Three Man Weave: Cincinnati Bearcats Roll Over Oklahoma State 87-68 to Advance in Big 12 Tournament

Cincinnati now faces Iowa State.

Bearcats Dillon Mitchell (23) looks for a shot during Game 1 of the 2025 Phillips 66 Big 12 Basketball Championship against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri on Tuesday March 11, 2025. Bearcats lead the game at halftime with a score of 38-26. / Phil Didion/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

CINCINNATI — The Bearcats lived to fight on Wednesday of the 2025 Big 12 Tournament with an 87-68 win over Oklahoma State.

Dillon Mitchell (18 points, 15 rebounds, five assists) had arguably his best game at Cincinnati, notching a great all-around outing. OSU was equally as bad on the other end committing 45 combined fouls and turnovers to give themselves no hope of moving on to the second round.

Cincinnati now battles No. 12 Iowa State at 12:30 p.m. ET on ESPN tomorrow. The Bearcats notched their first win over OSU as Big 12 members with the advancement.

Mitchell Mauls

Mitchell followed up a rough few games with a stellar outing at the right time for the Bearcats. The dynamic forward had a revving motor the whole game. Cincinnati's rebounding and playmaking were funneled by Mitchell on Tuesday showing what the whole player rotation can do when it owns the glass (40-36). He had more than a handful of great offensive boards to help a 16-14 second chance points advantage.

The veteran flew all over the floor with great cuts and heady plays on both ends. UC outshot the Cowboys 69-56 thanks in large part to his combined work with Josh Reed (19 points, four rebounds), and Dan Skillings Jr. (13 points, eight rebounds) on the glass. Mitchell's double-double led to a 27 overall efficiency score.

Right when Cincinnati could've rolled over in a sloppy game from both sides, Mitchell fought through his gaffes (six turnovers) with immense energy for the Bearcats in a plethora of actions. He encapsulated the day with a top-of-the-key half spin to get a foul and bucket. UC could make some noise over the next few days with performances like that.

Reed Rips Up First Tournament Start

What a showing after a similar short dry spell to Mitchell. Reed was a defensive maven like he's been all season and played the best offensive game of his Cincinnati career at the right time to move on to Wednesday.

Thomas (21 points, three rebounds) and Reed were hyper-efficient to power Cincinnati's first 80-plus point game since Feb. 11. They combined to shoot 15-24 and 4-6 from deep for a rare, needed offensive cushion most of the night.

Reed hit deep balls, back-down glass turnarounds, and a whole set of offensive marks that would've been unthinkable in January. Right when the hot run looked like it ended over the last three games, the smart forward showed he could take advantage of lesser defensive attention.

He and most of the starters got to rest a bit at the end of the game, with every bit of recovery counting for Cincinnati against ISU on Saturday. Reed went 2-4 shooting against the Cyclones last month, and at least a doubled-up performance like that could be crucial to an upset.

Sloppy Cowboys

OSU was a much different team on Tuesday compared to Saturday, like it has been all season away from home. The Cowboys turned the ball over ad nausea (season-high 24 turnovers) and consistently turned UC turnovers immediately back over.

Add in a few rough technical fouls, including one to Abou Ousmane (four points) ending his day with a foul out, and it was a pitiful way to close the season. Arturo Dean (seven points, six turnovers) and the rest of the squad fouled too often to give Cincinnati a rarely tapped-into free-throw advantage (20-19).

UC started a little slow but quickly saw Mitchell and Reed feast in the first half and beyond. Meanwhile, OSU's top duo combined for 5-13 shooting and eight fouls. It was a complete mismatch at the top and a clear rebuilding sign from OSU. One surprise development was forward Connor Dow ripping a 4-5 run from deep in the second half. Outside of that, Cincinnati won with emphasis.

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