Game Preview: No. 24 Cowgirls Looking to Bounce Back Against Streaking Utah
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Oklahoma State has its back against the wall again in a critical Big 12 battle.
The No. 24 Cowgirls have emerged as one of the best teams in the Big 12 this season. While wins against TCU and Kansas State have been the defining moments of the season, the Cowgirls’ inability to beat some of the league’s worst has put them in a tough spot in the final weeks of the season.
Still near the top of the conference standings with a 10-4 mark in Big 12 play, OSU is set for its most important game of its remaining regular season slate. Utah sits one game above the Cowgirls in the conference standings, and Tuesday’s game could go a long way in determining how the final Big 12 standings look and have a major impact on NCAA Tournament seeding.
Game Information: No. 24 Oklahoma State (20-5, 10-4 Big 12) vs. Utah (20-5, 11-3)
Date/Time: Tuesday, Feb. 18 at 8 p.m. CT
Where: Jon M. Huntsman Center - Salt Lake City, UT
TV/Streaming: ESPN+
The most obvious and significant key for OSU will be for its star to play like a star again. On Saturday, Stailee Heard had a rough afternoon in Provo, scoring only five points on 1-of-6 shooting and committing five turnovers. Her unusually bad performance set the Cowgirls up for an upset loss, but she was far from OSU’s only problem.
The entire OSU offense struggled to find a rhythm, shooting 40.4% from the floor and 21.1% from beyond the arc. Although OSU hasn’t performed as well on the road this season, it needs to have a much better shooting performance to beat a Utah team that has only three Big 12 losses, including only one at home.
Along with Utah’s overall performance, it is playing its best basketball of the season, riding a seven-game winning streak into the matchup against OSU. Gianna Kneepkens has led the charge for Utah throughout the season.
Averaging 19.3 points, Kneepkens is one of the best shooters in the country, hitting at a 47.2% mark from deep and 91.8% at the foul line. Over her past eight games, she has had six 20-point performances, including three 30-point games. For OSU to win, it will need to make Utah’s high-volume scorer uncomfortable from everywhere on the floor.
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Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.