When Anthony Roy caught the pass, he was just left of the corner of the Oklahoma State logo at center court. He let the bullets fly.
It rattled around the rim and through the net.
He continued to hit shots. Each time brought more celebrations for Roy and his teammates and the fans at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
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“I feel like everybody’s confident,” Roy said after the Cowboys beat BYU 99-92 on Feb. 4. “Everyone believes I can handle the ball and everyone knows I can score.”
More: Oklahoma State basketball beats BYU, AJ Dybantsa backs up Anthony Roy’s big night
Roy’s confidence was so high that even his teammates had high expectations.
“Did you watch the 2017 Warriors (Kevin Durant), Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry game?” Jaylen Curry said. “That’s how I feel when he hits all those threes. (Victorius Miller), all our shooters hit them. I feel like we can be that good.”
On a night when Oklahoma State was back in the NCAA Tournament, the star of the show was freshman phenom AJ Dybantsa, a sixth-year senior.
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Roy scored 30 points and made 5 of 10 three-pointers. He brings energy to the Cowboys. He keeps things interesting.
“He’s a great player,” BYU coach Kevin Young said. “You always have to know where he is. It’s been a great recruitment by Steve (Lutz) and their coaching staff. He’s been really, really impressive.”
Roy puts Oklahoma State one game away from seventh place in the conference. The win over BYU was also a huge resume booster.
That’s why the Cowboys are the team with the biggest jump in this week’s Big 12 power rankings.
1. Arizona
last week: 1
This week: vs. Oklahoma State (Saturday); Kansas State (Monday)
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What to know: The Wildcats opened the season with a 22-game winning streak, setting a school and Big 12 record. When was the last time they won 22 games in a row? The time span is 1914-17.
2. Houston
last week: 2
This week: BYU (Saturday); Utah State (Tuesday)
What to know: The Cougars are a model of consistency. Their victory over UCF gave them their 20th win of the season, extending their 20-game winning streak under Kelvin Sampson to 11 straight.
3. Iowa
last week: 3
This week: vs. Baylor (Saturday); TCU (Tuesday)
What to know: Remember the Cyclones’ back-to-back losses to Kansas and Cincinnati? All it did was upgrade the Cyclones, who had won four straight games by 26.8 points. Three of them led by 30 points or more.
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More: Iowa State Basketball Team Defeats Kansas State, 3 Takeaways from Victory
4.Kansas
last week: 6
This week: vs. Utah State (Saturday); vs. Arizona State (Monday)
What to know: Back-to-back wins over BYU and Texas Tech have the Jayhawks on the rise. It turns out they’re pretty good when Darin Peterson is able to stay on the field.
5. Texas Tech University
last week: 4
This week: West Virginia (Sunday); Colorado (Wednesday)
What to know: The curious story of Christian Anderson hangs over the Red Raiders. His unexpected absence, whether due to illness or injury, left Tech struggling in a home loss to Kansas. Still, the Red Raiders still have a chance to win.
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More: Why didn’t Texas Tech basketball’s Christian Anderson play against Kansas?
6. University of Central Florida
last week: 7
This week: Cincinnati (Sunday)
What to know: A win over Texas Tech would be huge for March Madness. The game against Houston was disappointing, though. Doesn’t help matters. The Cavaliers still have the best resume outside of the league’s ranked teams.
7. Oklahoma
last week: 11
This week: Arizona (Saturday); Arizona State (Tuesday)
What to know: The Cowboys’ first Final Four win of the season over BYU was soured by some fans chanting derogatory remarks about Mormons. BYU coach Kevin Young is right: “There are enough problems in the world that we need to work for each other’s beliefs.”
Oklahoma State Cowboys guard Anthony Roy (9) celebrates at the end of the BIG 12 men’s college basketball game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys (OSU) and the BYU Cougars at Gallagher-Iba Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma, on Wednesday, February 4, 2026.
8. Brigham Young University
last week: 5
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This week: vs. Houston (Saturday); at Baylor (Tuesday)
What to know: Despite AJ Dybantsa’s dynamic play, the Cougars have lost three straight games and are in a downward spiral. BYU’s success in the Big 12 has left a lot to be desired, with one of the best wins coming against TCU.
9. TCU
last week: 8
This week: vs. Kansas State (Saturday); vs. Iowa State (Tuesday)
What to know: The Horned Frogs were eliminated by Colorado, which didn’t help their NCAA tournament chances. Their schedule is the easiest in the Big 12, so taking advantage of that will be key.
10. West Virginia
last week: 9
This week: vs. Texas Tech (Sunday)
What to know: The Mountaineers are in a tough spot. Outside of the NCAA bubble, there aren’t enough ranked opponents on the schedule to make a significant impact. It could come down to a conference tournament.
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11. Cincinnati
last week: 10
This week: vs. UCF (Sunday); Kansas State (Wednesday)
What to know: The Bearcats have been battling the flu and injuries. They also have a 1-8 record in the quarterfinals this season.
12. Baylor
last week: 12
This week: Iowa State (Saturday); vs. BYU (Tuesday)
What to know: The Bears have won back-to-back games for the first time in Big 12 play. But wins over West Virginia and Colorado weren’t enough to put this team in the deep end of the NCAA tournament.
13. Colorado
last week: 13
This week: vs. Arizona State (Saturday); Texas Tech (Wednesday)
What to know: The Hornets have lost seven of eight games, leaving games against Texas Tech, BYU, Houston and Arizona.
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14. Arizona State University
last week: 14
This week: Colorado State (Saturday); vs. Oklahoma State (Tuesday)
What to know: The Sun Devils have only wins over Kansas State, Cincinnati and Utah in Big 12 play. It wasn’t exactly the kind of win that would inspire a coach’s confidence, which was a problem for Bobby Hurley.
15. Kansas State University
last week: 15
This week: TCU (Saturday); vs. Cincinnati (Wednesday)
What to know: Speaking of hot coaches, Jerome Tang’s tenure continues to deteriorate after a 34-point loss to Iowa State. what is the problem? His acquisition amount was as high as $18.7 million.
16. Utah
last week: 16
This week: Kansas State (Saturday); vs. Houston (Tuesday)
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What to know: The Utes will suffer their second four-game losing streak this week in the Big 12 against Kansas and Houston. The Big 12 never gives up.
Jacob Unruh is The Oklahoman’s deputy sports editor. Have a story idea for Jacob? You can contact him at junruh@oklahoman.com or @jacobunruh on Twitter. Support the work of Jacobs and other Oklahoma journalists by purchasing one Subscribe digitally now at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared in “Oklahoma State: Oklahoma State Basketball Moves Up in Big 12 Basketball Power Rankings”
