Cowboys home Tuesday night against No. 9 Iowa State

9/9 IOWA STATE (21-6, 11-5) at OKLAHOMA STATE (13-14, 5-11)
Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025 | 7:01 p.m. CT
Stillwater, Okla. | Gallagher-Iba Arena (13,611)

Tickets: okstate.com/tickets
Watch: ESPN+ (Mark Neely & Bryndon Manzer)
Listen: Cowboy Radio Network (Dave Hunziker & John Holcomb)
Stats: okstate.statbroadcast.com
Series: OSU leads 72-68 (41-19 in Stillwater)
Last: Jan. 13, 2024 in Ames (ISU, 66-42)

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Opening Tips:

Who's the Big 12's biggest bully? The league's top two in takeaways -- OSU and Iowa State -- slug it out Tuesday in search of the answer.
The Cowboys average 8.7 steals and force 14.5 turnovers per game. Both marks are second only to the Cyclones (9.4 and 15.4) on the conference leaderboard. In Big 12 play, OSU's Arturo Dean (2.1) and ISU's Joshua Jefferson (2.4) and Tamin Lipsey (1.9) have the three highest individual steal averages.
OSU has won seven of the last nine series matchups with ISU. The Cowboys are 41-19 all-time against the Cyclones in Stillwater, including 6-4 against AP Top-25 ISU squads.
Both sides are looking to bounce back from Saturday losses (ISU at No. 5 Houston and OSU at No. 23 Kansas).
Last Wednesday's 104-95 home win over UCF marked the first time in 18 years that OSU has hit the century mark in Big 12 play.
The Cowboys are 10-3 on Eddie Sutton Court with all three losses coming to teams currently ranked in the top-10 of the NCAA NET (No. 3 Houston, No. 7 Texas Tech, No. 9 Arizona). ISU enters the week at No. 8 in the NET.
OSU is averaging 75.7 points in Big 12 home games, compared to 61.0 on the road.
Leading scorer Bryce Thompson (12.4 ppg) is coming off back-to-back 20-point performances (a first in his collegiate career). He had a career-high 25 in the UCF win and 21 more at KU.
Thompson is averaging 15.3 points in the month of February.
OSU has already exceeded its overall and Big 12 victory totals from a season ago (12-20, 4-14).
First-year head coach Steve Lutz brings a fast and physical brand of basketball to Stillwater with a team that relentlessly attacks the rim and feasts on transition opportunities created by a smothering half court defense.
The Cowboys have totaled 14 steals in each of their last two outings against UCF and Kansas.
OSU is making a living at the line with nearly a quarter of its points coming on free throws (24.2% is 9^th-highest nationally). The Cowboys also lead the Big 12 and rank among the NCAA leaders in free throw rate (12^th, 42.9), free throw makes (10^th, 17.7) and attempts (12^th, 24.5).
Chi Chi Avery (12.0 ppg) heads up an OSU bench unit that ranks 12^th nationally in points (31.9).
Abou Ousmane (11.8 ppg) is the Cowboys' top rebounder (5.3) and shot-blocker (25).
OSU is on the hunt for its first AP top-25 win since Feb. 17, 2024 (No. 19 BYU) and first top-10 victory since knocking off No. 1 Baylor in Waco on Jan. 15, 2022.

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On This Date: Feb. 25
1952 – Henry Iba's 500^th coaching win came in a 54-34 romp over Bradley at what was then known as Gallagher Hall. Don Johnson paced the scoring with 25 points.

