Cowboy Basketball set for CBS showdown with No. 7 Houston

Saturday, March 7

Stillwater

11:00 AM

Oklahoma State University

Houston

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Cowboy Basketball set for CBS showdown with No. 7 Houston

March 05, 2026 | Cowboy Basketball

Cowboy Notes (PDF)

No. 6/7 HOUSTON (25-5, 13-4) at OKLAHOMA STATE (18-12, 6-11)
Saturday, March 7, 2026 | 11 a.m. CT
Stillwater, Okla. | Gallagher-Iba Arena

Tickets: okstate.com/tickets
Watch: CBS (Andrew Catalon & Steve Lappas)
Listen: Cowboy Radio Network (Dave Hunziker, John Holcomb & Kendall Mae Stark)
Stats: okstate.statbroadcast.com
Series: OSU leads 13-12 (8-2 in Stillwater)
Last: Feb. 4, 2025 in Houston (UH, 72-63)

Opening Tips:

The Oklahoma State Cowboys look to boost their conference tournament seed and end the regular season on a winning note when they host the seventh-ranked Houston Cougars.
OSU will honor four seniors prior to game time: Christian Coleman, Parsa Fallah, Robert Jennings II and Anthony Roy.
The Cowboys have won two of their last three games -- both in overtime. In Tuesday's 111-104 win at UCF, they set program marks for most points in a road game and in a Big 12 contest.
A win over Houston (or a Baylor loss to Utah) would give the Cowboys the No. 13 seed in next week's Big 12 Tournament and a first-round matchup with the No. 12 seed at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday.
A loss (and a Baylor win over Utah) would drop the Pokes to No. 14 with an 8:30 p.m. Tuesday slot against the No. 11 seed.
Colorado is in line for the No. 11 seed and Arizona State the No. 12, however those two would flip if the Sun Devils win at Iowa State and the Buffs fall to Arizona.
With a win over Houston, the Cowboys would also match the program record for home victories in a season (15). Fourteen is already the most regular season wins by an OSU team since 2012-13.
OSU is 2-2 on its home floor against AP top-25 opponents, having previously knocked off No. 25 UCF (Jan. 6) and No. 16 BYU (Feb. 4).
Point guards Kanye Clary (9.9 ppg, 4.7 apg, 2.45 A:TO) and Jaylen Curry (10.0 ppg, 3.8 apg, 2.59 A:TO) are among the keys to an OSU team that ranks 26^th in scoring offense (84.2 ppg) and 11^th in pace.
The Pokes will welcome in a Cougar team that plays at the nation's 17^th slowest adjusted tempo and ranks second in scoring defense (62.3 ppg).
OSU lost Fallah (14.7 ppg, 6.0 rpg) to a season-ending knee injury in the final seconds of the WVU win, but five others are averaging at least 9.5 points, led by Roy (16.7 ppg), who posted his eighth 20-point game against UCF.
Roy ranks among the Big 12 leaders in threes-per-game (5^th, 3.00) and three-point percentage (4^th, .397).
Fellow senior Christian Coleman (9.5 ppg, 4.9 rpg) needs 27 points to reach 1,000 for his NCAA career. His 16 points at UCF were a Big 12 season high.

On This Date: March 7

1951 – Oklahoma A&M crushed Houston, 57-39, to clinch the Missouri Valley Conference title and a bid to the NCAA tournament. The "Kangaroo Kid" Don Johnson hit his first five shots on his way to a game-high 18 points to lead the Aggies, who would go on to reach the Final Four.
1959 – Arlen Clark set an NCAA record for free throw percentage that still stands, sinking 24-of-24 in the Cowboys' 66-51 home win over Colorado. He finished the night with a career-high 42 points. Clark was inducted into the OSU Athletics Hall of Honor last fall.
1970 – In his final game on the OSU bench, Henry Iba coached the Cowboys to a 77-61 victory over Oklahoma. At halftime, former players including Bob Kurland, presented their mentor with a bronze bust. Afterward, his current players carried him off on their shoulders.

Last Time on Cowboy Basketball:
March 3, 2026 in Orlando | OSU 111, UCF 104 (ot)

Anthony Roy finished with 27 points, Kanye Clary scored seven of his 23 in overtime and OSU beat UCF, 111-104.
The Cowboys trailed 100-99 with 3:00 to play in the extra period, but Clary hit a three-pointer and 4-of-4 free throws during a 12-4 run to finish the game.
Jaylen Curry and Christian Coleman added 16 points apiece for OSU, which trailed by as many as 13 points in the first half but rallied to take a 45-40 halftime lead.
UCF erased a six-point deficit in the last minute of regulation, capped by Chris Johnson's game-tying three with 10 seconds left.
The Cowboys' foul shooting won the day. They converted 32-of-40 (.800) to UCF's 33-of-45 (.733). Roy made 10-of-11 and Clary 7-of-8.
Benjamin Ahmed (10 points) and Andrija Vukovic (10 rebounds) both established new career highs and helped OSU to a 47-39 edge on the glass.

