Cowboy basketball was out-manned and outmatched on the road against Cincinnati on Saturday afternoon - ending a brutal February
CINCINNATI, OH — The Oklahoma State Cowboys men’s basketball team endured a tough road defeat on Saturday afternoon, falling 91-68 to the Cincinnati Bearcats at Fifth Third Arena.
With the loss, OSU drops to 17-12 overall and 5-11 in Big 12 play, while Cincinnati improves to 16-13 and 8-8 in the conference.
The Cowboys’ defensive struggles were evident from the tip, as Cincinnati shot lights out, connecting on 14 three-pointers and building an insurmountable lead early. OSU allowed the Bearcats to shoot 51% from the field in the first half alone, leading to a 51-33 halftime deficit.
The second half saw little improvement, with Cincinnati extending the margin to 30 points at one stage.
Head coach Steve Lutz expressed visible frustration during the game, even breaking a clipboard in a timeout, underscoring the team’s lack of effort and intensity. Postgame, Lutz elaborated, saying, “Our effort and toughness needs to be better. Especially coming into a game like this when Wes Miller has this team on a roll over the last few weeks. We knew Jizzle James and Day-Day Thomas could really shoot the ball.”
Offensively, OSU managed just 68 points, their lowest output in a Big 12 game this season, continuing a trend where they’ve gone 0-11 when scoring 80 or fewer.
The absence of starting center Parsa Fallah, sidelined with a season-ending knee injury from Tuesday’s win over West Virginia, was glaring. Fallah’s injury exacerbates OSU’s frontcourt depth issues, already thinned by attrition and other injuries throughout the year.
Replacement Andrija Vukovic scored 10 points in his third start, but the Cowboys were dominated on the boards, losing the rebounding battle 43-32 and surrendering 24 second-chance points to Cincinnati’s 7.
Lutz acknowledged the impact, stating, “I don’t want to make any excuses. We’ve got to have better effort and performance on the road, but losing Parsa is a big blow to our team and our program. We’ve got to figure out a way now to play without him.”
Key performers for OSU included Vyctorius Miller, who led with 15 points. Kanye Clary and Jaylen Curry each added 11, while Benjamin Ahmed grabbed a career-high eight rebounds. Anthony Roy contributed a three-pointer, tying him for 14th on OSU’s single-season list with 78.
For Cincinnati, Day Day Thomas exploded for 26 points, including seven threes, while Moustapha Thiam dominated with 24 points and 15 rebounds. Baba Miller chipped in 11 points and eight assists, helping the Bearcats to 24 assists on just eight turnovers. Cincinnati’s hot start, making six of their first eight threes, set the tone.
This defeat caps a dismal February for OSU, marked by a five-game skid, inconsistent play, and mounting injuries that have derailed a once-promising season under second year coach Lutz.
With only two regular-season games left, the Cowboys sit WAY outside even the NCAA Tournament bubble. They’ll need a miraculous Cinderella run in the Big 12 Tournament to secure an at-large bid, as their resume lacks quality road wins (just 1-7 away from home).
Conversely, Cincinnati has found momentum under Wes Miller, winning recent games to climb back into contention. If they finish strong, the Bearcats could punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament, with their 8-8 league marked with key victories.
Up next, Oklahoma State continues its road trip at UCF on Tuesday, March 3, at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN+. Cincinnati hosts BYU on Tuesday, March 3, at 9 p.m. EST on ESPN2.