Oklahoma State basketball: Cowboys beat Texas Tech to move into tie for first in Big 12

“I did, I did,” said Brown, who torched Texas Tech for seven 3-pointers in the first half, matching his total against KU. “I just came out shooting lights out. And it was fun to do. I think my teammates enjoyed it. It was a great win to get.”

Maybe not a win carrying the same impact of that conquest in Lawrence, yet No. 17 Oklahoma State’s 91-67 rout of the Red Raiders in United Spirit Arena was nonetheless significant.

Because with it, the Cowboys’ surge continues, all the way to the top of the Big 12 standings.

Maintaining the league’s hottest current run with a sixth straight win, OSU moved into a first-place tie atop the conference standings. Improving to 18-5 overall, the Cowboys moved to 8-3 in the Big 12, matching Kansas and Kansas State at the top.

And all this comes just in time for Bedlam on Saturday inside Gallagher-Iba Arena.

Sound like fun?

“Chaos,” said Cowboys forward Michael Cobbins, who recorded his first career double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds against Tech.

OSU won seven conference games all of last season, when it missed the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year. Now the Cowboys seem assured of a tournament berth, at the minimum, with much more still left to secure in the form of a conference crown and a possible high seed.

“It’s a blessing to come out of here and be tied for first,” Brown said. “Picked third in this league (in the preseason), now we’re fighting at the top to win the Big 12.

“We’ve got OU Saturday, it’s going to be a good game. A good rivalry game. We’ll just take them one at a time and hopefully finish at the top.” Against Tech, Brown took his 3s in bunches.

He went 7-for-8 from the arc in 18 first-half minutes and 8-of-9 from the floor overall.

Did Brown catch the Red Raiders by surprise?