GAME NOTES: Big 12 Conference rivals mix it up at Gallagher-Iba Arena on Wednesday night, as the Texas Tech Red Raiders pay a visit to the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

Both teams got off to solid starts, but have found times a bit tougher over the last month or so. As a result, Texas Tech comes in at 10-8 overall, and it has lost all five of its Big 12 bouts, while Oklahoma State owns a 12-5 mark, but is only 2-3 against league foes.

The Red Raiders have lost seven of their last eight games, with the most recent setback occurring last Saturday at home to TCU, 62-42. It was the third time this season that Tech was held in the 40's, and the straight game in which it scored fewer than 55 points. The Red Raiders are 0-3 in true road tilts this season, and 0-5 outside of Lubbock all together when you factor in their 0-2 mark in neutral-site affairs.

Oklahoma State began the season at 7-0, but has gone just 5-5 since. The team dropped an 82-65 decision at Oklahoma last Saturday for its second straight loss and third in the last four games overall. All three defeats came against ranked rivals (Iowa State, Kansas, Oklahoma), and even the one win in that span was against a member of the Top-25 in Texas (69-58). The Pokes are 8-1 at home this season.

Oklahoma State has complete control in the series with Texas Tech, winning 40 of the previous 56 meetings, including 20 of 23 bouts played in Stillwater. The Cowboys have won eight of the last nine meetings regardless of location.

Texas Tech couldn't buy a bucket in its recent loss to TCU, as it shot just 22.9 percent from the floor, missing the mark on 13 of its 16 3-point tries along the way. The Red Raiders were paced by Randy Onwuasor, who tallied 10 points as the only player to reach double figures. Tech finished with only 11 field goals in the game, and it was outscored in the paint (22-10) and at the free-throw line (21-17), while also losing the battle on the boards (36-31).

Texas Tech's issues this season have primarily been at the offensive end of the court, as it produces just 65.1 ppg in hitting 41.6 percent of its field goal attempts, 30.5 percent of its 3-point tries, and 64.9 percent of its foul shots. The team boasts just one double-digit scorer in Devaugntah Williams, but his 10.9 ppg isn't scaring anyone. Thankfully, the Red Raiders have performed well at the defensive end for the most part, as they yield only 61.4 ppg behind typical shooting outputs of .397 overall and .325 beyond the arc.

Had Oklahoma State been able to keep better tabs on Oklahoma's Buddy Hield, it may have been able to pull out a win in the latest installment of the Bedlam Battle. As it was, Hield went a perfect 10-of-10 from the field, 4-of-4 from distance, in tallying 27 points to lead the Sooners to the 17-point victory. The Cowboys made good on only 37.3 percent of their field goal attempts, which included a 7-of-26 effort from 3-point land, while OU shot 55.8 percent from the floor, hitting eight treys along the way. Le'Bryan Nash and Leyton Hammonds scored 15 points apiece to pace the Pokes, while Anthony Hickey added 14 points and Phil Forte 11 more in the losing effort.

Nash and Forte form one of the top offensive duos in the Big 12, as they average 17.7 and 17.4 ppg, respectively. Each also performs well in some other specific areas, with Nash spearheading the team's rebounding effort with 6.2 rpg, and Forte serving as its top 3-point shooter (43-of-109, .394). Hickey (9.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 3.4 apg) is a solid contributor as well for a team that puts up 70.4 ppg while giving up just 60.5 ppg. Opponents have struggled to hit their field goals, doing so at a mere 38.3 percent clip, which includes a 31.6 percent showing out on the perimeter. Turnovers have also played an important role in OSU's overall success, as it goads the enemy into nearly 15 miscues per outing.

Oklahoma State needs to start piling up the wins if it's going to make a run at an NCAA Tournament bid, and what better way to start than against a struggling Texas Tech squad that lacks the overall talent and depth needed to win this tough road clash.