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TEXAS 2.0 OT: Oklahoma State 65, Longhorns 63

Two offensively challenged teams put on a show for the "ages," and even gave us some free basketball.

By Robert Whetsell
Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports

Oklahoma State served up their usual "not so hot" shooting performance on the road.

Fortunately, Texas couldn't hang onto the ball.

On a night when the Cowboys needed a win on the road, they couldn't have been luckier than getting a Longhorns team that is clearly on fumes. Isaiah Taylor tried to will the Longhorns to a last second win in regulation, but missed free throws cost both teams down the stretch, especially Taylor's miss on the front end of a 1 & 1 with a hair over 3 seconds left.

I didn't get to watch, and I'm glad. Listening to Hunziker and Holcomb was much more palatable. OT was stressful, but Phil Forte sealed the deal with two clutch FT's with just over 2 seconds left.

OSU played some of their best defense in a road game this year, and UT cooperated with buckets...of turnovers, that is. Despite shooting 50% much of the game, the Horns gave it away far too often, and clearly missed the presence of Javan Felix.

On a night when Hickey outscored Nash and Forte combined for a good portion of the night, what would have been a loss almost anywhere else turned into a valuable win, with Kansas and Baylor on the near horizon. Add to that the Longhorns are ranked, and it bodes well for the Cowboys NCAA tournament chances. TCU and Tech are coming up, and Oklahoma State needs all three of those wins (TCU home/away, Tech away). It wouldn't hurt if they stole one against a "larger" opponent, but 8-10 might get in the tourney given the strength of the Big 12, especially if they steal a round 1 win in the Big 12 tourney.

Nash came alive  to lead OSU in scoring with 17 points, and single-handedly kept the Cowboys in the game at the beginning of OT. Forte is running on fumes, but somehow managed 14 points. Hickey had clearly his biggest scoring night of the season, contributing 15 points along with 4 steals.

The biggest stat though, was the turnover battle, and OSU won that easily, 8-18.

The game wasn't without it's highlights...

Ok, so just one highlight, but we can show you two clips of the same one...

Oh, and this from Burnt Orange Nation...

Longhorn fans might be less enamored with Rich Barnes than we are with Travis Ford, and that's fine. A sweep of any team is a good thing in the Big 12, especially when you're fighting for your tournament life, and possibly the coaching life of your coach.

The night wasn't without it's heroes.

Anthony Hickey (previously mentioned) was stellar, hitting shots when Forte couldn't get free and Nash couldn't buy a clue. Throw in Jeff Newberry, who was all over the floor, and it was just enough to pull out the win.

On a side note, how bad is The Longhorn Network?

No matter what, the Cowboys will take their first Big 12 road victory of the season.

Now, it's back to Stillwater and a visit from the Big 12 bully Jayhawks.

This is obviously how this is going to be for the rest of the season. OSU probably needs those 3 wins against TCU and Tech, and an extra along the way wouldn't hurt.

So it's back to GIA for more basketball stress!

Here are the game stats, courtesy of ESPN:

UT Stats

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