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Last Time on Cowboy Basketball:
Saturday in Lawrence, Kan. | #23 KU 96, OSU 64

Coming off its worst loss of the Bill Self era, a motivated KU closed the first half on a 29-4 run in an eventual 96-64 victory over OSU.
Bryce Thompson scored a game-high 21 for the Cowboys, who were within 23-19 after Chi Chi Avery's putback but went 1-for-10 from the field with six turnovers over the final 9:00 of the half. KU made 11 of its next 14 shots to take a 52-23 lead into the locker room and pushed the margin to as many as 39 points down the stretch.
OSU tallied 14 steals and scored 20 points off KU's 18 giveaway, but the hosts countered with 15 steals and 27 points off 17 OSU turnovers.
KU was +20 on the glass and shot 52.1% (helped by 14 triples) while limiting OSU to 36.7%.
Hunter Dickinson led KU with 16 points and 11 rebounds, Flory Bidunga added 16 boards, David Coit and Zeke Mayo nailed five threes each and Dajaun Harris tallied six steals.

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Thompson Finishing Strong:

Three of Bryce Thompson's 12 career 20-point games have come against his former school, Kansas. He had a game-high 21 on Saturday.
It was Thompson's third 20-point effort this month on the heels of a career-high 25-point showing against UCF. He also had 20 in the Feb. 1 win over Utah.
Thompson has hit 194 free throws in four seasons at OSU. More than a quarter of those makes (53) have come since the start of Big 12 play this season. The graduate guard has evolved into a more aggressive driver under Steve Lutz, drawing an average of 4.7 fouls per 40 minutes against conference opponents (the league's 10^th highest mark, per KenPom). He's also been a markedly improved marksman in his final season, knocking down 80.4% of his free throws (compared to 62.3% in his first four years).
Thompson went 3-of-4 from deep in Saturday's game, becoming just the 15^th Cowboy with 150 career triples.

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More Kansas Leftovers:
Marchelus "Chi Chi" Avery was 2-for-9 from distance, marking his eighth consecutive game with multiple three-pointers. He's 17-of-47 (.362) in that span.
Arturo Dean added two more steals to run his season total to 54 (tied for 24^th on OSU's single-season list).
31 of Dean's steals have come during Big 12 play, which is already sixth-most in school history with still four games to play.

OSU Season Bests // Total Steals // Big 12 Only
58 – Marcus Smart (2013) – Big 12 Record
41 – Marcus Smart (2014
35 – Anthony Hickey (2015)
35 – Tony Allen (2004)
32 – Jeff Newberry (2016)
31 – Arturo Dean (2025)

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Trending:

OSU is 12-5 when holding its opponent to less than 80 points (1-9 otherwise, with a 104-95 victory over UCF).
OSU is 10-0 when scoring at least 80 (3-14).
OSU is 12-1 with a halftime lead (1-13 when trailing). The Cowboys overcame a six-point deficit to defeat Tarleton State (Dec. 18) but let a 39-34 advantage slip against FAU (Nov. 21).
OSU is 7-2 when outshooting opponents (6-12). Losses came at Texas Tech (Jan. 26) and Houston (Feb. 4).
OSU is 8-2 when forcing 16+ turnovers (5-12) and 7-2 with 20+ points off turnovers (6-12).
On a per-40-minute basis, Arturo Dean is averaging a league-best 3.6 steals-per-40 (10^th nationally), Chi Chi Avery (21.7) and Abou Ousmane (20.6) are sixth and ninth respectively in points, and five Cowboys rank among the top-20 in free throw makes, led by Robert Jennings (5^th, 5.8).
Dean's 5.02 steal percentage leads the Big 12 and ranks 13^th nationally, per KenPom. In other words, when he's in the game, more than 1-in-20 enemy possessions are thwarted by a Dean steal.
This season, 39 of his team-high 54 steals have led to OSU points on the opposite end (69 total points).

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The Series with Iowa State:

This is meeting No. 141 in a series that began more than 98 years ago (Jan. 8, 1927).
OSU leads 72-68 with wins in seven of the last nine encounters. One of the losses came in overtime (Jan. 26. 2022 in Stillwater) and the other last year in Ames.
OSU is 41-19 against ISU in Stillwater (39-16 at GIA).
This will be ISU's first visit since the 2022-23 season when the Cowboys swept two games against nationally-ranked Cyclone teams. On Jan. 21 in Stillwater, Avery Anderson scored 18 points to lead OSU past No. 12 ISU. The Cyclones had climbed back up to No. 11 in the polls prior to the Cowboys' Feb. 11 visit to Ames, but John-Michael Wright put up a season-high 19 to key another 64-56 win.
The Cowboys are 18-42 all-time in Ames (15-30 at Hilton Coliseum, which opened prior to the 1971-72 season) but have won three of their last four there.

