Game Preview: Oklahoma State Cowboys vs. No. 5 Houston Cougars
When things start to look good for Oklahoma State's basketball program, they run into a force like Houston. This is simply the new reality for the Big 12 as they've done more and more to ensure they remain a top basketball conference.
The Cowboys defeated Kansas State at home, which just shows how hard it is for any team to win on the road in the Big 12. Now, the Cowboys are the road team playing the No. 5 team in the country in the Houston Cougars.
It'll be hard for the Cowboys to get any momentum in the conference, given that they finally got a second conference win before having to take on one of the top teams across the nation. Still, a win would go a long, long way for a Cowboys program that has disappointed so far this season.
Game Info:
Game time: Feb. 6, 6:00 p.m. CT
Where: Fertitta Center, Houston, TX
Records: OSU (10-12, 2-7), Houston (19-3, 6-3)
Spread: Houston -21.5
TV Channel: ESPN2
This one might just get ugly on Tuesday. The only thing the Cowboys have going for them is that all three of the Cougars' losses this season have come in conference battles. One of those came in their last game, which was against Kansas in the Allen Fieldhouse -- a tough, tough environment to play in.
The Cougars' other two losses came in back-to-back battles between Iowa State and TCU. They're an incredibly tough team that allows just 54 points per game. They've got an incredibly stout defense, and that doesn't fare well for Oklahoma State, who was shut down each time they played Kansas, a similarly talented team to Houston.
Houston is going to turn the Cowboys over plenty and rally behind their home crowd which could be a recipe for a blowout win and the Cowboys will have to head into their next matchup trying to recapture some momentum.
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Kade has been covering a wide variety of teams ranging from the NFL to the NBA and college athletics since joining Sports Illustrated's On SI in 2022