Know the Foe: BYU women's basketball takes on No. 20 Oklahoma State

BYU women’s basketball will take on the No. 20 Oklahoma State Cowgirls in the Marriott Center this weekend.

This game will be highlighted by the electric guard-play of each team. Both BYU’s Delaney Gibb and Oklahoma State’s Stailee Heard have been lighting up Big 12 teams this year.

Heard, a sophomore for the Cowgirls, is coming off a career-high performance just under three weeks ago, where she scored 34 points against Texas Tech.

The key for BYU to win this game will be limiting Heard and her offensive production and making the other players play above expectations.

It’s been over a year since BYU played Oklahoma State in Big 12 conference play.

BYU is well-aware of the firepower of this Cowgirl team. Last year, BYU got demolished 82-50 at the hands of the now graduated Quincy Noble with 30 points and Stailee Heard with 18.

The West Virginia Mountaineers were able to hold the Cowgirls to just 37 points in early February, showing that it is possible to limit this explosive OSU offense.

BYU should look at this OSU-WVU game as a blueprint of how to stop the Cowgirls. West Virginia forced Oklahoma State to commit 21 turnovers and played outstanding defense to hold the Cowgirls to their season-low point total of 37.

The Cougars are coming off of a lopsided loss against the No. 11 TCU Horned Frogs, making this an important chance for BYU to rebound against a quality opponent.

Oklahoma State has gone 10-3 this year in the Big 12, including an impressive win against No. 14 Kansas State less than a week ago. The Cowgirls most recently won against the Arizona wildcats, coming into Provo on a two-game win streak.

The Cowgirls were picked to finish as the eleventh best team in the Big 12 before the season started. Instead, with their tough, physical play and high-scoring guards, they’ve managed to be the fourth best team.

Oklahoma State is looking to make the NCAA tournament again for the first time since 2023. After a difficult year, this team has seen development from its young players and is ready to win in the Big 12.

The Cowgirls have almost certainly punched their ticket to the Big Dance, and they look now to improve their seeding position. A higher seed in the tournament could make all the difference for a team led by a young star.

BYU has no hope of getting an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, but beating Oklahoma State could give the Cougars some extra adrenaline going into the Big 12 tournament.

“I can’t say enough good things about this group,” coach Amber Whiting said after being asked about her team's resiliency. “I love the fact that they play with so much grit, passion and toughness.”

Whiting has been trying to make the most of this season in which BYU has had some bad luck. The Cougars have lost multiple close games and faced some untimely injuries during Big 12 play.

BYU women’s basketball will need all of that grit, passion and toughness in order to beat this impressive, talented Oklahoma State team.

Oklahoma State leads the all-time series against BYU with a 3-1 record, with the first meeting dating back to 1989.

This game would be an excellent win for BYU gearing up for the Big 12 tournament, and a very bad loss for the Cowgirls, who look to improve their NCAA tournament seeding.

The game will tip off on Saturday at 3 p.m. and will be available to watch on ESPN+.