OSU Falls To Tech, Smart Involved In Incident

Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse for this Oklahoma State basketball team, well, it did.

Yes, Oklahoma State lost its fourth-straight game.

Yes, OSU turned the ball over on a poorly-executed possession in crunch time to fall 65-61 in Lubbock.

But as bad – and puzzling – as this losing streak has become, it won't be the primary storyline to come out of this game.

After Texas Tech's Robert Turner stole an errant Cowboy pass, the Raiders swung quickly into a fast break to Jaye Crockett, whom Marcus Smart fouled hard as both went tumbling into the crowd.

The game was in the balance with only six seconds remaining and Crockett headed to the line with the opportunity to give the Raiders a two-possession lead.

But what happened next could prove to be the straw that breaks the Cowboys' backs in a season quickly spiraling out of control.

With Smart on his back in the crowd, a fan above him could clearly be seen yelling down at him. Smart launched up and shoved the fan underneath the basket with both hands, drawing a technical foul. He immediately had to be separated from the incident by his teammates.

Smart was not ejected and the ramifications of this most recent outburst are not known at this point, as the incident will be turned over to the Big 12 offices. John Underwood, the Big 12's associate commissioner for basketball, said the league would review the situation.

The Oklahoma State radio broadcast reported that Smart informed the OSU coaching staff that the fan called him a racial slur.

Regardless of who instigated the confrontation, it is likely that Smart will face disciplinary measures, which could include a suspension.

With the season-ending injury suffered by Michael Cobbins and the recent dismissal of Stevie Clark for a series of arrests, adding a suspension for the team's best player and starting point guard would be potentially catastrophic. It would leave the Cowboys with just five rotation players with games against No. 15 Texas, No. 21 Oklahoma and Baylor looming.

It was an impossibly horrible end to an excruciating day for the Cowboys, who fell to 16-7 and 4-6 in Big 12 play with the loss.

Smart led OSU with 22 points, while Phil Forte added 15 off the bench. Le'Bryan Nash was the only other Cowboy in double figures with 12.

Crockett led Tech (12-11, 4-6 Big 12) with 21 points, as the Raiders won in front of a sold-out home crowd for the first time in seven years.

OSU outshot the Red Raiders 48.6 percent to 48.1 and hit nine more free throws but lost the turnover battle 15-7, leading to a 19-9 edge in points off turnovers.

OSU also only had five assists against its 15 turnovers. That won't win basketball games.

There were 13 ties and 12 lead changes in this back-and-forth contest. Oklahoma State held the biggest lead for either team with an eight-point margin in the second half, but Tech rallied and hit several big shots down the stretch.

No OSU players were made available for comment after the game and coach Travis Ford said he did not see the incident and would not comment further on the matter until he's seen the film.

NOTE: According to the Big 12 Conference, officials do not have the jurisdiction to eject a player for contact with a fan. Conference refs only have the authority to assess a Flagrant 1 or a Flagrant 2.