KANSAS CITY, Mo. — If Oklahoma State’s 72-69 victory over West Virginia was an indication of things to come throughout the quarterfinal round of the Big 12 men’s basketball tournament, Thursday was sure to be thrilling at T-Mobile Center.
The No. 12 Cowboys won a back-and-forth game against the No. 10 Mountaineers that quite literally was decided at the final buzzer.
With West Virginia trailing by three on the game’s final possession, junior guard Sean McNeil caught a pass behind the arc and looked to tie the game. But a pair of Oklahoma State defenders jumping in his direction caused him to hesitate. He launched the ball a split-second too late, so it didn’t matter that his shot splashed through the net.
The Cowboys were on their way to the tournament’s semifinals against the Baylor/Kansas State winner. The Mountaineers were left waiting to learn their seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.
Cade Cunningham and Avery Anderson led the way for Oklahoma State by scoring 17 points apiece.
Cunningham, the Big 12 Player of the Year, looked like the best player on the court by not only scoring but dishing the ball to teammates for open looks in transition. He also had eight rebounds and four assists.
For a while, it looked like that might not be enough. West Virginia surged ahead 36-30 at halftime on a buzzer-beating dunk from Miles McBride. Then the Mountaineers pulled ahead by as many as eight midway through the second half.
But Oklahoma State swung the game in its favor with a 14-1 run.
Then the Cowboys hung on in the final moments.
Taz Sherman and McBride led West Virginia with 18 points each in the losing effort.
It will be interesting to see if the Cowboys can keep their recent momentum going in Kansas City. They have won six of their past seven games to enter the conversation as a potential No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
On Thursday, they continued to prove they are playing their best basketball at the right time in an exciting Big 12 Tournament game.
