Cowboys look to continue momentum Saturday at Baylor

Saturday, March 1

Waco, Texas / Foster Pavilion

7:00 PM

Oklahoma State University

Baylor

Image Taken at Cowboy Basketball vs. Iowa State, Tuesday, February 25, 2025, Gallagher Iba Arena, Stillwater, Oklahoma. Chloe Reeves/OSU Athletics.

Photo by: Oklahoma State University Athletics

February 27, 2025 | Cowboy Basketball

Cowboy Notes (PDF)

OKLAHOMA STATE (14-14, 6-11) at BAYLOR (16-12, 8-9)
Saturday, Mar. 1, 2025 | 7:01 p.m. CT
Waco, Texas | Foster Pavilion

Watch: ESPN+ (Lowell Gallindo & Scott Williams)
Listen: Cowboy Radio Network (Dave Hunziker & John Holcomb)
Stats: okstate.statbroadcast.com
Series: OSU leads 57-37 (19-22 in Waco)
Last: Jan. 6, 2024 in Stillwater (BU, 75-70 ot)

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Opening Tips:

The Oklahoma State Cowboys look to build off a signature win on Saturday night when they travel to Waco, Texas to face the Baylor Bears.
Abou Ousmane scored 25 points and Arturo Dean tied a school record for steals in a Big 12 conference game (7) in Tuesday's 74-68 upset of No. 9 Iowa State in Stillwater. It was the Cowboys' first top-10 victory since knocking off No. 1 Baylor in Waco in Jan. 15, 2022.
The Cowboys swept non-conference visits to Tulsa and Seton Hall but have dropped 10 straight Big 12 road games, last winning Feb. 21, 2024 at Cincinnati.
Foster Pavilion is in its second season, however this will be OSU's first visit due to the league' unbalanced schedule. BU won last season's lone matchup in Stillwater (75-70) in overtime.
The Cowboys are 57-37 all-time against Baylor, including 19-22 in Waco.
OSU (14-14, 6-11) has already exceeded last year's overall and Big 12 victory totals (12-20, 4-14) while improving by 31 spots in the NCAA NET rankings (95, up from 126).
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.
Dean, the NCAA's active leader in steals per game (2.73) is among the keys to an OSU defense that ranks second in the Big 12 in both steals (8.9) and takeaways (14.6).
Dean, a junior FIU transfer, is nine points shy of 1,000. He'd be the seventh Cowboy to reach that milestone, tying OSU with Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota and Ole Miss for the most nationally.
OSU is making a living at the line with nearly a quarter of its points coming on free throws (24.2% is 7^th-highest nationally). The Cowboys also lead the Big 12 and rank among the NCAA leaders in free throw rate (15^th, 42.7), free throw makes (10^th, 17.7) and attempts (12^th, 24.4).
OSU followed up a 2-7 Big 12 start with a 4-4 February (and came within a TCU buzzer beater of making it 5-3). Graduate guard Bryce Thompson averaged a team-best 14.9 points in that span with three 20-point games.
Thompson is averaging a career-high 12.4 points for the year and has moved into the top-25 on the school's all-time scoring list (24^th, 1,285).
Chi Chi Avery (12.0 ppg) heads up an OSU bench unit that ranks 12^th nationally in points (31.4).
Ousmane (12.3 ppg) is OSU's top rebounder (5.4) and shot-blocker (26) and now has a case for being its top 3-point shooter. He hit 3-of-4 against ISU and is 15-of-30 for the year.

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On This Date: March 1

1940 – A 42-26 victory over Tulsa in the regular season finale was the last in a school-record 25-game winning streak.
1948 – Oklahoma A&M completed an unbeaten run through the Missouri Valley Conference with a 48-38 road win at Drake.

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Last Time on Cowboy Basketball:
Feb. 27, 2025 in Stillwater | OSU 74, No. 9 Iowa State 68

OSU turned up the defensive pressure to secure its first top-25 win of the season and first over a top-10 opponent in more than two years.
In a battle between the Big 12's top-two turnover producers, the Cowboys did most of the bullying, outscoring the Cyclones 24-10 off turnovers and 22-9 on fast break opportunities. They forced 18 and committed just 12.
Abou Ousmane scored a game-high 25 points on 3-of-5 three-point shooting and made all eight free throw attempts.
Arturo Dean (14 points) tied Byron Eaton's OSU record for steals in a Big 12 game (7).
OSU, which averages just under nine steals per game, finished with 13 against the Cyclones, while ISU -- the Big 12 leader at 9.3 per contest -- managed just five.
The Cowboys forced seven turnovers in the first six minutes to build a 12-4 lead then finished the first half on another 12-2 run to go into the break with a 40-26 advantage.
ISU rallied to within five with 15:47 to play and made it a four-point game with 2:04 left, but the Cowboys answered each run with timely baskets.

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Arturo Dean's 7 Steals against ISU...

