwestern

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Photo by: Oklahoma State Athletics

Cowboys battle Northwestern Thanksgiving night on Big Ten Network

November 25, 2025 | Cowboy Basketball

Cowboy Notes (PDF)

rv/- OKLAHOMA STATE (6-0) at NORTHWESTERN (5-1)
Thursday, Nov. 27 | Approx. 9:30 p.m. CT (following Duke/Arkansas)
Chicago, Ill. | United Center

Tickets: ticketmaster
Watch: Big Ten Network (Lisa Byington, Joey Lane)
Listen: Cowboy Radio Network (Dave Hunziker, John Holcomb, Kendall Mae Stark
Stats: okstate.statbroadcast.com
Series: First Meeting

Coaches:
Steve Lutz (Texas Lutheran '95); 2nd Season at OSU (23-18); 5th Overall (92-53)
Chris Collins (Duke '96); 13th Season at NW (199-191), Same Overall

Opening Tips:

The Oklahoma State Cowboys (6-0 and receiving votes in the latest AP Poll) travel to Chicago to face the 5-1 Northwestern Wildcats as part of a Thanksgiving night doubleheader.
Duke and Arkansas tip off at 7 p.m. CT, followed by the Cowboys and Wildcats.
OSU-Northwestern was originally scheduled for Peacock but will now air on the Big Ten Network.
OSU has never faced Northwestern, nor has it played at the United Center -- home to the NBA's Bulls and NHL's Blackhawks.
The Cowboys' last appearance in the Chicagoland area came in the 2005 NCAA Sweet 16 at Allstate Arena.
Thursday's OSU-Northwestern game tips off a two-year, neutral-site series that will continue next season in Oklahoma City.
Steve Lutz is leading a basketball renaissance in Stillwater. The Pokes are out to their best start and longest winning streak since the 2020-21 season when Cade Cunningham and company opened 6-0.
A victory over Northwestern would give OSU its first seven-game winning streak since a 7-0 start to the 2019-20 campaign.
OSU owns early wins over a pair of KenPom top-100 foes: Texas A&M (66) and South Florida (81).
According to Bart Torvik's Wins-Above-Bubble metric, OSU began the week with the nation's 15th-best resume—0.8 wins above the average NCAA Tournament bubble team.
Five Cowboys average double-figure points, led by sophomore Vyctorius Miller (17.5 ppg).
Saturday against Nicholls, junior guard Jaylen Curry recorded the first 30-point, 10-assist game in OSU history.
Curry's big day came on the heels of a 12-point, 11-assist effort from Kanye Clary against USF.
Through the first two weeks, Curry (5.5 apg) and Clary (5.0 apg) have combined for a 2.74 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Per KenPom's adjusted tempo, OSU ranks as the nation's third-fastest team.
The Cowboys are averaging 93.2 points per game on 49.7% shooting, while holding opponents to 74.3 points on just 38.8% marksmanship.
OSU has scored at least 85 points in each of its first six games, tying a school record set by Marcus Smart and the 2013-14 Cowboys.

Last Time on Cowboy Basketball:
Saturday | Stillwater | OSU 95, Nicholls 81

Jaylen Curry scored a career-high 30 points to go with 10 assists and OSU remained unbeaten with a 95-81 victory over Nicholls.
Curry's 30 points were the most ever by a Cowboy reserve – part of a 56-point effort by the OSU bench. He also became the first OSU player ever to record a 30-10 (point-assist) stat line.
The Cowboys led by 15 at halftime and by as many as 24 points near the 8:00-mark of the second half.
Parsa Fallah (12 points) and Ryan Crotty (11) also finished in double-figures for OSU, which shot 52.5% from the field and converted 25-of-27 free throws (.926).
Jalik Dunkley paced Nicholls with 22 points and 12 rebounds.

A Special Blend of Curry:

Saturday against Nicholls, junior guard Jaylen Curry became just the fifth Big 12 player in the last 20 seasons to record a 30-point, 10-assist stat game, according to Stathead.com.

