Five Thoughts on Oklahoma State’s 61-59 Loss to North Texas

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STILLWATER — Year 1 of the Steve Lutz era of Oklahoma State basketball has ended.

Oklahoma State lost to North Texas 61-59 on Tuesday night in the quarterfinal round of the NIT. Here are five thoughts on the game.

1. It Was Ugly

OSU had 19 turnovers and was 9-for-16 from the free-throw line. That fact North Texas won by only two is somewhat impressive. It was gross.

The Cowboys came in shooting 23.9 free throws per game, which ranks in the top 20 nationally. There weren’t many free throws to be had for either team early. North Texas wasn’t called for its second team foul until there was 4:10 left in the first half — going nearly 16 minutes with just one foul. The Cowboys didn’t get to the line at all in the first half.

They got there plenty late, though, shooting 13 in the final four minutes. They went 7-for-13 in that stretch. The crowd gave out a big applause when Brandon Newman made two in a row with 1:21 to play. It was the first time OSU made two in one trip to the foul line all night.

North Texas should get some credit in OSU’s offensive struggles. The Mean Green ranks third nationally in opponent points per game with solid defense and a slower tempo.

2. But Man, Did the Pokes Fight

With that being said, the Cowboys scratched, clawed, spit and gnawed off kneecaps all night long.

North Texas was up nine with 1:11 to play, and the Cowboys had a shot to win at the buzzer. That shouldn’t happen, but it did because OSU simply refused to die.

That five minutes had to last 45 minutes because the Cowboys were dead set on dragging out this battle as long as possible, and they almost took North Texas to waters it wasn’t willing to go to.

“Man, I’ve been around basketball a long time,” Lutz said. “I’ve seen good and bad. I’ve seen good and bad with this team. Tonight, they gave 110% of their heart and soul to winning this game. We just came up short. We turned the ball over too much, and we didn’t make free throws.”

3. One Tough Break

Bryce Thompson hit a 3 with 5:17 to play that would’ve cut North Texas’ lead to 49-47, but a ref blew a whistle as he was going into his shooting motion, blowing the play dead before the shot.

The whistle was to adjust he clock — which is not a great reason to take 3 points off the board. Coming out of the whistle, OSU turned the ball over, and North Texas hit a 3 on the other end. Instead of 49-47, it was 52-44.

That’s brutal, but probably not brutal enough to look over 19 turnovers a 56% free-throw shooting.

4. What Is It about This Third NIT Game?

This is the Cowboys’ third NIT journey in a row that ends in the quarterfinals — one game short of the final venue.

Back in 2023, the Cowboys also lost in the third round to North Texas. That game played out somewhat similarly to this one. It ended 65-59 in OT. Before that, back in Mike Boynton’s first season, the Cowboys lost to Western Kentucky in the quarters. Lutz wasn’t at WKU back then, but it is an odd coincidence that OSU hired a Western Kentucky coach.

The Cowboys’ goal is for this streak to stay here forever because they’d much rather make the NCAA Tournament, but man, this third NIT game has been tough to get past.

5. Crowd Was Great

The Gallagher-Iba Arena crowd saved its best for last.

This game shouldn’t have even happened here. A scheduling conflict meant the Mean Green couldn’t host. Side note: Could you imagine if North Texas lost this game at the buzzer after not finding a way to host? Yikes.

Anyway, there were 4,089 listed in attendance, which isn’t the biggest crowd OSU has had this season, but the tarps were down in the 300 sections on three sides — pushing that 4,089 closer to the floor. It has me believing that OSU should find a time machine and go back to lower the roof. Crazy idea that structurally almost certainly wouldn’t work: Put a roof above the 200 sections, then use that space above for a new wrestling facility. The energy of having all those people close to the court was a notable difference.

Lutz had a nice message to the OSU faithful after the game.

“We’re going to be where we need to be — I have no questions about that,” Lutz said. “And it’s going to be sooner than later. Stick with us, support us and help us recruit because it’s gonna be a big spring and summer for us. …

“I’m confident as much today as I was April 5 of last year when Dr. (Kayse) Shrum and Chad (Weiberg) introduced me as this basketball coach that we’re gonna get where we need to go.”

Postgame News Conference

We’ll have more in the coming days, putting a bow on OSU’s season and looking at the upcoming roster rebuild.