Tramel: What will it take for Bedlam rivals, OU & OSU, to make NCAA basketball tournament?

Oklahoma State's men's basketball team scored 24 first-half points against Texas on Saturday. Then the Cowboys scored 22 second-half points and lost 56-46. 

Then Saturday night, OU scored 24 first-half points at Texas Tech. And the college basketball season never looked more unappetizing in our state. 

But in the first 5:11 of the second half in Lubbock, Texas, Jalen Hill, Grant Sherfield, Milos Uzan and C.J. Noland all canned 3-pointers, and suddenly, we realized offense was possible. 

OU beat Tech 68-63 in overtime, a final score that doesn’t shame the ghost of Billy Tubbs, but a game that offers hope for some decent basketball. 

Porter Moser credited “downhill” basketball. Players able and willing to attack the basket. Uzan, Grant Sherfield, Bijon Cortes, even Hill, a hybrid who plays most any possession. 

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“Texas Tech, you guys know, they’re unbelievable defensively,” Moser said. “They’re so physical. This year, we’ve got a couple more guys that can go downhill.” 

OSU played uphill all game against Texas. The Cowboys had scored 67 points in each of their first two conference games, losing to Kansas 69-67 and beating West Virginia 67-60.  

But against a Texas team coming off a 116-103 home loss to Kansas State, the Cowboys were brutal offensively. 

OSU had more turnovers (18) than baskets (14). The Cowboys went 11:22, spanning halftime, without a field goal, during which they made seven foul shots. Then OSU went the final 8:20 without a basket, during which they made two foul shots. 

That last stretch was particularly discouraging. OSU committed three turnovers, missed all eight shots and missed three foul shots. 

“Disappointed in our offensive output,” Mike Boynton said. “Obviously, they (the Longhorns) played highly motivated defensively. This is a response league. They responded based on past performance better than we did.” 

The Cowboys got few easy shots. Texas, perhaps embarrassed by losing the highest-scoring conference game in Big 12 history, pressured every OSU possession. Every pass and dribble were contested. Bryce Thompson, the Cowboys’ most talented offensive player, was held to four shots. 

It was a major step back for the Cowboys, who had shot 45.3% from the field in their first two Big 12 games. 

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“We struggled today,” Boynton said. “We haven’t been the Golden State Warriors in my six years as head coach. But we’re better than we’ve been.” 

The Cowboys don’t have many great shooters and are limited on ballhandlers able to penetrate a defense. Avery Anderson has done the latter in the past, but he’s now a fourth-year senior who looks lost. 

Both OU and OSU remain NCAA Tournament contenders. The Sooners are 10-5 and No. 48 in the NET rankings used by the NCAA basketball committee. The Cowboys are 9-6 and No. 40 in the NET. The benefits are many for being in Big 12 basketball. 

The Big 12’s prowess will keep OU and OSU in the discussion, so long as they win their fair share of games. But the Big 12’s prowess means the Sooners and Cowboys need to score. 

Through three games of conference play, OSU leads the league in scoring defense, 61.7 points a game. Kansas State is dead last in scoring defense, 91.3. K-State is 3-0. OSU is 1-2. 

Truth is, the fate of teams will come down to making plays in crunch time. Through 15 conference games, nine have been decided by three points or less: two in overtime, two by one point, three by two points and two by three points. 

Things can turn around. Three seasons ago, OSU opened Big 12 play with losses of 85-50 at Tech, 55-41 to West Virginia and 52-40 at Texas Christian. 

But that OSU team rallied to finish 18-14 overall, won its final four games, averaged 68 points a game after that horrid start and was at least in the NCAA Tournament conversation. 

Still, the Sooners have better shooting and more downhill ballhandlers. In a defensive league where offense stands out, that matters. 

Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at 405-760-8080 or at btramel@oklahoman.com. He can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including FM-98.1. Support his work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today. 

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