… Tied a school record for most in a Big 12 game, matching Byron Eaton's mark, set Feb. 27, 2006 at Oklahoma.
… Tied for fourth on OSU's overall single-game list.
… Were the most by a Cowboy since Marcus Smart's school-record nine-steal performance against Utah Valley on Nov. 12, 2013.
… Were a season-high for Dean (and his third career 7-steal game) -- yet still fell three shy of his career-best. On Nov. 29, 2023, while playing for FIU, he achieved the rare points-steal double-double (13 and 10) against Florida Gulf Coast.
… Give him 61 steals for the season (18th on OSU's season list) and 38 in Big 12 play (the most ever by a Cowboy not named Marcus Smart).

OSU Single-Game Records // Steals:
9 -- Marcus Smart -- UTAH VALLEY (11/12/2013)
8 -- Desmond Mason -- HOUSTON BAPTIST (12/15/1998)
8^ -- Brooks Thompson -- COLORADO (2/13/1993)
7* – Arturo Dean – IOWA STATE (2/25/2025)
7 -- Terrel Harris -- MERCER (12/17/2008)
7 -- Marcus Dove -- UT ARLINGTON (12/22/2007)
7 -- Byron Eaton -- PRAIRIE VIEW (11/9/2007)
7* -- Byron Eaton -- at Oklahoma (2/27/2006)
7 -- Victor Williams -- NORTHWESTERN ST. (12/8/2002)
7^ -- Brooks Thompson -- at Colorado (2/21/1994)
7 -- Richard Dumas -- at Louisville (12/17/1988)
7^ -- Derrick Davis -- NEBRASKA (2/24/1988)
*=Big 12 game ^ = Big Eight game

OSU Season Records // Total Steals // Big 12 Only:
58 – Marcus Smart (2013)
41 – Marcus Smart (2014)
38 – Arturo Dean (2025)
35 – Tony Allen (2004)
35 – Anthony Hickey (2015)

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Thompson Finishing Strong:

As he nears the end of his four-year Cowboy career, graduate guard Bryce Thompson is playing some of his best all-around basketball with double-figure points in 13 of his last 15.
Per KenPom, in conference games a more aggressive Thompson has drawn an average of 4.5 fouls per 40 minutes (10^th most among Big 12 regulars) while posting the league's 11^th highest free throw rate (36.1).
Thompson has also been a markedly improved marksman this year, knocking down 80.8% of his free throws (compared to 62.3% in his first four years).

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More Iowa State Leftovers:

Steve Lutz's 83^rd career victory was his first over a nationally-ranked opponent.
OSU defeated its first top-25 foe since Feb. 17, 2024 (No. 19 BYU). It was the Cowboys' first top-10 victory since knocking off No. 1 Baylor in Waco on Jan. 15, 2022 and first top-10 win in GIA since Feb. 6, 2021 against No. 6 Texas (76-67 in OT).
The Cowboys improved to 11-3 at home (6-3 Big 12). All three losses have come to teams currently ranked among the top-10 in the NET: Houston (3), Texas Tech (7) and Arizona (9).
Marchelus "Chi Chi" Avery was 2-for-6 from distance, marking his ninth consecutive game with multiple threes. He's looking to become just the 10th Cowboy to do it in 10 straight.
Avery and Bryce Thompson share the team lead with 20 double-figure scoring games.
The Cowboys have forced at least 18 turnovers in each of their last three games while collecting a total of 41 steals against UCF (14), KU (14) and ISU (13).

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Trending:

On a per-40-minute basis, Arturo Dean is averaging a league-best 3.8 steals-per-40 (fourth nationally), Abou Ousmane (21.0), Chi Chi Avery (20.7) and Bryce Thompson (19.7) are sixth, eighth and 11^threspectively in points, and three Cowboys rank among the top-10 in free throw makes, led by Robert Jennings (5^th, 5.3).
OSU is averaging 76.3 points in Big 12 home games, compared to 61.4 on the road.
The Cowboys are 9-5 when coming off a loss (4-9 coming off a win).
The Cowboys have lost seven straight overtime games (two of them against Baylor). Their last OT victory came exactly three years ago -- Feb. 19, 2022 against K-State. The streak began two days later against the Bears.

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The Series with Baylor:

The Cowboys lead the all-time series 57-37 but Baylor has made up ground in recent years with wins in four straight and 15 of the last 20. The most recent was a 75-70 overtime win in last season's Big 12 opener in Stillwater.
After 35 years at the Ferrell Center, Baylor basketball has a new home. 7,500-seat Foster Pavilion made its debut last season, however this will be OSU's first visit due to the league's unbalanced schedule. Prior to 2023-24 the former Big 12 south division rivals had met home-and-home in 27 straight seasons.
Baylor has a 28-27 edge in Big 12 regular season games, but the Cowboys are perfect 4-0 in conference tournament matchups, most recently in 2021 when 12th-ranked OSU topped No. 2 ranked Baylor in the semifinals.
OSU is 19-22 against the Bears in Waco and 26-14 in Stillwater.
Baylor's current nine-game winning streak at Gallagher-Iba Arena is the longest ever by an opponent, ahead of an eight-game Kansas State streak that ran from 1970-77. Prior to this run, the Bears were just 5-26 in Stillwater (5-22 at GIA).

