Oklahoma State Looking for Dominant Bounce-Back After Bedlam Loss
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Oklahoma State is set for another nonconference battle, and it should be ready to respond from its first loss of the season.
Over the weekend, OSU men’s basketball suffered its first loss of the season in Oklahoma City against in-state rival Oklahoma. While the neutral-site Bedlam matchup came down to the closing moments, the Cowboys were unable to overcome their deficit and finally tasted defeat for the first time.
While the Cowboys struggled against their in-state rivals, they still had some moments to be excited about. Considering it was only the first loss of Steve Lutz’s second season in Stillwater, it’s hard to imagine the Cowboys will do anything but bounce back, beginning with a nonconference tilt back in Stillwater.
Game Information: Oklahoma State (9-1) vs. Kansas City (2-10)
Date/Time: Thursday, Dec. 18 at 7 p.m. CT
Where: Gallagher-Iba Arena - Stillwater, OK
TV/Streaming: ESPN+
Spread: Oklahoma State -28.5
Total Points: Over/Under 161.5 points
All odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
Considering Kansas City is among the worst college basketball teams in the entire country, the Cowboys should have no issues getting back in the win column. Although this game and the others left on OSU’s nonconference schedule won’t exactly do much to help the Pokes in terms of competition, getting everything sorted out ahead of conference play could be valuable.
Of course, one of the biggest factors in OSU’s loss to the Sooners over the weekend was the absence of big man Parsa Fallah for most of the afternoon. With Lutz saying he would be a game-time decision earlier this week, the Cowboys might get a chance to see their frontcourt force back on the court.
Along with potentially getting back to full strength, this game could be valuable for OSU as it looks to improve defensively. While Kansas City won’t exactly pose much of a challenge on either end of the floor, a renewed focus on defense to finish nonconference play would be far more useful than simply going out and trying to hang 100 on a bad team, which might just happen anyway.
Sure, these final nonconference matchups won’t do much for OSU’s tournament case or even help the Pokes prepare for conference play all that much. Yet, this matchup with Kansas City continues OSU’s march toward a likely 12-1 record ahead of its Big 12 opener against Texas Tech.
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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.