More UCF Leftovers:

111 points were… the most ever by an OSU team on the road.… the most ever by an OSU team in Big 12 play.… OSU's highest output since a 117-72 non-conference win over New Orleans in 2016.
OSU and UCF's 215 combined points were… the most ever in a Big 12 game involving OSU.... just four shy of the Big 12 record (219).
OSU made 32-of-40 free throws (.800) to UCF's 33-of-45 (.733).
The 65 combined makes were the most in an OSU game since 1966 and the most ever under modern free throw rules (prior to 1972, teams shot a free throw after every common foul).
The 85 combined attempts were the second-most in an OSU game since 1972 (87 vs. Providence in 2001)
OSU tied a school record with its 12^th 90-point game of season. The previous mark was set in 2016-17.
OSU used its 18^th unique starting-five in 30 games with freshman Benjamin Ahmed sliding into the lineup for the second time. Notably, both of Ahmed's starts have come in wins over UCF.
The Cowboys recorded their first Big 12 sweep under Steve Lutz.
After going nearly two years without an overtime (and more than four years without an OT win), the Cowboys have now played three overtimes in their last five games. They're 2-1.
The Cowboys are 7-1 when Christian Coleman scores at least 15 points. He had 16 at UCF.
The Cowboys' 13-point deficit at the 12:27-mark of the first half matched their largest in a victory this year. They also trailed by 13 early in a Nov. 19 win over South Florida.
OSU is looking to its underclassmen to fill the void after losing starting center Parsa Fallah to a knee injury in the final seconds of the Feb. 24 win over West Virginia. After struggling in last Saturday's loss at Cincinnati, Ahmed and sophomore Andrija Vukovic combined to produce 17 points, 15 rebounds, three blocks and two steals in roughly 40 minutes at UCF.
Ahmed (career-high 10 points) became the 11^th different Cowboy to score in double-figures this year.
Ahmed made 6-of-7 free throws against the Knights. Prior to Tuesday, he was just 11-of-22 for the year.
Vukovic scored four of his seven points and grabbed three of his career-high 10 rebounds in the overtime period.
Over the last four games, Vukovic is averaging 9.0 points and 6.5 rebounds (up from 4.6 & 2.9).
It took Anthony Roy all of five seconds to shake loose from his shooting slump, knocking down his first three-pointer at the 19:55-mark of the first half. He scored 20 of his game-high 27 points after halftime and finished 3-of-7 from deep and 10-of-11 at the stripe.
With 81 triples, Roy has climbed to 12^th on OSU's single-season list with several more rungs within immediate reach: Adrian Peterson (82 in 1998-99), James Anderson (84 in 2008-09), Phil Forte (85 in 2016-17), Obi Muonelo (88 in 2008-09) and JamesOn Curry (88 in 2008-09) occupy spots 7-11 on the chart.
Roy (53 threes) also has the fifth-highest Big 12 season total in OSU history, trailing only John Lucas (54; 2004-05), Phil Forte (55; 2013-14), Thomas Dziagwa (61; 2018-19) and Keiton Page (64; 2011-12).

Also Trending:

The Cowboys have scored at least 81 points in all 18 victories but are 0-11 when falling short.
OSU is 15-1 this season when tied or leading at halftime (30-3 overall under Lutz). The lone loss came at TCU on Jan. 20.
The Cowboys are 14-1 when out-rebounding their opponent (26-6 Lutz era). The lone loss came Feb. 21 at Colorado.
Kanye Clary and Jaylen Curry have combined for double-digit assists in nine different games
With at least six assists on Saturday, Clary would become just the seventh Cowboy to average better than 5.0 assists per game in Big 12 play, joining Doug Gottlieb (3x), Jawun Evans, Byron Eaton and Marcus Smart.
Two of the Cowboys' non-conference victims recently clinched regular season titles in their respective leagues: South Florida (American) and Bethune-Cookman (SWAC).
OSU has played the nation's 38^th hardest schedule, per KenPom, while facing the 23^rd toughest collection of opposing defenses.

