Notebook: Positive Steps, Playing on Super Bowl Sunday, Reactions to Blockbuster NBA Trade

STILLWATER — The Cowboys host Arizona State this weekend in what will be the teams’ first meeting as Big 12 foes.

Oklahoma State and the Sun Devils play at 1 p.m. Sunday in Gallagher-Iba Arena. The Cowboys met with reporters on Thursday to give updates on the program. Here are three things that stood out.

Pokes Taking Positive Steps

The Cowboys have a long ways to go in terms of making a push for the NCAA Tournament, but it feels like the past week was at least a step in the right direction.

OSU earned its third Big 12 win last Saturday when the Cowboys beat Utah 81-72. That win avenged a 21-point loss OSU suffered in Salt Lake City. Then this past Tuesday, OSU battled with No. 5 Houston on the road, leading for a good chunk of the first half before falling 72-63.

The week was a good response from the 28-point defeat OSU suffered against Kansas State on Jan. 29. With nine games left in the regular season games left, the Pokes will have to keep taking those steps forward.

“That’s something coach was talking to us about is just continuing to make progress,” Bryce Thompson said. “Obviously (Houston is) a really good team, but we gave ourselves a chance to win, and I think that’s what he wants. I think if we have that type of energy and effort in these next nine games, I think we can win some games.”

Lutz, a Chiefs Fan, on Playing on Super Bowl Sunday

For just the third time since the turn of the century, the Cowboys are playing basketball on Super Bowl Sunday.

OSU won those previous two games. The Cowboys beat Baylor 67-51 on Jan. 30 2000, the day the St. Louis Rams beat the Tennessee Titans. OSU beat Texas Tech 79-70 on Jan. 26, 2003, the day the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Oakland Raiders.

OSU tips at 1 p.m., and the Chiefs and Eagles are set to start at 5:30 p.m., meaning so long as there isn’t overtime, there should be time to get home before kickoff. But, it’s an extra interesting day for Steve Lutz because he supports the Chiefs.

“I shouldn’t answer this the truthful way, but I am,” Lutz said. “Obviously, I’m a Chiefs fan, so I want to watch the game. But the problem is this week is two brand new teams that we have not played (OSU plays TCU on Wednesday). It always takes an enormous amount of time to prepare for games, but at least when you’re playing Houston, who you already have played, it’s a little bit easier. In my mind, I was like, dang. I was hoping we had a team that maybe we had already played once so that I could watch the game on Sunday. I’m sure that my family will have the game on, but I don’t know that I’ll get to watch it.”

Lutz said with 20-game league schedules, he’d expect teams to have to play on dates like Super Bowl Sunday more moving forward.

Reactions to Luka Trade

The NBA trade deadline rarely lacks drama, and it certainly had storylines in abundance this year.

A pair of Pokes got moved. Lindy Waters III was traded from Golden State to Detroit, where he’ll join forces with Cade Cunningham. Marcus Smart was moved from Memphis to Washington.

But the blockbuster deal of the deadline was the Dallas Mavericks moving Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis. The trade came out of nowhere and happened while many were sleeping. Here is what the Cowboys said of the deal that had everyone talking.

Patrick Suemnick: “I woke up, and I’m checking, I’m thinking it’s one of those fake accounts or whatever, not thinking anything of it. I come down for breakfast and all of a sudden my brother is like, ‘Did you see the trade?’ I was like, ‘Nah, there’s no way that was real.'”

Bryce Thompson: “I thought it was fake. I was like, ‘There’s no way this is real. Why would they do that?’ But, I mean, we’ll see if the Dallas GM made a great trade. I guess time will tell.”

Steve Lutz: “They are a lot smarter than me. I’m not going to judge them for trading one of the better players in the game off of your team. My high school coach always said this, when you live in a glass house, don’t throw rocks. And I’m not throwing rocks.”