Big 12 Tourney ignites in Kansas City: Cowboys look to down the Buffaloes in tonight’s first round showdown.
KANSAS CITY, MO — The stage is set in Kansas City for the Phillips 66 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Tournament, where the No. 14 seed Oklahoma State Cowboys (18-13, 6-12 Big 12) tip off against the No. 11 seed Colorado Buffaloes (17-14, 7-11 Big 12) in the first round, tonight, at 8:30 p.m. CT inside the T-Mobile Center.
This matchup marks the second year of the expanded 16-team format, requiring lower seeds like OSU to embark on a grueling five-wins-in-five-days path to secure the league’s automatic NCAA Tournament bid. The winner advances to face No. 6 TCU in the second round on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. CT.
Coming off a hard fought regular season finale, the Cowboys showed some fight despite an 82-75 loss to No. 7 Houston on March 7 in Stillwater.
OSU built a 13-point lead in the first half and held a four-point edge at the break, only to see the Cougars rally with hot second-half shooting from beyond the arc. Senior guard Anthony Roy led the way with 18 points, including four threes, while freshman Benjamin Ahmed notched a career-high 11 points.
The Cowboys outrebounded Houston 36-33, dominated second-chance points 18-9, and shot .895 from the free-throw line, highlighting their toughness against one of the nation’s top defenses.
As coach Steve Lutz noted, OSU was just the sixth team this season to lead Houston at halftime and one of few to score 75+ points in regulation against them.
That same grit will be essential against Colorado, as the Cowboys aim to avenge an 83-69 road loss in Boulder on February 21. In that game, OSU erased a 17-point deficit to briefly lead in the second half before fading.
Now, in neutral-site Kansas City, they’ll need to harness their up-tempo style, ranking ninth nationally in adjusted tempo and top-25 in scoring offense (83.9 ppg), to push past the Buffaloes and keep their postseason hopes alive.
Injuries have plagued OSU’s frontcourt, with key players like senior Parsa Fallah (14.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg) out for the season due to a knee injury, forcing reliance on young talents like Ahmed and sophomore Andrija Vukovic, who combined for 16 points and 11 rebounds per game in the final week.
Oklahoma State boasts five double-figure scorers, led by Roy’s 16.7 ppg and elite three-point shooting (3.04 makes per game at .395). Guards Kanye Clary (10.1 ppg, 4.7 apg) and Jaylen Curry (10.1 ppg, 3.7 apg) fuel the offense with strong assist-to-turnover ratios (2.35 and 2.57, respectively), while the bench contributes a Big 12-best 28.6 ppg.
The Cowboys excel at the line, ranking 24th nationally in free-throw makes (18.4), and push the pace with nearly 20% of possessions in transition. Defensively, they’ve held tough in rebounding battles, going 14-1 when winning the glass.
Colorado, under veteran coach Tad Boyle, counters with a balanced attack averaging 80.0 ppg and ranking 106th in adjusted tempo. They commit just 10.3 turnovers per game (second in the Big 12) but allow opponents 79.0 ppg, struggling with three-point defense (.370 opponent percentage, 13th-highest nationally).
Standout players include freshman Isaiah Johnson (17.0 ppg) and sophomore Sebastian Rancik (12.3 ppg, 5.6 rpg), who combine for efficient free-throw shooting (84% on 269 attempts). Junior Bangot Dak adds 11.2 ppg, leading in rebounds (6.5) and blocks (47), while UC Riverside transfer Barrington Hargress provides 14.1 ppg and 4.4 apg with a top-10 national assist-to-turnover ratio (3.58) and .495 three-point accuracy.
Historically, OSU leads the series 62-49, including a 1-0 edge in Big 12 Tournament play (an 87-85 quarterfinal win in 2005). The teams split their two meetings since Colorado’s Big 12 return, each winning at home. A Cowboy victory would improve Lutz’s conference tournament record to 9-1 (he’s 8-0 in prior stops) and set up a rematch with TCU.
Player to watch for Oklahoma State: Senior guard Anthony Roy, whose sharpshooting (85 threes this season, ninth on OSU’s single-season list) could ignite a tournament run.