Last 3 Meetings:

Jan. 13, 2024 in Ames (ISU, 66-42)
Getting to Ames wasn't easy. Neither was facing Iowa State's elite defense… An ISU team that ranked among top-5 nationally in scoring defense and takeaways held the Cowboys to 42 points on 31.9% shooting and forced 20 turnovers… Eric Dailey Jr. scored 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting for OSU, which made it into town just three hours before tipoff following a series of travel delays tied to severe winter weather…Tamin Lipsey scored a game-high 17 points to help ISU defeat the Cowboys at Hilton Coliseum for the first time since 2020… OSU jumped to leads of 12-6 and 15-10 near the 12:00-mark of the first half before running out of steam. ISU scored the next 12 points during a 23-5 run. The Cowboys made just 5-of-22 shots (.227) after halftime and trailed by as many as 24 down the stretch… Brandon Garrison grabbed a team-high eight rebounds, Quion Williams recorded three steals and Javon Small and Jarius Hicklen each made a pair of threes.

Feb. 11, 2023 in Ames (ISU, 64-56)
John-Michael Wright scored 19 points and Bryce Thompson added 12 as OSU rallied past No. 11 Iowa State…. Aljas Kunc (13 points) and Tamin Lipsey (12) were high scorers for ISU….
The Cyclones led 32-26 at the break and 35-28 early in the second half before the Cowboys caught up…. Wright's jumper put OSU in front for good at 52-50, and Caleb Asberry followed with a three-pointer to boost the lead to five with 4:38 remaining and a cap a 10-2 run…. OSU shot 56% in the second half and 48% for game to ISU's 35%.... The Cyclones made just 9-of-19 free throws, including 5-of-12 after halftime.

Jan. 13, 2024 in Stillwater (OSU, 61-59)
Avery Anderson scored 18 points, including the go-ahead free throws, and OSU rallied from a 16-point first half deficit to defeat No. 12 ISU… Kalib Boone added 13 for the Cowboys, who trailed 27-11 near the 9:00-mark of the first half… OSU pulled to within 35-25 at the break, then rallied some more in the early stages of the second half before finally taking the lead -- 55-54 -- on a pair of Anderson free throws with just over 3:00 to play. Anderson hit another jumper with 61 seconds left to put OSU in front for good… OSU missed two free throws and turned the ball over twice in the final minute against ISU's press, but ISU was unable to capitalize, missing a go-ahead three with 9 seconds left and another desperation heave at the buzzer… The Cowboys overcame injuries to claim the win. Bryce Thompson left the game early in the second half with a left knee injury. 7-foot-1 Moussa Cisse, the Big 12's top rebounder and shot-blocker, played sparingly while recovering from an ankle injury.

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Scouting the Cyclones:

