Five Thoughts on Oklahoma State’s 84-83 Victory against Kansas State

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STILLWATER — It makes sense that a game that didn’t start until 9 p.m. might get a little weird.

Oklahoma State beat Kansas State 84-83 on Saturday night in Gallagher-Iba Arena thanks to Vyctorius Miller hitting three consecutive free throws with 2.8 seconds to play.

The win pushes the Pokes to 14-4 overall and 2-3 in Big 12 play.

Here are five thoughts on the game.

1. ‘Only in My Dreams’

With 2.8 seconds to play, sophomore guard Vyctorius Miller stepped to the line for three shots. He needed two to tie and three to win, and he got all of them.

“Only in my dreams,” said Miller when asked if he had ever been in that situation before. “As a kid, you dream of those moments. National championship game, it’s just you by yourself to win or lose. That’s what I was thinking about, and that’s what I did.

“I didn’t shoot well, but a lesser man would’ve folded, would’ve thought about those plays, missing shots, stuff like that, but I know my team believes in me. Parsa was talking to me, everybody was talking to me. It was just some free throws. Just made them.”

It was far from Miller’s best night, as he had nine points on 2-for-13 shooting, but when the Cowboys needed him most, he was there.

2. Roy Off the Bench

OSU’s leading scorer came off the bench on Saturday night — the first time he hasn’t started a game he’s played in since Nov. 22.

The change in scenery didn’t seem to disrupt his rhythm, as he put up a game-high 23 against the Wildcats. It’s the fifth time he has scored in the 20s as a Cowboys and the second in Big 12 play after scoring 22 in Lubbock in OSU’s conference opener.

Although he didn’t start the game, he did finish it. Lutz has previously said to not worry about who starts but who finishes. Roy scored 10 of his points in the second half despite going 0-for-4 from deep in the frame.

To counteract his normal method of scoring not working, Roy got downhill. He was 3-for-5 on 2-point shots and went 4-for-5 from the foul line in the second half.

He was 3-for-5 from deep in the first half.

“I thought Anthony was good,” Lutz said. “I thought he played hard. He shot the ball well in the first half. He did not shoot the ball well in the second half, but I thought he made plays that helped us win the game, especially on the defensive end.”

3. The Glenn Spencer Defensive Approach

The Big 12 was on the cutting edge of offensive innovation in football in the 2010s. Stopping Big 12 offenses was near impossible, but OSU defensive coordinator Glenn Spencer had a knack for coming up with timely turnovers to push the Pokes forward.

I’m not sure I’d say K-State (now 0-5 in Big 12 play) is on the cutting edge of offensive innovation, but while the Cowboys might’ve given up a bunch of yards open looks, they did force the Wildcats into 16 turnovers and turned those into 26 points.

The Wildcats shot 50% from the field — the fourth time this season the Cowboys have allowed a team to make at least half its shots. K-State went 15-for-34 (44%) from 3-point range — the fourth time a team has shot 40% or better from 3 against the Pokes.

4. Parsa Fallah’s Back-to-Back Moments

Parsa Fallah hit his second 3-pointer of the night to push OSU’s lead to 77-73 with 5:40 to play, sending the 6,838 in attendance into quite the uproar.

But then on K-State’s ensuing possession, the ball hit the deck. An initial scrum formed around the ball before it popped away from the few prone bodies. Then Fallah took his dive to the white maple hardwood, grabbed hold of the rock and got a timeout.

The crowd liked that even more than the 3-point make, and Fallah got up and egged the crowd on.

“I know a lot of people love Oklahoma State, so when I play for Oklahoma State, I try to take pride and really care about my team, the fans,” Fallah said. “So, if I see a loose ball, I’m gonna dive on it. I don’t care what’s gonna happen, and I know fans enjoy plays like that, too — tough plays. It was the right time, so I just tried to get them going to help the team out.”

Fallah finished with 17 points and a rebound shy of a double-double. Seven of his boards came on the offensive end, part of the 16 offensive rebounds the Pokes ripped down to the tune of 23 second-chance points.

All six of Fallah’s points in the second half came within about a minute, as he got to the foul line along with the 3.

5. Vukovic’s Best Game

There was a point in the first half of this game when sophomore big man Andrija Vukovic was the Cowboys’ leading scorer.

He finished with 11 points, tying a career high while going 5-for-5 from the field. Entering Saturday night, the most points he had scored in a Big 12 game was six against Iowa State a week ago.

“I’m really proud Mili,” Fallah said. “He’s been working all summer, all our last few games, and he’s trying to stay positive on and off the court when he’s not playing, which I know is hard. But I’m really proud of him for staying through the process and keep working hard. And it’s paying off now, so he should enjoy it. Really proud.”

Postgame News Conference

Up Next

Opponent: TCU
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Fort Worth
Watch: ESPN+