Mike Bonyton Says Team Was Still ‘Carrying the Emotion’ of Bedlam Loss
Bedlam is defined as “a scene of uproar or confusion,” and that’s exactly what we saw on Saturday when Oklahoma and Oklahoma State did battle as Big 12 foes for the final team in Gallagher-Iba Arena.
Oklahoma State held an 82-81 overtime lead over their in-state rival as the final seconds ticked off the clock, but a dagger from Sooners’ guard Javian McCollum at the buzzer gave the Sooners the 84-82 victory on the road.
It was a monumental win for OU, moving the Sooners to 7-7 in Big 12 play (Now 7-8), and in all likelihood, making them a lock to make the NCAA Tournament regardless of what happens from this point on.
The loss was equally devastating for Oklahoma State though, bringing an end to their two-game winning streak and giving the Sooners the last laugh in this rivalry with a regular season sweep.
The Cowboys (12-16, 4-11) are in 13th place in the Big 12 and are nowhere near the bubble for the NCAA Tournament. On Wednesday night, the Cowboys dropped another game, losing to UCF 77-71 in their penultimate home game of the year.
Before the game, head coach Mike Boynton was asked how his team had responded in practice after a brutal loss in Belam, and he was candid with his answer.
“I was surprised with how many of them were still carrying the emotion of (the Bedlam loss) on Monday,” Boynton said. “Particularly because a couple of them played so well…
“I felt pretty pleased the way they showed up in terms of their mindset. This wasn’t the case a month ago, but we have a confident group. It feels like they can build on the recent success, but you still have to go out and play again.”
Oklahoma State will head to Austin to face Texas on Saturday before returning home to host Texas Tech on Tuesday, March 5. They’ll then head to Provo to wrap up their regular season against BYU before heading to Kansas City for the Big 12 Tournament the following week.