OSU vs. Nationally-Ranked Opponents:

OSU is 2-5 against AP top-25 opponents this season, including 2-2 on its home floor with victories over No. 25 UCF and No. 16 BYU.
The Cowboys have beaten at least one AP top-25 foe in each of the last 28 seasons. The BYU victory was their 142^nd all-time and 80^th at home.
An 11-point win over No. 25 UCF marked OSU's largest margin over a top-25 opponent since a 64-51 win over No. 14 Texas on Jan. 8, 2022.
Likewise, a 99-point night vs. BYU was OSU's highest tally against a ranked team since a 101-80 win over No. 11 Memphis on Nov. 19, 2013.

The Series with Houston:

OSU has won 13 of the 25 meetings.
The Cougars have taken all three Big 12 era games, including a home-and-home sweep in 2024-25.
The Cowboys are 8-2 against UH inside Gallagher-Iba Arena, but the Cougars have won each of their two visits under Kelvin Sampson.
OSU is 4-8 in Houston (1-2 in the Fertitta Center).
The teams met 17 times in the 1950s as co-members of Missouri Valley Conference. The Cowboys faced Houston twice annually before joining the Big Eight prior to the 1958-59 season.
The biggest game, to date, between the schools happened at K-State's Ahearn Field House in the 1965 NCAA Midwest Regional. The Cowboys downed the Cougars, 75-60, to reach the last of their eight Elite Eights under Henry Iba.
The schools revived the series 53 years later with a three-game non-conference series. Houston's Dec. 8, 2018 win was its first ever at GIA (1-8). OSU returned the favor on Dec. 15, 2019 with a 61-55 road win at the newly renovated Fertitta Center. Houston took the rubber match -- played Dec. 18, 2021 at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth.

Scouting the Cougars:

Kelvin Sampson has more than 800 wins on his future hall of fame resume, but some of his most impressive work has come over the past decade.
In 12 seasons at Houston (2014-Pr.), he's turned a once-struggling program into a national power.
The Cougars have reached the second weekend in each of the last seven NCAA Tournaments, highlighted by last year's national runner-up finish and another Final Four appearance in 2021.
The Cougars (25-5, 13-4) are well-positioned for another deep postseason run with consensus top-10 ratings from humans and computers alike.
The Cougars are sixth in KenPom's defensive efficiency rankings, limiting opponents to 62.3 points (second-lowest nationally) on 40.3% shooting.
Houston games are typically low-possession affairs (UH is 349^th out of 365 in adjusted tempo), but the Cougars maximize those opportunities by crashing the boards and taking care of the basketball. They rank among the top-25 in offensive rebounding percentage, grabbing 36.2% of their own misses, and average a nation-low 8.3 turnovers per game.
UH also ranks among the NCAA leaders in turnover margin (3^rd, +5.8) and assist-to-turnover ratio (8^th, 1.80).
Freshman guard Kingston Flemings is No. 4 on KenPom's national player of the year table, averaging 16.6 points, 5.3 assists and 1.6 steals while posting a 2.77 A:TO ratio.
Backcourt returners Emanual Sharp (15.9 ppg, 82 3pt FGM) and Milos Uzan (11.5 ppg, 4.1 apg, 3.13 A:TO) are also averaging in double-figures.
Chris Cenac Jr. (9.5 ppg) is the team's top rebounder (7.5) and Joseph Tugler is a top-40 offensive rebounder and shot-blocker, per KenPom.

A Cowboy win would...

Be their third in four games.
Close out a 19-12 regular season -- OSU's highest win count since 2016-17 (20-11).
Lock up the No. 13 seed in next week's Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City, setting up a first-round matchup against the No. 12 seed (11:30 a.m. CT, Tuesday on ESPN+).
Be their third top-25 upset at home this season, following previous wins over No. 25 UCF (Jan. 6) and No. 16 BYU (Feb. 4).
Make them 3-5 overall against AP top-25 opponents (3-2 at home).
Be their highest-rated since upsetting No. 1 Baylor in Waco on Jan. 15, 2022 and their best at home since Feb. 6, 2021, when a Cade Cunningham-led squad knocked off sixth-ranked Texas in double-overtime.
Match the program record for home wins in a season (15), set eight times previously.
Make them 8-2 in regular season home finales over the past decade.

A Cowboy loss would...

Drop them to 18-13 (6-12 Big 12).
(With a Baylor win over Utah on Saturday afternoon) give them the No. 14 seed in next week's Big 12 Tournament in KC, setting up a Tuesday 8:30 p.m. CT matchup against the No. 11 seed on ESPN+.
(With a Baylor loss to Utah) give them the No. 13 seed in KC and a Tuesday 11:30 a.m. CT date with the No. 12 seed on ESPN+.
Be just their fifth at home this season (14-5).