Oklahoma
Oklahoma State Wrestling Riding High In Chase To Regain Big 12 Title – FloWrestling
Oklahoma State wrestling coach John Smith seemed to have more optimism about winning the Big 12 championship this year than he has had in recent years.
There is a big reason why.
“This is a better team than both of those teams the last two years — period,” Smith said.
He isn’t wrong. This is the most complete and healthy team Oklahoma State has had in recent years and the Cowboys have a real chance of challenging the likes of Missouri and Iowa State for the crown.
It would be a big achievement for the #3 Oklahoma State, but there are no easy roads to become the champs.
For some Cowboys, the Big 12 tournament will be a great simulation for the NCAA tournament. At 165, #4-seed Izzak Olejnik debatably has the hardest bracket of all Cowboys. Olejnik has four losses on the year, three of which came against the three wrestlers seeded above him.
“Those guys are the toughest guys in the country,” Smith said. “Izzak’s got a lot ahead of him. He’s got to go wrestle well.”
Second-seeded Dustin Plott is projected to be a finalist at 184 pounds, but so will #1 Parker Keckeisen of Northern Iowa. Keckeisen and Plott met earlier this year, with the UNI senior winning by a 12-6 decision. Smith had high praise for Keckeisen but also thinks Plott is just as good.
“That kid from UNI is going to be a finalist at the NCAA Championships, that’s how good he is,” Smith said. “And, Plott is every bit as good as him. Dustin’s been pretty consistent this year with his behavior and his attitude on the mat. Not giving up easy takedowns, not giving up cheap points.”
Troy Spratley is seeded #2 with a bye in a loaded 125-pound bracket. Spratley is seeded lower than Missouri’s Noah Surtin, who lost to the freshman Cowboy 4-1 earlier in the season. Spratley said he doesn’t really care about brackets and seeds, but he does care about byes.
“I don’t really tend to like having a bye,” Spratley said. “I like going out there and setting the tone for our team, it’s big if you can go out there and be the first one on the mat and get a win for your team. I don’t really care [about brackets], it is what it is. You gotta beat the best guy, so, it doesn’t matter where you’re at.”
The Importance Of Winning The Big 12
It has been two years since the Cowboys were co-Big 12 champions and three years since they won the tournament outright. Smith said he takes a lot of pride in winning the Big 12. He is also tired of not winning it.
Winning the Big 12 not only on a team level, but an individual level does a lot for a wrestler in the national tournament. Winning the Big 12 tournament can guarantee a higher seed at the NCAA Championships. Smith said the team put themselves in a good position to take home a title.
“It moves you into a better place when you do win it,” Smith said. “At the beginning of the year, if you looked at it, it didn’t look like much of a chance, but we definitely put ourselves in position with our seeds. It’s going to take 10 guys, though. You can’t have somebody have a poor tournament who you were expecting big points out of. You’re not gonna win it, if you lose one of those guys, you’re not gonna win it. The national tournament is a different story, but this tournament, you can’t lose someone. Everybody needs to score points.”
It would be even bigger for Oklahoma State to win it on its home turf at the BOK Center in Tulsa, OK. Smith said the BOK Center has been first-class when it comes to Big 12 Wrestling. He also said he hasn’t seen as many cities committing to the conference championships as Tulsa has.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State outlasts UCF in overtime, Houston next
The Oklahoma State Cowboys men’s basketball bounced back in a big way Tuesday night.
Anthony Roy scored 27 points and Kanye Clary added 23, including seven in overtime, as Oklahoma State defeated the UCF Knights men’s basketball 111-104 in Orlando.
The Cowboys controlled the extra period, finishing overtime on an 11-4 run and outscoring UCF 17-10.
Clary played a major role in closing it out. He hit a key 3-pointer and went 4-for-4 from the free throw line in overtime to help seal the win.
The victory moves Oklahoma State to 18-12 overall and 6-11 in the Big 12, and gives the Cowboys two wins in their last three games after snapping a five-game losing streak. UCF, now 20-9 (9-8 Big 12), has dropped two straight.
Roy and Clary led a balanced offensive effort. Jaylen Curry and Christian Coleman each added 16 points, while the Cowboys shot 49% from the field (35-of-72) and 80% from the free throw line (32-of-40).
Themus Fulks led UCF with 22 points, while Riley Kugel added 18.
Late-game drama forces overtime
The final seconds of regulation were chaotic.
With 24 seconds remaining, Isaiah Coleman threw down a dunk to give Oklahoma State a 94-91 lead.
But UCF answered quickly when Chris Johnson hit a 3-pointer with 11 seconds left, tying the game at 94-94.
Oklahoma State had a chance to win it at the buzzer, but Jaylen Curry missed a shot, and John Bol blocked Roy’s attempt, sending the game to overtime.
Cowboys respond after tough loss
The Cowboys showed resilience after Saturday’s lopsided loss to Cincinnati.
The team traveled directly to Orlando following that defeat and was pushed through two intense practices by head coach Steve Lutz and the coaching staff.
The response was clear.
Led by Roy’s scoring and Clary’s clutch overtime performance, Oklahoma State delivered a gritty win and swept the season series against UCF
Oklahoma
Oklahoma City police are investigating after a man was shot near Yukon
YUKON, Okla. (KOKH) — Oklahoma City Police are investigating after a man was shot near Yukon Monday night.
The shooting happened near Northwest 10th Street and South Yukon Parkway near the border of Yukon and Oklahoma City.
Police are on the scene, and officials said the victim was transported to the hospital in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the hip.
OKCPD said they have at least one person in custody.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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Oklahoma
Oklahoma lawmakers consider bill to require annual fee for transmission lines on private property
As consumer electricity needs grow, lawmakers are discussing strategies to ease the burden on landowners who don’t want the towers and wires carrying that energy on their property.
As it’s written now, the bill would require transmission owners to pay landowners $2 per foot of line annually. During the committee meeting, Murdock said he introduced the legislation to “start a conversation.”
“ This is an idea of, maybe moving forward, if the landowners are getting a royalty off of the power being pushed across their property, it may make it a little more palatable for someone to have a transmission line go across their property,” he said.
Landowners can enter into easement agreements with companies to set aside portions of their land for the builds. But in some cases, eminent domain is used to obtain a right-of-way.
“ I’m not saying that this is going to do away with eminent domain,” Murdock said. “What I’m hoping is this just makes it a little more palatable.”
Murdock said he spoke with utility companies about the legislation, though he didn’t name them. The bill’s language could change after creating an alternative rate based on conversations with the companies, he said.
Sen. Dave Rader, R-Tulsa, said the bill could raise utility rates for consumers living in Oklahoma’s most populous counties if companies charge more to make up for the annual fee.
Murdock pushed back, noting the lines are necessary to deliver electricity to other counties.
“You understand that you flip that light on because — and have that ability to have electricity because — the people in my district have a transmission line that goes across them, getting you that power,” he said.
StateImpact Oklahoma is a partnership of Oklahoma’s public radio stations which relies on contributions from readers and listeners to fulfill its mission of public service to Oklahoma and beyond. Donate online.
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