STILLWATER — Finally, the Cowboys can join the chatter that's been taking place among their fans for, oh, several weeks now.
Gonzaga.
No. 24-ranked Oklahoma State finished off a five-game run against overmatched opponents Saturday, taking out Tennessee Tech 78-42 before an estimated 4,000 at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
Next up: the No. 14 Zags, who have been on the mind of everyone from Boone Pickens to Cowboys fans everywhere — those who have shown up for a series of double-digit routs and those who have been waiting for better foes and bigger games.
They’ve been in the thoughts of the Cowboys, too, although until now they couldn't publicly admit it.
“It's been in the back of our minds ever since the Boone Pickens thing, when he bought the tickets,” said OSU freshman guard Phil Forte, referencing Pickens' purchase of 4,000 tickets that were distributed free to fans.
“There's a big buzz going on for the game with our fans. We just tried to stay focused and worry about the three games this week. Now that it's over, we can worry about the big one New Year's Eve.”
The wait continues for just a bit longer, as the Cowboys take a holiday break before returning for the much-anticipated meeting with Gonzaga.
But at least it's on deck, following Saturday's romp, which was over early and ran OSU's winning streak to five and its record to 10-1 with a 38-point margin of victory that ranks as the program's largest in five years.
The Cowboys, who led 26-6, got career-highs in points from reserves Forte (22) and Kirby Gardner (10), who joined Kamari Murphy (12), Markel Brown (11) and Marcus Smart (11) in double-figure scoring.
