NORMAN — How big is today's Bedlam women's basketball game?
So big that the announcement that it was sold out came during the men's Bedlam game — which wasn't.
So big that OSU coach Kurt Budke's cheered when he's picking up lunch.
So big that Billy Tubbs is singing its praises.
So big that there's a new hot button topic around: Matched side by side — right here, right now — which game best delivers the goods in this state, the men's or the women's?
The Oklahoma and Oklahoma State women will decide who's best at 1 p.m. today at Lloyd Noble Center.
The men's vs. women's debate, though, will have to be argued on the evidence — and brace yourselves chauvinists, the arrow may lean decidedly with the ladies.
Consider all the Bedlam women have to offer:
• Top 20 appeal.
• Dueling Player of the Year candidates: OU's Courtney Paris and OSU's Andrea Riley.
• Surging fan support.
• Legitimate Bedlam, now that the Cowgirls have broken through a Sooner stranglehold on the series that featured 17 straight wins dating back to 1999 before the Cowgirls routed OU by 19 points in January.
• Relevance, in the Big 12 and beyond.
Yeah, the OU and OSU men's teams have ratcheted up enthusiasm of late, with needed wins and fantastic finishes. At its best, makes for great NCAA bubble conversation and speculation about job security.
The buzz surrounding the women involves much higher stakes, ranging from prominent poll positions to Player of the Year debates to NCAA Tournament makeup, where not only are both teams already in, but jockeying for a path leading to a Sweet 16 at the Ford Center.
This might just be the perfect storm, one season accentuating the riches of the women while the men's teams shuffle to regain their footing.
There's no denying that interest overall in the men's game is superior, backed up by television contracts and ratings, media coverage and talk show banter.
But don't bet on the girls going away.
The Sooners' roster reveals no seniors. For the Cowgirls, Riley — arguably the
