Oklahoma State needed a win on Saturday, but it couldn’t quite finish the job.

On Saturday, OSU lost 82-75 against No. 7 Houston in Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater despite holding the lead for most of the afternoon. Finishing Big 12 play at 6-12, the Cowboys can now look ahead to the Big 12 Tournament, but there was still plenty to talk about from Saturday’s matchup.

Did Pokes blow opportunity to get back in NCAA Tournament hunt?

Coming into Saturday’s matchup, the Cowboys looked like they needed a deep run in the Big 12 Tournament, or even needed to win the whole thing, to get a spot in the big dance. While it still would’ve been the case that OSU needed a deep run, a win against a top 10 team to finish the regular season might’ve vaulted OSU close enough to the bubble that it no longer needed a Big 12 title to make its way into the NCAA Tournament.

Another first-round loss in Kansas City would be an undeniable disaster for the Cowboys’ hopes of a March madness berth, but a win on Saturday would’ve at least given OSU a path to the big dance outside of going all the way.

Anthony Roy’s star power gives OSU hope

The Cowboys might not have Parsa Fallah to man the middle anymore, but they’ve got a star scorer on the perimeter. After OSU fell down 5-0 in the first few possessions against Houston, Roy gave the Pokes a much-needed sparking, nailing a couple of early threes to put OSU on top and adding a couple of more buckets a few minutes later to help his team continue to extend the lead. 

While other Cowboys were a big reason OSU maintained its success for much of the afternoon, Roy was the clear catalyst early and continued to draw immense attention from Houston, helping the offense, even if he wasn’t always able to get a shot up. 

Will Cowboys rely on outside shooting in postseason?

The Pokes have been one of the highest-scoring teams in the country this season, but the 3-point shot has been a bit inconsistent. Still, without Fallah for the remainder of the season, it might be wise for OSU to go all-in on knocking down perimeter shots.

Shooting 7-of-17 from deep in the first half to build a lead against Houston, Roy and Kanye Clary nailed three apiece in the first 20 minutes. While OSU eventually went cold from the outside, it still took 30 of its 59 shots from beyond the arc, which could be a trend to watch with the postseason around the corner.