Feb 12, 2025; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; TCU Horned Frogs guard Vasean Allette (3) celebrates with teammates after hitting the game-winning shot during the second half against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
Oklahoma State's season is going in the wrong direction, and it might have had a turning point in Fort Worth.
The Cowboys have had a rough season since the beginning of Big 12 play after a promising nonconference slate. Although nonconference wins against Miami and Seton Hall didn't necessarily make the Cowboys seen as a conference contender, it did give some optimism that they could be competitive.
Instead, OSU got out to another poor start in Big 12 play before beginning to turn things around. After a blowout loss at Kansas State, OSU began to have a midseason resurgence.
Winning two of their next three games, the Cowboys were playing their best basketball in conference play, with their one loss coming by nine points at Houston, which is a national title contender. That stretch led OSU into TCU, where it was looking for its first conference road win.
In the final minute, OSU made some plays to make a run and take a late lead. However, the Horned Frogs made a miraculous play to finish the game, hitting a 3-pointer off of a deflected pass to take the lead with under a second remaining.
The Cowboys had a chance to bounce back from that crushing loss with a game at home against Texas Tech. Despite playing a competitive game against the Red Raiders in Lubbock a couple of weeks earlier, OSU lost by 38 to set a new Gallagher-Iba Arena record for margin of defeat.
Considering how dejected OSU looked, it was a reminder of OSU's turning point last season. Similar to the TCU loss, OSU's home loss to Oklahoma last season derailed the 2023-24 season. Javian McCollum's 3-pointer at the buzzer gave the Sooners a win in a game OSU had firm control of in the final seconds multiple times.
OSU went into that Bedlam contest, riding a two-game winning streak and playing its best basketball of the season. Rather than closing out the game and extending the streak to three, OSU faltered and began a six-game losing streak to close out the season.
While OSU still has another six games and the conference tournament on the schedule, its current two-game losing streak has a chance to grow longer if the team can't get over its potential season-defining loss.