Cowboys with 20+ Points, 10+ Assists (All Time):
Ronnie Daniel vs. Colorado (2/18/1976) – 21 pts, 10 ast
Ronnie Daniel at Iowa St. (2/18/1976) – 20 pts, 14 ast
Sean Sutton vs. Centenary (12/5/1990) – 21 pts, 11 ast
Jawun Evans vs. Kansas (3/4/2017) – 22 pts, 15 ast
Jawun Evans vs. Michigan (3/17/2017) – 23 pts, 12 ast
Jaylen Curry vs. South Fla. (11/22/2025) – 30 pts, 10 ast

Big 12 Players w/ 30+ Points, 10+ Assists (Since 2004-05):
*Curtis Jerrells (Baylor) vs. OK State (1/17/2009) – 31 pts, 10 ast
Trae Young (Oklahoma) vs. North Texas (11/30/2017) – 32 pts, 10 ast
Trae Young (Oklahoma) vs. Northwestern (12/22/2017) – 31 pts, 12 ast
Trae Young (Oklahoma) at TCU (12/30/2017) – 39 pts, 14 ast
*Markquis Nowell (K-State) at Baylor (1/7/2023) – 32 pts, 14 ast
Markquis Nowell (K-State) vs. FAU (3/25/2023) – 30 pts, 12 ast
Christian Anderson (TX Tech) vs. Lindenwood (11/4/2025) – 34 pts, 11 ast
Jaylen Curry (OK State) vs. Nicholls (11/22/2025)
*=Overtime Game; Data Source: Stathead.com

Trending:

Bench minutes and productivity continue to be a Steve Lutz trademark. Cowboy reserves have clocked 46.4% of the minutes (5th nationally, per KenPom) and scored 45.2% of the points.
OSU put up a season-high 57 bench points against Nicholls to boost its season average to 41.2 per game (8th nationally).
Lutz has used a unique starting lineup in all six games, with nine different Pokes logging at least one start.
A dozen Cowboys are clocking 10+ minutes per game and 10 of them have scored in double-figures at least once this season.
OSU has shot 50% or better in each of the last three contests, matching its total from all last season.
OSU has outrebounded each of its first six opponents by an average margin of 9.7.
The Cowboys have reached the 80-point plateau in each of their first six games this season and are a combined 18-0 under Lutz when doing so.
OSU is averaging 9.3 steals per game, ahead of last year's school-record pace (9.1). The Pokes have forced double-digit steals in four games.
The Cowboys have thrived in second halves, averaging 48.7 points on 52.8% shooting while limiting opponents to 37.8 and 37.3% respectively.
OSU is 20-2 under Lutz when leading at halftime.

OSU on Thanksgiving:

OSU is 3-1 all-time on Thanksgiving.
Each of the four previous contests were tied to multi-team events (MTEs), including three at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando.
The Cowboys dropped their Turkey Day debut to Gonzaga in 2008 but have since won three straight, defeatinbg DePaul (2010 in Anaheim), Purdue (2013) and Memphis (2018).

The Pokes on Thanksgiving (3-1):
2008 vs. Gonzaga (Orlando, Fla.) – L, 71-83
2010 vs. DePaul (Anaheim, Calif.) – W, 60-56
2013 vs. Purdue (Orlando, Fla.) – W, 97-87
2018 vs. Memphis (Orlando, Fla.) – W, 84-64
2025 vs. Northwestern (Chicago, Ill)

OSU in Chicago:

The Cowboys are 10-8 in Chicago.
All but three of those games took place under hall of fame coach Henry Iba in the 1940s and 50s. His teams regularly battled national powers DePaul and Loyola Chicago.
This is just the third visit to the Windy City since 1957.
In December 1990, Eddie Sutton's first Cowboy team faced Southern Illinois and DePaul in a pre-Christmas tournament at the Rosemont Horizon.
More recently, OSU battled Arizona in the 2005 NCAA Sweet 16 at Allstate Arena.

The Series with Northwestern:

Northwestern is one of just five Power Five programs that the Cowboys have never faced in men's basketball, along with: Georgia (SEC), Indiana (Big Ten), Mississippi State (SEC) and Rutgers (Big Ten).
OSU hasn't faced a Big Ten opponent in nearly six years. The last matchup came on Dec. 21, 2019, against Minnesota at the BOK Center in Tulsa.