Fourth-year head coach T.J. Otzelberger has taken Iowa State to three straight NCAA tournaments and is on track to do it again.
His Cyclones (21-6, 11-5) enter the week alone in fourth place in the Big 12 standings and are No. 8 in the NCAA NET.
ISU has the nation's eighth most-efficient defense, per KenPom, limiting opponents to 67.0 points on 42.0% shooting while outrebounding them by an average of just under five per game. The Cyclones lead the Big 12 in both steals (9.4) and turnovers forced (15.4) and have five regulars averaging at least a steal-per-contest.
Offensively, ISU ranks 21^st in efficiency. The Cyclones are putting up 80.5 points with a league-best 48.0% field goal percentage and rank among the national leaders in free throw makes (14^th, 17.4) and attempts (21^st, 23.1).
ISU is 19-1 when all of five of its double-figure scorers are active (with the lone loss by two points to consensus No. 1 Auburn) but just 3-5 otherwise. Sophomore Milan Momcilovic (10.7 ppg) missed seven games from Jan. 15 to Feb. 3, during which the Cyclones dropped four of seven. The team's top two scorers, senior guards Curtis Jones (17.2 ppg) and Keshon Gilbert (14.1 ppg), were absent for Saturday's 68-59 loss at Houston.
Jones has been a prolific three-point shooter, averaging 2.58 threes on 36.8% accuracy, while Gilbert (a second team All-Big 12 selection last season) hands out a team-best 4.5 assists.
They're joined in the backcourt by 6-foot-1 junior Tamin Lipsey, a 2024 first team All-Big 12 performer and an all-defensive team selection. He averages 10.5 points and ranks second on the Big 12 steals chart (2.11 spg).
The 6-foot-8 Momcilovic – a 2024 Big 12 All-Freshman pick – adds another floor stretcher to the lineup with more than half of his 10.7 points per game coming from behind the three-point line (2.1 on 41.2%).
Two newcomers have helped fortify the Cylone front court. 6-foot-9 St. Mary's transfer Joshua Jefferson (12.5 ppg, 2.1 spg) is ISU's top rebounder (7.7 rpg), and 6-foot-11 Charlotte transfer Dishon Jackson (8.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg) has been its most effective shot-blocker (27 total).

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OSU vs. the Top-25:

OSU is 0-6 against nationally-ranked opponents this season (0-5 vs. AP top-25).
The Cowboys last defeated a top-25 foe on Feb. 17, 2024 (93-83 over No. 19 BYU), led by Jamyron Keller who scored 22 points without missing a shot (8/8 FG, 4/4 3pt, 2/2FT).
Inside GIA, OSU is 77-86 all-time against AP ranked opponents.
The Cowboys' last top-25 win outside of GIA came Feb. 11, 2023 at No. 11 Iowa State.

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A Cowboy win would...

Be their first AP Top-25 win since Feb. 17, 2024 against No. 19 BYU.
Be their first AP Top-10 win since Jan. 15, 2022 at No. 1 Baylor and their first in GIA since Feb. 6, 2021 against No. 6 Texas (75-67 in 2ot).
Make them 11-3 at home (6-3 Big 12).
Even their February record at 4-4 (on the heels of a 2-7 Big 12 start).
Push their overall record to 14-14 (6-11 Big 12) -- two wins ahead of last season's overall and conference victory totals (12-20, 4-14) with three regular season games still to play.
Be their eighth in the last 10 meetings with Iowa State and increase their all-time series lead to 73-68 (42-19 in Stillwater; 40-16 in GIA).
Make them 871-267 all-time in GIA with a 303-93 mark since the building's 2000 expansion and renovation.
Boost Steve Lutz's career record to 84-39 in four seasons.

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Up Next: at Baylor
Saturday, 7 p.m. CT (ESPN+)

The Cowboys prepare for another tough road test against a Baylor team that has lost just twice on its home floor this season (12-2).
This will be OSU's first visit to Waco since 2023 and its debut at the new Foster Pavilion.
OSU leads the all-time series 57-37 and is 19-22 in Waco.
Baylor has won the last four series meetings, but two of them have come in overtime including last year's 75-70 victory in Stillwater in the Big 12 opener for both sides.
Baylor (16-11, 8-8 heading into Tuesday night's visit to CIncinnati) begins the week at No. 30 in the NCAA NET.
6-7 Miami transfer Norchard Omier is one of 11 players nationally who are averaging a double-double statline. He's putting up 15.8 points and a Big 12-best 10.4 rebounds per game.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Eric Dailey Jr.

Arturo Dean

Brandon Garrison

Jarius Hicklen

Jamyron Keller

Abou Ousmane

Javon Small

Bryce Thompson

Quion Williams

John-Michael Wright

Oklahoma State University Athletics