Oklahoma State coach Jim Littell laid out the formula for advancing past the Big 12 Conference slate and into the postseason.

Win home games, try to steal a couple of road ones.

“That’s what gets you into the NCAA tournament,” Littell said in a phone interview Tuesday. “Every win is important in this conference, but making sure you win at home is really crucial.”

So when the Texas Tech women’s basketball team rolls into Stillwater, Okla., for both teams’ Big 12 opener at 7 p.m. today, the Lady Raiders can expect to get the Cowgirls’ best game.

Really, they can expect to get everyone’s best game the rest of the way because there are no layups in the Big 12.

Tech, like the rest of the conference, begins league play today hoping to start things the right way.

A win against No. 13 Oklahoma State (11-0) could set the table for a possible return trip to the NCAA tourney. A loss would mean the Lady Raiders would have to play catch-up from the get go.

And Tech certainly won’t want to play catch-up against the Cowgirls, who own the league’s top scoring offense (88.4 points per game).

Oklahoma State also owns the nation’s longest active winning streak at 17 games, dating back to its WNIT title last season.

“You can’t pay too much attention to stats like that,” Tech senior guard Mary Bokenkamp said, “and hopefully we’ll make it challenging for them and go into Stillwater and get a ‘W’ to start Big 12. That’s our goal every single game, take it one game at a time.”

Bokenkamp is one of five seniors on the Lady Raiders, and the experience of a few Big 12 seasons is what Littell called the strength of the Tech team.

Bokenkamp showed how well she understands the game when Littell echoed the guard’s sentiments about what an undefeated start to the season means.

“Well, I’m not real concerned about that right now,” Littell said. “It’s nice that we’ve taken care of business, doing whatever we were supposed to be doing. It’s a brand-new season now and a different level of competition.”

Tech’s leading scorer, senior guard Casey Morris, said the team is looking to build off its own strong pre-conference performance.

“We have a team that’s a lot of seniors,” she said, “and I think we’re all mature and we’re ready to play and we know what it’s like to go into conference. So we’re all excited and it’s good and it’s going to work to our advantage.”

To comment on this story:

thomas.magelssen@lubbockonline.com
• 766-8723

george.watson@lubbockonline.com • 766-2166