Five Thoughts on Oklahoma State’s 87-68 Loss to Cincinnati in the Big 12 Tourmanet

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Cowboys’ season might have come to an end on Tuesday, but we’ll have to wait and see.

Oklahoma State lost to Cincinnati 87-68 in the first game of the Big 12 tournament at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. Here are five thoughts surrounding the game.

1. Turnover City

Both of these teams had a season-high in turnovers Tuesday, as they combined to give the rock away 40 times.

OSU’s 24 turnovers led to 26 Cincinnati points. Cincy’s 16 turnovers resulted in 14 OSU points. Big 12 basketball is physical, it’s chaotic, and that’s what the tournament got in its opening game.

2. Green-Light Connor Dow Was Fun

Connor Dow’s first four shots Tuesday didn’t even hit the rim.

He sat the bench the whole first half but checked in with 12:49 to play. Six minutes later, Dow was the Cowboys’ leading scorer. He finished with 12 points — a career-high — in a dozen minutes on the floor, leading the way for the Pokes. All of those points came via the long ball, where Dow was 4-for-5.

Dow, a 6-foot-6 sophomore from Broken Arrow, hasn’t exactly had the green light to this point in his career, so I’ve been intrigued about what Dow would look like when given Thomas Dziagwa levels of freedom. These five 3-point attempts were the most Dow has put up in a game this season. He had two games of five or more attempts last year. In all of those instances, he has shot at least 40% from 3 in the game.

He actually shot fewer 3s this season (23) than he did as a freshman (50). Dow’s 4-for-5 day raised his season 3-point percentage from 31% to 39%.

“I felt a lot more comfortable this year, for sure,” Dow said. “The work I put in over the summer and the offseason all played a part into that. I just need to continue to keep working on that in all aspects of my game, getting stronger, especially.”

I’m intrigued in what Dow can be. He often gets compared to the likes of Dziagwa, Phil Forte and Keiton Page (being a white guy capable of shooting 3s). Although he might not be as far along as those guys were from an offensive standpoint at this point in his career, Dow’s athleticism arguably gives him a higher ceiling than any of them. He’s long and moves well. He’s good in rotation defensively.

“I think Connor’s done a good job,” OSU coach Steve Lutz said. “He’s put on a little bit of weight. For him, he’s just got to continue to take the next step. He obviously made some shots today, but you gotta be able to get in there and battle and rebound and defend your position and do so with toughness every single day.

“I like Connor a lot and think that he can be a valuable member of our program, but he like everybody, myself included, we’ve all got to get better and take steps forward. But I certainly believe that the future’s bright.”

3. Regularly Scheduled Arturo Dean Thought

In Stillwater, the media sits up in the 300s. I was impressed with Arturo Dean from a bird’s eye view, but sitting courtside Tuesday, I was even more impressed.

It wasn’t the best game Dean has played, finishing with seven points and six turnovers, but Dean had seven steals. It’s the second time this season he’s hit that mark. It’s the most steals in a Big 12 Tournament game since 2006. Only three Cowboys have ever had more than seven steals in a game — Marcus Smart, Desmond Mason and Brooks Thompson.

Dean’s 77 season steals tie Byron Eaton for sixth in OSU’s history, and as we’ll get to, Dean might have a chance to grab a few more before the season is officially done.

A junior, Dean could come back for another season in Stillwater. Given the unstable landscape of college athletics, that might not be a given. After Tuesday’s game, Dean said he hadn’t put much thought into next year but was super complimentary of his first year in Oklahoma.

“Stillwater is like my second home,” Dean said. “These people here were so welcoming, embraced me, believed in me, supported me, supported the team no matter the circumstances. No matter the outcome of the game, they always came out and supported us and embraced us.”

4. Boom or Bust

I’ve tried my best throughout the year to avoid comparisons between this OSU team and last season’s OSU team. The coaches are different, most of the players are different, the conference is different — there’s not a ton to compare.

With that being said, through the Big 12 tournament, the 2024-25 Cowboys are 15-17 and finished the regular season 7-13 in Big 12 play. The 2023-24 Cowboys were 12-20 and had four conference wins. So, this season has been a step in the right direction, but it’s been a rollercoaster of highs and lows.

OSU’s season-long point differential this season is -125. Despite having three fewer wins, last season’s point differential was -55. Among all 32 of the Cowboys’ games this season, 11 were decided by single digits and 21 were decided by double digits. Five games were 20+.

The Cowboys’ loss in Forth Worth stands out because it was a a heartbreaking last-second game, but it stands out extra because there weren’t many other games that went down to the wire like that. It’s felt like OSU either wins or losses comfortably.

5. What’s Next?

The Cowboys are now in a weird limbo. They aren’t making the NCAA Tournament, that much is certain, but playing in the NIT is still a possibility and one Lutz is interested in.

“Yeah, we’re absolutely open to it,” Lutz said. “I think these guys deserve it. … If we can play postseason and have an opportunity to continue to fight for a championship, these guys deserve it. They’ve given a lot all year long and have set the culture for the future.

“We need to reward them if at all possible.”

The NIT, like much of college athletics, is also in a weird spot. It starts March 18. The transfer portal opens March 24. That’s led some programs to decline NIT bids in recent seasons. On top of that, there’s another 16-team tournament in Las Vegas that starts on March 31 called the College Basketball Crown, where two Big 12 teams will receive automatic bids. That would take away numbers from the 32-team NIT, perhaps providing a path for the Cowboys to continue playing basketball.

It’s a bit of a mess, but it sounds like if the Pokes can play more basketball this season, they will.

“I would be willing to play just so I can play with these guys one last time,” Jamyron Keller said. “A lot of these guys are seniors, so I won’t get to play basketball with them anymore. Me being the youngin’, I’ll be ready to play.”