OU Basketball: Oklahoma State Sweeps Oklahoma in Dominant Bedlam Display

The Cowboys dominated Wednesday night's Bedlam contest from the opening tip, killing any momentum OU had built from Saturday's upset over Alabama.

NORMAN — What a difference four days can make.

Saturday, Oklahoma upended college basketball in a dominant upset win over the then-No. 2-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide.

Fast forward to Wednesday, and the OU offense came crashing back down to earth.

Oklahoma State once again confounded the Sooner shooters, silencing a packed Lloyd Noble Center to sweep the Bedlam series with a 71-61 win.

The Cowboys (13-9 overall, 4-5 Big 12) stifled Oklahoma’s offense from the start.

OU (12-10, 2-7) turned the ball over four times in the first five minutes, and the Cowboys utilized their size advantage inside to race out to an early 14-4 lead.

“Right from the beginning, didn’t really have an answer for (Kalib) Boone or (Moussa) Cisse,” OU coach Porter Moser said after the game. “First play of the game, we trapped and we missed an assignment. Very first play of the game, they spun around the trap and got it to the man on the block.

“Then we went 1-on-1 and they scored. Then Cisse came in and was knocking down midrange shots. Was roaming behind our posts. Just no answer for Cisse and Boone.”

Mike Boynton’s team continued their strong defensive showing, holding Oklahoma to just 30.4 percent shooting from the floor in the first half, and Oklahoma State was able to maintain a double-digit lead for virtually the rest of the game.

“I thought we had some shots early,” Moser said. “You have to give them credit. They’re top-seven on defense.

“… We missed some threes and had opportunities. We posted up Jalen (Hill). Jalen practiced harder than anybody in the last couple of days. He was 0-for-6 tonight. He just didn’t have it tonight. I know he missed a couple of bunnies. We weren’t good offensively. We missed some shots.”

Oklahoma kept firing to try and get into rhythm after the slow shooting start, but the OU offense never clicked.

“I think we were getting some good shots. They just weren't falling,” Hill said. “We just let them get too easy of buckets and they kept the crowd out of it the whole game. We just couldn't get it within a reasonable margin."

“Orange Power” chants echoed throughout the arena after the crimson-clad fans hit the exits with eight minutes left, sealing the Cowboys’ dominant display in the season’s second Bedlam bout.

“It sucks,” Hill said. “We had like 12,000 fans in the building and we just couldn't get a win. It sucks, man."

The return to Big 12 play was a harsh reality check for the Sooners, who shot 57.6 percent from the floor against Alabama, including a 9-of-13 shooting performance from 3-point range.

Despite the marquee win against the Crimson Tide, Moser’s team is quickly reaching the point of desperation.

The Cowboys are one of four Big 12 teams (including Oklahoma) who are currently under .500 in league play.

Presented with the chance to seize momentum from the weekend’s victory, OU instead allowed OSU bigs Boone and Cisse to combine for 36 points.

Indicative of the slow shooting night, only two Sooners reached double-digits in scoring.

Grant Sherfield finished with 14 points on the night, but it took an inefficient effort to get there. OU’s leading scorer shot just 4-of-12 on the night, including 3-of-10 from deep.

“They were up in him,” Moser said of OSU’s defense on Sherfield. “They were switching everything. Very physical with him with the ball. Didn’t let him get open at all. … They did a really good job of switching, being physical on everything.”

Freshman Milos Uzan ended the game as Oklahoma’s second-leading scorer, adding 12 points, four rebounds and one assist in the loss.

Oklahoma State’s size allowed the Cowboys to dominate near the basket.

OSU outscored OU by 22 points in the paint, and the Cowboys also won the rebounding battle 40-30.

Oklahoma didn’t stop attacking the rim, however. Getting to the free throw line was the Sooners’ only consistent offense, as OU finished 24-of-33 from the stripe.

Moser has until the weekend to get the offense turned back in the right direction, as OU hits the road.

The Sooners travel to Morgantown to play West Virginia on Saturday in a contest OU has to have to keep its NCAA Tournament hopes alive.

“This game we’ll put behind us,” said Moser, “and we got to put a game plan here quickly because we leave for West Virginia Friday. So that’s our focus now.”

Tip-off between the Sooners and the Mountaineers is scheduled for 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN2.

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