Anthony Roy was just to the left of the corner of the Oklahoma State logo at center court when he caught the pass. He let the shot fly.
It rattled around the rim and through the net.
And he continued to make shot after shot. Each one leading to more of a celebration, both for Roy and his teammates and the fans in Gallagher-Iba Arena.
“I feel like everybody is confident,” Roy said following the Cowboys’ 99-92 upset of BYU on Feb. 4. “Everybody trusts me with the ball and everybody knows I can score.”
The confidence is so high in Roy that even his teammates have lofty expectations.
“You ever watch the 2017 Warriors with (Kevin Durant), Klay Thompson and Steph Curry?” Jaylen Curry said. “That’s how I feel when he hit all these 3s. (Vyctorius Miller), all of our shooters hit. I feel like we can be that good.”
On a night Oklahoma State re-entered the NCAA Tournament picture with attention on freshman phenom AJ Dybantsa, it was a sixth-year senior who turned heads.
Roy scored 30 points and hit 5 of 10 3-pointers. He brought energy to the Cowboys. He made things fun.
“He’s a big-time player,” BYU coach Kevin Young said. “You always gotta know where he’s at. That’s a great recruitment by Steve (Lutz) and their coaching staff. He’s really, really impressive.”
Roy has Oklahoma State a game from seventh place in the conference. The win over BYU is a huge resume booster, too.
That’s why the Cowboys are the biggest riser in this week’s Big 12 power rankings.
1. Arizona
Last week: 1
This week: vs. Oklahoma State (Saturday); at Kansas (Monday)
What to know: The Wildcats have won 22 straight games to open the season, a school and Big 12 record. The last time they won 22 straight? A span that ranged from 1914-17.
2. Houston
Last week: 2
This week: at BYU (Saturday); at Utah (Tuesday)
What to know: The Cougars are the model of consistency. Their win over UCF gave them victory No. 20 this season, extending their streak of 20-win seasons to 11 straight under Kelvin Sampson.
3. Iowa State
Last week: 3
This week: vs. Baylor (Saturday); at TCU (Tuesday)
What to know: Remember when the Cyclones lost back-to-back games to Kansas and Cincinnati? All it did was level up the Cyclones, who have won four straight games by 26.8 points. Three of those were by 30 or more points.
4. Kansas
Last week: 6
This week: vs. Utah (Saturday); vs. Arizona (Monday)
What to know: Back-to-back wins over BYU and Texas Tech have the Jayhawks on the rise. Turns out, when Darryn Peterson is able to stay on the court, they’re pretty good.
5. Texas Tech
Last week: 4
This week: at West Virginia (Sunday); Colorado (Wednesday)
What to know: The Curious Case of Christian Anderson hangs over the Red Raiders. His unexpected absence, whether illness or injury, left Tech in a bind during its home loss to Kansas. Though, the Red Raiders still had a chance to win.
6. UCF
Last week: 7
This week: at Cincinnati (Sunday)
What to know: The win over Texas Tech was huge for March Madness. The letdown against Houston, though. Does not help things. The Knights still have the best resume outside of the ranked teams in the league.
7. Oklahoma State
Last week: 11
This week: at Arizona (Saturday); at Arizona State (Tuesday)
What to know: The Cowboys’ first Quad 1 win of the season, an upset of BYU, was soured by some fans chanting derogatory things about Mormons. BYU coach Kevin Young is right: “We’ve got enough problems in the world to be coming for each other’s beliefs.”
8. BYU
Last week: 5
This week: vs. Houston (Saturday); at Baylor (Tuesday)
What to know: The Cougars are on a downward spiral with three straight losses despite the dynamic play of AJ Dybantsa. BYU’s Big 12 success leaves a lot to be desired, with its best win being vs. TCU.
9. TCU
Last week: 8
This week: vs. Kansas State (Saturday); vs. Iowa State (Tuesday)
What to know: The Horned Frogs didn’t help their NCAA Tournament chances getting blown out by Colorado. They have the easiest schedule left in the Big 12, so taking advantage of that is key.
10. West Virginia
Last week: 9
This week: vs. Texas Tech (Sunday)
What to know: The Mountaineers are in a tough spot. The outside of the NCAA bubble and not enough ranked opponents left on the schedule to make a big difference. It might come down to a conference tournament run.
11. Cincinnati
Last week: 10
This week: vs. UCF (Sunday); at Kansas State (Wednesday)
What to know: The Bearcats have battled the flu and injuries. They’re also 1-8 in Quad 1 games this season.
12. Baylor
Last week: 12
This week: at Iowa State (Saturday); vs. BYU (Tuesday)
What to know: The Bears have their first win streak in Big 12 play. But wins over West Virginia and Colorado aren’t going to move the needle enough for a team that dug itself into a deep hole, falling out of the NCAA Tournament picture.
13. Colorado
Last week: 13
This week: vs. Arizona State (Saturday); at Texas Tech (Wednesday)
What to know: The Buffs have lost 7 of 8 games with games against Texas Tech, BYU, Houston and Arizona left on the schedule.
14. Arizona State
Last week: 14
This week: at Colorado (Saturday); vs. Oklahoma State (Tuesday)
What to know: The Sun Devils only have Big 12 wins over Kansas State, Cincinnati and Utah. Not exactly the type of wins that inspire confidence in a coach, a problem for Bobby Hurley.
15. Kansas State
Last week: 15
This week: at TCU (Saturday); vs. Cincinnati (Wednesday)
What to know: Speaking of coaches on the hot seat, Jerome Tang’s tenure continues to sour following a 34-point loss to Iowa State. The issue? His buyout is a whopping $18.7 million.
16. Utah
Last week: 16
This week: at Kansas (Saturday); vs. Houston (Tuesday)
What to know: The Utes are on a second four-game losing streak in Big 12 play with Kansas and Houston coming up this week. The Big 12 just never lets up.
Jacob Unruh is the deputy sports editor for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Jacob? He can be reached at junruh@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @jacobunruh. Support Jacob’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State basketball rises in Big 12 basketball power rankings
