The No. 7 Houston Cougars travel to Oklahoma State on Saturday for the first of several Big 12 regular-season finales this weekend. Tipoff slated for 11 a.m. CT on CBS, as the Cougars (25, 13-4 Big 12) strive for a third consecutive win entering the league tournament next week. The Cowboys (18-12, 6-11 Big 12), once a team on the bubble, are coming off a 111-104 overtime win at UCF. Here is our prediction, preview, and key storylines to get you ready for tipoff in Stillwater on Saturday.
Key Storyline: Cementing the No. 2 Seed
Houston, with a win on Saturday, can clinch its place as a No. 2 seed in the Big 12 Tournament next week if Kelvin Sampson and company take care of things in one final road trip. Oklahoma State allows the 16th-most points in the league, and the Cougars are hitting the road with the league’s best defense.
Match Up to Watch: Kingston Flemings and Anthony Roy
Houston guard Kingston Flemings is only adding to his freshman season following a 21-point performance against Baylor on Wednesday. His 16.4 points per game will lead the Cougars into battle on Saturday, and Cowboys guard Anthony Roy (16.7 ppg) will be competing with Flemings directly for points. If Houston can silence Roy and Oklahoma State on their home floor, it’s over.
Prediction: Houston 75, Oklahoma State 68
Oklahoma State is playing for home-court pride on senior night, and they could certainly play spoiler to Houston’s league tournament positioning with an upset this weekend. But it’ll take a rhythm between Roy and Kanye Clary to catch Houston on the run and take their defensive measures out of the picture. But if the Cougars have higher ambitions than the Big 12 tourney, then a road test like this should absolutely be in their wheelhouse in March of all months.