Memorable Series Moments:

Dec. 28, 1945 (OSU 65, BU 46): Led by MVP Bob Kurland, the eventual national champion Aggies handed Baylor its first loss of the season in the All-College title game.

Jan. 22, 2005 (#5 OSU 82, BU 53): Joey Graham scored 24 points and OSU picked up its first win on the newly-renamed Eddie Sutton Court.

Mar. 3, 2007 ( BU 86, OSU 82): OSU fell in Waco, despite JamesOn Curry's 40 points on 7-of-10 three point shooting

Feb. 20, 2010 (OSU 82, #22 BU 75): James Anderson scored 31 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.

Mar. 15, 2013 (#14 OSU 74, BU 72): Phil Forte hit two free throws with 2.9 seconds left to send OSU to the Big 12 semifinals

Feb. 6, 2013 (#22 OSU 69, BU 67 ot): Michael Cobbins blocked a Baylor shot and Markel Brown raced the length of the floor for a game-winning lay-in with 0.2 second remaining

Mar. 21, 2022 (#12 OSU 83, #2 BU 74): All-American Cade Cunningham scored 25 to send OSU into the Big 12 final for the first time in 17 years. It was the final loss that season for the eventual national champion Bears.

Jan. 15, 2022 (OSU 61, #1 BU 54): Playing its third road game in five days, OSU stunned Baylor behind 19 points from Bryce Thompson. It was the program's first-ever road win over a No. 1-ranked team.

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Scouting the Bears:

Baylor has won a game in each of the last five NCAA tournaments under head coach Scott Drew, highlighted by the program's first national title in 2021.
Led by first round NBA Draft picks Ja'Kobe Walter (19^th, Toronto) and Yves Missi (21^st, New Orleans), the 2024 Bears finished 24-11 (11-7 Big 12) last season and earned a No. 3 seed in the Big Dance where they defeated No. 14 seed Colgate in the first round before falling to No. 6 Clemson two days later.
Baylor has a similar mix of talented freshmen and experienced transfers on this year's roster.
6-4 senior Jayden Nunn (the lone returning starter from last year's group) has produced 8.9 points and a team-best 53 threes on 42.4% accuracy.
The other two holdovers have been hampered by injuries. Langston Love (an honorable mention All-Big 12 pick last year) has averaged 9.6 points in 14 games but missed 14 others to various ailments, while 6-10 forward Josh Ojianwuna (7.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 77% FG) suffered a season-ending injury two weeks ago.
Four of Baylor's five double-figure scorers are newcomers, led by 6-foot-7 senior Norchard Omier, a Miami transfer who started his career at Arkansas State. He's one of 11 players nationally who are averaging a double-double, with 15.8 points a Big 12-best 10.4 rebounds.
Jeremy Roach (10.5 ppg) was a four-year starter at Duke who helped the Blue Devils to an Elite Eight and a Final Four.
The Baylor back court also includes a pair of highly regarded freshmen in 6-foot-5 McDonald's All-American VJ Edgecombe (14.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 2.0 spg) and point guard Robert O. Wright III (11.9 ppg, team-best 4.5 apg).
Baylor has faced the nation's fourth strongest schedule, with more than half (15) of its 28 games falling into Quadrant I territory.
The Bears (16-12, 8-9 Big 12) have dropped their last three games but are 12-2 on their home floor (6-2 in Big 12 play).
The Bears have KenPom's 13^th most efficient offense. They average just over 78 points, helped by a 36.1% three-point percentage and healthy rebounding (+3.5) and turnover (+1.8) margins. And they've done it against the nation's toughest collection of opposing defenses (per KenPom strength of schedule) while playing at the Big 12's second slowest tempo (299^th out of 364 teams).
Defensively, the Bears rank 70^th in efficiency. Opponents average 70.2 points on 44.2% shooting (35.9% from three).

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Matchup Mashup:

OSU sophomore Jamyron Keller played his high school basketball at Ellison High School in Killeen, Texas, just an hour southwest of Waco.
Likewise, OSU junior Robert Jennings II is from an hour north in DeSoto.
Head coach Steve Lutz is a San Antonio native with deep Texas ties. He spent 14 years as an assistant Incarnate Word (1995-99), SFA (2000-06) and SMU (2006-10) and got his first head coaching job at A&M-Corpus Christi (2021-23).

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A Cowboy Win Would...

Move them back above .500 (15-14, 7-11).
Give them consecutive Big 12 wins for the first time this season.
Be their first Big 12 road victory since Feb. 21, 2024 at Cincinnati, snapping a 10-game skid.
Snap a four-game losing streak against Baylor.
Make them 20-22 all-time in Waco with wins in two of their last three visits.
Increase their all-time series lead to 58-37.

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Up Next: Wednesday at UCF (6 p.m. CT, ESPN+)

The Cowboys add another first-time venue to the list next Wednesday when they travel to Orlando to face UCF.
The Knights (15-13, 6-11 heading into Saturday's game at TCU) fell 104-95 to OSU in Stillwater on Feb. 19 but haven't lost since, notching home wins over Utah and Kansas State.