A Cold Night From Three Sends OSU Packing From The Big 12 Tournament

The Pokes were sent home Wednesday night after a third loss to the Horned Frogs.

Mar 11, 2026; Kansas City, MO, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys guard Christian Coleman (4) reacts after the game against the TCU Horned Frogs at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

Oklahoma State’s time in Kansas City was a lot shorter than they planned. 

The Cowboys took on the TCU Horned Frogs on Wednesday night in a second-round matchup in the Big 12 Tournament. This was the third time this season the two teams had faced off, and unfortunately for the Cowboys, the result was the exact same. 

The Pokes once again had a great chance to keep control of this bout, as OSU was up by as much as 10 in the second half. However, just like the last two meetings, TCU would come storming back and take the lead with five minutes remaining, and never give the lead back. 

Sometimes it's the simple things that take you down, and for the Cowboys, they just couldn’t hit anything from beyond the arc. OSU would only hit four of their 19 attempts from three-point land, shooting an ugly 21% from deep. 

Only two Pokes would actually contribute to the team's three-point shooting, as both Anthony Roy and Jaylen Curry would hit two shots from beyond the arc. 

Other Cowboy players wouldn’t be so efficient, as the Cowboy starters, besides Roy, would go 0-9 from deep. 

TCU wouldn’t have the best night from deep either, but outdoing the Pokes was all they had to do. The Horned Frogs shot 35% from deep, and doubled the amount of threes the Pokes made by hitting eight. 

Oklahoma State has never been the best at making shots from three, as it shoots 33.8% from deep on average this season, and now this issue has caused a lot more than just another loss on its resume. 

With a second-round loss in the Big 12 Tournament, not only do the Pokes lose out on the opportunity of the automatic bid to the big dance from winning the tournament, but it also means they are sent home before they even had the opportunity to play teams that could help towards an at-large bid.

Oklahoma State had slipped out of the talks of making the NCAA Tournament over the past couple of weeks, with rough losses, and now its third loss to TCU is officially the final nail in the coffin. 

This will now be the fifth year in a row without the Pokes in the NCAA Tournament, and will ultimately be a season that ends in disappointment, especially with the great start OSU had to the year.

There is always a chance for another NIT bid for the Cowboys, but unfortunately, Steve Lutz and his squad won’t have a chance at anything more.