Scouting the Wildcats:

Northwestern comes in averaging 82.3 points per game and ranks among the national leaders in field goal percentage (22nd, .519), three-point percentage (15th, .419), assist-to-turnover ratio (6th, 2.13) and turnover prevention (11th, 8.7).
Defensively, the Wildcats are holding opponents to 66.8 points on 38.1% shooting.
Northwestern (17-16, 7-13 Big Ten last year) enters the week at No. 47 in KenPom's efficiency rankings (46th on offense, 75th defensively). The Wildcats are 5-1 with a pair of last-second wins over DePaul and South Carolina and a five-point loss to Virginia.
Senior Nick Martinelli – a second team All-Big Ten selection last year and the team's only returning starter -- is averaging a team-best 19.3 points per game, along with 6.0 rebounds. He was the hero in the Nov. 14 win at DePaul, sinking a pair of free throws in a tie game with 3 seconds on the clock.
6-foot-11 forward Arrinten Page (15.7 ppg) hit a go-ahead layup in the final seconds of Sunday's 79-77 victory over South Carolina. The former Cincinnati Bearcat leads the team in rebounds (7.0), blocks (6) and steals (8).
South Florida transfer Jayden Reid (13.5 ppg) has been the primary table-setter, averaging 6.2 assists with a better-than 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
13^th-year head coach Chris Collins is a victory shy of 200 for his career (199-191). He led Northwestern to its first ever NCAA tournament appearance (and victory) in 2017 and added back-to-back trips in 2023 and 2024.
This will be just the third regular season game that Northwestern has played at the United Center, though the venue has been a regular stage for the Wildcats during the Big Ten tournament.

Matchup Mashup:

Former Cowboy guard Isaac Likekele is in his first year as a graduate manager on the Wildcat staff. The versatile guard is the only player in OSU history with at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 400 assists.
Four former Cowboys have worn a Chicago Bulls uniform at some point in their NBA careers: John Starks (1999-00), Corey Williams (1992-93), Stephen Graham (2005-06) and John Lucas (2010-12). Williams -- a second round draft pick in 1992, was a rookie on the Bulls' 1993 NBA Championship team.
Doyle Parrack (1946-47) and Joe Bradley (1949-50) -- members of OSU's 1945 and 1946 NCAA championship teams respectively -- suited up for the Bulls' precursor, the Chicago Stags.
OSU head coach Steve Lutz is familiar with Northwestern from his four seasons as an assistant coach at Big Ten rival Purdue (2017-21). His Boilermaker teams went 5-0 against the Wildcats during that span.
This is the first of three games in three weeks for the Cowboys inside NBA arenas. They'll face Grand Canyon in Phoenix on Saturday, Dec. 6 and then meet up with Oklahoma on Saturday, Dec. 13 in Oklahoma City.

On This Date: Nov. 27

OSU is 11-2 all-time on Nov. 27
1991 -- Byron Houston scored 34 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in 11^th-ranked OSU's 74-63 win over No. 24 Pittsburgh in the semifinals of the Preseason NIT at Madison Square Garden. Two nights later, the Cowboys claimed the title with a victory over No. 18 Georgia Tech.
2019 -- Isaac Likelele scored a team-high 26 to go with eight assists and five steals as OSU improved to 6-0 with an 86-72 win over Syracuse inside the Barclays Center.

A Cowboy win would...

Give them their best start and longest winning streak since a 7-0 start to the 2019-20 season.
Make them 1-0 all-time against Northwestern.
Up their non-conference regular season record under Lutz to 15-3 with nine straight victories.
Boost Lutz's career record to 93-53 in parts of five seasons as a head coach (24-18 at OSU).
Make them 4-1 all-time on Thanksgiving.
Push their all-time record to 11-8 in Chicago (1-0 United Center).

A Cowboy loss would...

Be their first of the season after a 6-0 start.
Snap a six-game winning streak.
Make them 10-9 all-time in Chicago (0-1 United Center).
Make them 0-1 against Northwestern.

Up Next: Sam Houston
Tuesday, Dec. 2 | 7 p.m. CT (ESPN+)

The Cowboys return home next Tuesday to face Sam Houston.
Great seats are available at okstate.com/tickets.
The Bearkats (3-2 heading into Wednesday's game against Idaho State) own an early victory over Wyoming. Their only losses have come on the road to Big 12 schools Texas Tech and Utah.
OSU leads the all-time series 4-0 (all in Stillwater).
In the last go-around (Nov. 12, 2023), the Cowboys tied a school record with 17 three-point field goals on 33 attempts in an eventual 85-70 win.
OSU is 19-4 in Gallagher-Iba Arena under Steve Lutz (6-0 this season).