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Bracketology 2023: WVU, Pittsburgh and Oklahoma among teams with key games

By Jason Burgess

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 09: A detailed view of the bubbles prior to the Premier League match between West Ham United and Fulham FC at London Stadium on October 09, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 09: A detailed view of the bubbles prior to the Premier League match between West Ham United and Fulham FC at London Stadium on October 09, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images) /
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Big Ten Basketball
Oklahoma State’s Kalib Boone (22) and Tyreek Smith Osu Wv Mbb /

Oklahoma State 15-9 (6-5) at No. 11 Iowa State 16-7 (7-4)

Ames, IA, Saturday, February 11, 6:00 PM ET, ESPN2

There’s a third Big 12 game to watch on Saturday and it takes place in Ames, with No. 11 Iowa State hosting an Oklahoma State team that currently sits outside of the field. The Cowboys could use a win that will move the needle for them after knocking off Oklahoma last week.  They have one of the more favorable schedules in the Big 12 with games against Texas Tech and West Virginia, as well as home games with Kansas, Kansas State, and Baylor.

Their lone quad 1 road win has come against Oklahoma, so like a lot of teams, especially in the Big 12, road wins are at a premium. The problem for the Cowboys has been that when they lose, they haven’t been competitive, with only two of their losses since Nov. 18 have been by less than eight points.

Coming into this game with the Cyclones, the defensive-stalwart Cowboys have won six of their last seven games. They have allowed over 70 points just one time since losing to UConn on Dec. 1, and find themselves in the top 10 in defensive efficiency, effective field goal percentage defense, and block percentage, as well as being 17th in three-point defense. Their metric resume has the Cowboys as a top-36 team and winning at Iowa State would move the Cowboys to a firmer position on the bubble as they approach March.

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