Bedlam: Always Something At Stake
For Keiton Page and Le'Bryan Nash, Bedlam is plenty big.
By John Helsley
follow on Twitter @jjhelsley
Bedlam basketball 2012 brings us two teams playing out disappointing seasons with sub-.500 Big 12 records.
No big deal?
Bedlam is always a big deal.
“I think it goes back to what I have seen through… which has amazed me, every sport here when Bedlam is playing, whether it is soccer, softball, baseball,” said Cowboys coach Travis Ford. “It’s a big deal.”
Ford found out just how big soon after his arrival as coach four years ago, taking in his first Bedlam clash, a baseball game at Bricktown Ballpark.
“I thought ‘My goodness, for a baseball game,’” Ford said. “I think you can throw records out. This is an exciting game for both teams and nothing else really matters.
“Fans are going to get excited for Bedlam again because it’s Bedlam. I don’t think people really care which sport it is or what they are doing, I think it’s an exciting time.”
And it’s more than just rival blood on the line.
For the Sooners, it’s an opportunity to end a six-game losing streak.
For the Cowboys, it’s a chance to get on a run, coming off a home win overTexasand heading into a winnable home game Saturday against Texas A&M.
“It’s Bedlam, so it’s going to be big every time we play down there,” said Cowboys freshman Le’Bryan Nash. “We are trying to get on a winning streak right now.”
Keiton Page is all about starting a streak and ending his career on a good note. The Cowboys have played better of late, with Page playing a key role, whether pouring in 40 points againstTexasor pulling along OSU’s kiddie corps that features five freshmen among the top eight players.
And he knows all about Bedlam, having grown up inOklahomaand having played in nine Bedlam battles before tonight.
Think it’s big for him?
“There is always something at stake when you are playing in a Bedlam game, playing in a rivalry game,” Page said. “It’s OSU vs. OU.
“That’s pretty much self-explanatory when you ask me.”
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There’s plenty at stake tonight in Bedlam. Lon Kruger wants to show he can out-coach OSU, he must want to. Travis Ford wants to establish dominance in this series by winning both at home and on the road against OU. There are NIT considerations, although not the NCAA Tourney, it’s important to salvage something from these seasons good. Of Course there’s Page’s last time to play OU in Norman. He wants to show some consistency. There are bragging rights. There are recruiting issues. So there’s a lot of good reasons to attend tonight’s game and watch a thriller. The $10 ticket price is pretty impressive also and a great bargain!