Oklahoma State basketball notebook: Road woes

Oklahoma State's game Saturday at the Petersen Events Center is a true road game despite being played in return for a "neutral site” game in last year's All-College Classic.

In previous years, All-College games played in Oklahoma City have been returned in similar venues, like last year's game against Tennessee in Nashville.

"I think Pittsburgh bargained last year that the All-College needed a quality team and they leveraged ‘Hey, we'll come play, but we want the game on our court coming back,'” OSU coach Sean Sutton said. "I said, ‘We'll do that if you start a series with a quality opponent that starts in Gallagher.'”

ESPN, therefore, owes OSU that game next season, Sutton said. They attempted to schedule it this season but couldn't work it out — one prospect was Gonzaga, a deal that fell through.

•Wins against Washington: OSU and Pittsburgh have a common opponent this season, as both schools defeated Washington this month.

OSU hosted the Huskies on Dec. 1 and won handily, 96-71.

The Panthers traveled to Seattle and beat Washington 75-74 in their most recent game. Washington hit what appeared to be a buzzer-beating lay-in, but a review showed that the shot did not get off in time and Pittsburgh escaped with the win.

Sutton said he wasn't surprised by the score in that game.

"Washington is a good team,” Sutton said. "They didn't play well when they were here but they're a very good team at home.”

•A rough road: Oklahoma State has lost 13 straight road games. The last time OSU won on the road was on Feb. 11, 2006.

The streak of 13, which OSU will attempt to break against Pitt on Saturday, is the fourth-longest streak in school history.

OSU's only other true road game of the season so far was Nov. 14 at North Texas. The Cowboys lost that game 82-73.

•En route: Done with finals, the Oklahoma State basketball team left for Pittsburgh late Thursday afternoon after practicing in Stillwater earlier in the day.

With storms in the Friday forecast, the staff was relieved to be traveling Thursday rather than Friday.

By Andrea Cohen