Copyright ©2010. The Associated Press. Produced by NewsOK.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The masks come off
The Sooners are worthy of an NCAA berth but not Cowboys
STILLWATER — Finally, after ups and downs and twists and turns, after writing off and bringing back both of these basketball teams time after time this wacky winter, we have resolution concerning the NCAA Tournament fate of our state's two Big 12 schools.
Multimedia
Sooner Sabotage
Mar 6OU gets a surprising Bedlam win in Stillwater without...
More Info
Oklahoma's Tony Crocker, left, reacts after making a basket after OSU's Byron Eaton fouled out during the Sooners' Bedlam victory at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater on Wednesday.
by BRYAN TERRY, THE OKLAHOMAN
Oklahoma State's Marcus Dove walks off the court after OSU's 68-56 loss in the Bedlam game at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater on Wednesday.
by BRYAN TERRY, THE OKLAHOMAN
NewsOK Related Articles
-
Lottery pick?
03/06/2008 Lottery pick? NBA analyst Chad Ford and the technical experts at ESPN.com have developed an NBA Draft Lottery generator that utilizes all 2,184 possible...
-
Senior Night won't be one to remember for Dove
03/06/2008 STILLWATER—When Marcus Dove pictured his Senior Night in Gallagher-Iba Arena, Wednesday was the opposite of what he imagined. "I've seen guys in the past...
-
Missed shot proves to be the game-winner
03/06/2008 STILLWATER — For all the big shots he made Wednesday night, the biggest play was the layup Oklahoma's Tony Crocker couldn't get to fall. Sooner coach Jeff...
-
Box score
03/06/2008 OKLAHOMA 68 OKLAHOMA STATE 56 Oklahoma FG 3PT FT Min M-A M-A M-A Reb A PF PTS Griffin f… 32 2-6 0-0 5-6 10 0 4 9...
-
Bedlam basketball notebook
03/06/2008 Griffin stays home, could play Saturday Injured Oklahoma freshman forward Blake Griffin did not attend Wednesday night's game at Gallagher-Iba Arena. He...
-
Sooners minus Blake silence their critics
03/06/2008 STILLWATER — Oklahoma remains unbeaten without fab freshman forward Blake Griffin. Not bad for a team that supposedly can't win without him. The depleted...
-
Cowboys' NCAA hopes dim
03/06/2008 STILLWATER — Three weeks ago, Oklahoma State University men's basketball coach Sean Sutton told his team all was not lost, even though his Cowboys had an...
-
Crocker scores career-high 25 to collapse Cowboys
03/06/2008 STILLWATER — The layup Oklahoma's Tony Crocker couldn't make might have been the play that sealed the Sooners' 68-56 Bedlam victory Wednesday night....
-
Big 12 standings
03/06/2008 Big 12 standings Men Conference All Games W L Pct. W L Pct. Kansas 12 3 .800 27 3 .900 Texas 12 3 .800 25 5 .833...
The Oklahoma Sooners are, without question, worthy of inclusion in the madness of March.
The Oklahoma State Cowboys, without question, are not.
Those truths became evident with the stunning verdict Wednesday night at Gallagher-Iba Arena. The Blake Griffin-less Sooners waxed the high-riding Cowboys, 68-56.
In a season that until the last three weeks had been one massive disappointment after another, this ranks as the most discouraging OSU defeat.
Coach Sean Sutton called it "puzzling.” Senior Marcus Dove called it "embarrassing.”
The stage was set for State. Home floor. Arch-rival. A five-game winning streak that relieved the heat off the beleaguered Sutton and promised to make this an interesting month for Cowboy hoops. And no Griffin, the primo OU freshman who had minor knee surgery Sunday and without whom the Sooners surely were in peril.
Seemed like a script for a blowout, and darned if it didn't happen. The other way.
OSU's defense evaporated late in the first half, and the Sooners seized this game. From a 30-29 deficit in the final seconds of the first half, OU zoomed to a 55-42 lead with eight minutes to go.
"Wasn't the same team I've been watching,” Sutton said. "I don't know why that was. We just didn't have the same energy level we had been playing with.”
By the time OSU remembered to play desperate defense, which had been the lynchpin of its winning streak, it was too late.
Sports Photo Galleriesview all
Leave a comment
Prev
Follow
If you prefer your thoughts to appear in The Oklahoman, we encourage you to submit a letter to the editor.
Would you like to leave a comment?
Log in or sign up (it's free).