Oklahoma hit 3-pointers late and was near perfect from the foul line --when it went there -- but lost in Stillwater anyway because it couldn't stop Oklahoma State from going to the stripe.
The no. 12 Cowboys won 66-61 on the strength of a 38-14 advantage on free throws taken and a 27-13 lead in makes because they were able to put pressure on the Sooners' defense that Jeff Capel's team couldn't stand up to.
OSU stars Mario Boggan and JamesOn Curry weren't their best, combining for 25 points but Byron Eaton and David Monds made that a moot point with 28 combined points.
Nate Carter, one of the hottest players in the Big 12 lately, scored a game-high 23 points.
Black and Gold Truth: Capel is having a powerful effect on OU basketball. Give him some more players and the Sooners are going to be a player again. That said, no one wants to play him and his team right now. The Cowboys received what they needed tonight -- contributions from those other than Boggan and Curry. That will, in large part, determine who they are and how far they go this season.
This is likely what Bob Huggins had in mind when he recruited Jason Bennett.
The 7-foot-3 freshman center blocked eight shots, a school record, to lead the defensive effort in a 73-36 Kansas State home victory over Chicago State.
Forward Cartier Martin, seemingly unfit for Huggins' coaching, continues his return from the dead with a game-high 25 points. David Hoskins, the unsung offensive force of the Wildcats, added 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Kansas State has now won four straight.
BGT: Huggins has this team rolling now and it will be interesting to watch it now to determine if the Wildcats have the necessary consistency to be a conference factor the rest of the way and if they are strong enough to compete with the Big-12 best.
Off track
How 'bout those Oakland Raiders? Hire, as their new head coach, a guy who hasn't even been a head coach at the college level. One might think the climb to the top for Lane Kiffin will be a little bit more difficult at the pro level, especially with the Raiders, than it was at USC where boys beg you to let them into school, where they promise to go to class, even, just to wear your uniform and play. Yes, Kiffin has impressive bloodlines and experience but to say that a pro team is not taking a huge risk, a Texas-sized risk in getting together with the wiz kid is an understatement.
Bill Parcells would make a great college coach. Too bad he likely considers himself too rich, too old, too tired to give the college game a try. His credentials and personna would sell to recruits and we know he can coach. If he hit the right campus, he could win a national championship in but a few years. Too bad we'll never know if he can do it. The one-time Air Force-Parcells would be a successful fit at a major college program.
Bob Stoops replacing Parcells in Dallas? Not going to happen, not that owner Jerry Jones isn't at least thinking of the possibility. Check out why Stoops shouldn't even daydream about it in Mike Strain's blog on the Tulsa World website.
Get this, amigos -- Tennessee teflon coach Phil Fulmer, he of a roster of bad news on an annual basis, whether it be academic or legal, is again stacking up stud recruits like fire wood. Amazing how players still want a piece of that program and their parents and guardians give their blessing. Just goes to show love isn't the only thing that covers a multitude of sins.
You know, Duke's Abby Waner, a Colorado prep athletic goddess, looks to me like a stiff, as in one of the least athletic people on the court. Harsh, yes, but in the same breath the BGT has to give that girl some serious love as a shooter. No matter how mechanical, her form is lights-out amazing, and she just sunk no. 4 Tennessee for the top-ranked Blue Devils on Monday night, 74-70, with 21 points. No news here -- Waner is a player, no matter which school's jersey she wears.
Speaking of that game, how "sick" as in supportive, unique and fun is Vols' men's coach Bruce Pearl? Can you imagine the precedent he could be setting? Bob Knight? Rick Majerus? Larry Eustachy? Coach K? Is this a recruiting tool? Maybe that's all women's basketball needed -- the men's coach half-naked, painted. Vols' coach Pat Summit likely was more embarrassed but decided not to show her true feelings. Hard, though, for Pearl to judge his players for a wild night out now, don't you think, after that sobering picture?
Last Shot
Later this week, an interview with Tom Kensler of the Denver Post on CU basketball.
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