Cowboys Up: Oklahoma State Sends Oklahoma Home

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- It was a rather quiet night for Oklahoma State's Big 12 Player of the Year James Anderson during Wednesday's opening round of the Big 12 tournament.

It turns out it wasn't a problem as guard Keiton Page filled the scoring void with a game-high 24 points, sparking the No. 7 seed Cowboys to an 81-67 win over 10th seed Oklahoma here at the Sprint Center. Page was near flawless offensively, converting 7 of 10 from the field, which included 5-of-8 shooting from 3-point range.

Anderson, the Big 12 scoring leader, finished with 11 points but did not reach double figures in scoring until 1:21 remained in the game.

"We've just stressed ball reversal and moving without the ball," said Page, who scored 20-plus for the sixth time this season and equaled his career high in steals with four. "We don't stand around, we keep moving, and that's what we were doing tonight.

"My teammates were getting me free open looks and getting me the ball."

As a team, the Cowboys converted 59 percent from the field in the first half as they led by as many as 24 points. They cooled a bit during the second half, but still converted 54 percent of all field goal attempts.

In addition to Page and Anderson, OSU also received double-figure scoring from guard Obi Muonelo (15 points) and forward Matt Pilgrim (10).

The Sooners, who end their disappointing season on a nine-game losing streak, were led by freshman guard Tommy Mason-Griffin, who had 22 points and nine assists. Freshman forward Tiny Gallon had 11 points and six rebounds, while freshman guard Steven Pledger came off the bench to contribute 18 points.

For the Cowboys it's on to meet No. 2 seed Kansas State in what should be a high-powered quarterfinal matchup on Thursday night.

GAME BALL GOES TO:

While Keiton Page might have had the hot hand offensively, it was guard Obi Muonelo who provided the calming presence even as the Sooners mounted a short-lived comeback in the second half. Muonelo finished with a 15 points while dishing out seven assists and grabbing eight rebounds.

HEART GOES OUT TO:

Senior guard Tony Crocker has competed on some OU teams that not only contended for Big 12 titles but also were Final Four contenders with Blake Griffin, including last year when the Sooners went 30-6 and made it to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament. His final season has been a nightmare with OU uncharacteristically falling to the bottom half of the league standings. But the 6-foot-6 Crocker, who made his 96th consecutive start for the Sooners, did what he could, averaging 11.5 points and 6.2 rebounds in a massive rebuilding year for Oklahoma.

KEY ELEMENT:

When making their shots, the Cowboys can beat anyone in the country. Just ask the No. 1 Jayhawks. Oklahoma State converted 59 percent from the field in the first half and ended the night shooting 54 percent from the field.

WHERE TO FROM HERE:

The Cowboys punched their NCAA tournament ticket a couple weeks ago when they knocked off No. 1 Kansas, giving the Jayhawks their first and only loss in conference this season. Now with each Big 12 tournament win, they can only enhance their seeding in next week's NCAA tournament.

As for the Sooners, this season probably can't end soon enough for head coach Jeff Capel. They conclude the year with nine straight losses which is a strong indication this team gave up quite a while ago. Capel hasn't tried to hide his frustration with this collection of players and has all but promised changes and loss of scholarships are coming.

WHO'S GOT NEXT?

Finally, there will be an anticipated matchup during Thursday's quarterfinal round when the Cowboys take on No. 2 seed Kansas State. These are two exciting teams capable of putting up a lot of points. James Anderson and Obi Muonelo will have their hands full trying to match points with Kansas State's backcourt of Denis Clemente and Jacob Pullen. In their only meeting this season, OSU upended the Wildcats on the road after they had upset No. 1 Texas.

SOUNDBITE

"When we can make shots like that, it just makes everything else look so much better."

OSU coach Travis Ford on his team's effort against Oklahoma.