Oklahoma State Routs No. 6 Texas

Coach Eddie Sutton called the Oklahoma State locker room Sunday afternoon and praised his team.

“He said that looks like an Oklahoma State basketball team,” said Sean Sutton, Eddie’s son and the Cowboys’ interim coach. “That was probably the best compliment he could have given me.”

The Cowboys played like a team inspired, rather than distracted, by the recent chaos surrounding Eddie Sutton as they rode a 22-point, nine-rebound effort from JamesOn Curry to a 81-60 rout of No. 6 Texas.

Many of the 9,053 fans, a season low for Oklahoma State, due in part to icy road conditions, stormed the court after the win, Oklahoma State’s second this season against a ranked opponent.

The Cowboys (14-12, 4-8 Big 12) had lost seven of their previous eight games but dominated a team in the running for a No. 1 seeding in the NCAA tournament.

Eddie Sutton was injured in an accident Feb. 10 and subsequently charged with drunk driving. He took the medical leave three days after the accident and admitted Wednesday that he had an alcohol problem.

Sutton, who underwent treatment for alcoholism in 1987 when he was the coach at Kentucky, has said he’ll seek further treatment for his drinking problem starting this week.

Oklahoma State kept the game at a slower pace in the first half and limited Texas to 29.2% shooting, a combination that resulted in a 31-20 halftime lead for the Cowboys.

Conference leader Texas (22-4, 10-2) struggled against the physical defense and couldn’t overcome early foul trouble to guard Daniel Gibson. The Longhorns led only twice, the last time at 9-8, and never came closer than 10 points in the final 11:48.

“We knew it was going to be real tough,” said Texas forward P.J. Tucker, who scored 12 points. “They came out with more fire and desire and they did it.”

The closest Texas came in the second half was at 40-33 with 12:53 left. But the Cowboys went on a 15-4 run that ended with Oklahoma State ahead, 57-39, with 7:19 left.