What’s next for Oklahoma State basketball after burnt end in KC at Big 12 Tournament?

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Oklahoma State players sat scattered on chairs and benches, a vibe of bewilderment emanating from the mostly silent locker room.

A team the Cowboys had beaten three days earlier manhandled them Tuesday, with Cincinnati, the No. 13 seed, rolling to an 87-68 win over the 12th-seeded Pokes, eliminating them from the Big 12 men’s basketball tournament at the T-Mobile Center.

“We did not perform well today,” first-year OSU coach Steve Lutz said. “We did not play our best basketball and they played better than us, therefore they won. Hats off to them, they get to play another day, and we get to go home and figure out what the next step is.”

The Cowboys had a season-high 24 turnovers, allowed Cincinnati to grab 16 offensive rebounds and watched the Bearcats dunk on them time and again to end OSU’s season (probably, anyway, but more on that later).

OSU mustered enough offense for a brief second-half rally, sparked mostly by sophomore wing Connor Dow, who hit four 3-pointers in a span of eight game minutes to finish with a team-high 12 points.

But a string of Cincinnati dunks, off OSU turnovers and offensive rebounds, helped the Bearcats put the game away.

If this is the end of Lutz’s first season, the Cowboys will put a 15-17 record in the books.

Here are three takeaways from the game:

More: Steve Lutz, Oklahoma State basketball arrive at Big 12 Tournament building on right path

Postseason for Pokes?

The two additional postseason tournaments beyond the NCAA Tournament — the NIT and the newly created College Basketball Crown in Las Vegas — give 48 teams the opportunity to continue their seasons.

The Cowboys could be an option for one of those tournaments, though the exact mechanics of what needs to happen are unclear.

Regardless, if given the opportunity, Lutz says his team would be up for it.

“I think these guys deserve it,” he said. “If we can play postseason and have an opportunity to continue to fight for a championship, these guys deserve it….

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/whats-next-oklahoma-state-basketball-232131120.html

Author : The Oklahoman

Publish date : 2025-03-11 23:21:00

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