STILLWATER — For the first time all season, Oklahoma State had built some momentum.

Back-to-back wins for the first time in Big 12 play, one of those on the road — also a first for the season.

Then the Cowboy men’s basketball team took an arrow to the heart in the form of Javian McCollum’s overtime, buzzer-beating 3-pointer that gave OU an 84-82 Bedlam victory at Gallagher-Iba Arena last Saturday.

Can the Cowboys (11-14, 4-10 Big 12) maintain any of their previously built momentum after such a painful loss?

Set to host Central Florida (14-12, 5-9) at 7 p.m. Wednesday at GIA, a bounce-back is needed. But at this point, the season is more about positive growth than win totals. And that’s where this team can’t let Bedlam heartbreak derail the season.

Best of Bedlam men's hoops in Big 12: Top OU, OSU players, games

“It’s always emotional when you lose a game,” said Quion Williams, who despite being a sophomore, feels like a veteran voice on this young team. “So I just say I gotta encourage my teammates. Next game, quick turnaround.”

While coach Mike Boynton has become a bit of a punching bag for unhappy outsiders, his team still believes in him — which shows in their in-game effort, but also in their words.

“We just trust him to keep doing the right things for us,” freshman Eric Dailey Jr. said.

The Bedlam loss not only prevented the Cowboys from reaching three straight wins for just the second time this season, it also snapped their streak of three straight home victories.

And while it might’ve hurt their chances of climbing too far out of the Big 12 cellar, a win Wednesday will move the Pokes ahead of West Virginia for last place, with a few other teams still within reach before seeding is set for the Big 12 Tournament.

“We gotta come out with the same energy we had for Bedlam,” said Williams, who matched point guard Javon Small with a team-high 21 points against OU. “You can’t win every game, but we can compete the next game. Come back with positive energy. Can’t let that loss bring us down.”

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Though the NCAA Tournament is virtually an impossible dream at this point, the Cowboys’ NIT hopes still hang by a thread. To be eligible, they’d need to finish with a .500 record, and sitting three games below that mark with four regular season games plus at least one Big 12 Tournament game left, there’s little wiggle room for these Cowboys.

Yet with such a young team, the extra games, plus a bit of postseason experience, could be valuable in the long run.

“The margin of error in the Big 12 is small,” said Dailey, who had one of his best games of the season with 20 points, nine rebounds and four assists in Bedlam. “We’re gonna keep trying to get this thing right for our fans and for OSU.

“Even though we lost, we’re still in good spirits. The next team really gonna feel us. Sometimes you lose and it’s building character. Losing a close game, an important game, everybody feel it. But when we go to practice, we’re gonna practice the right way and play the right way next game.”

Scott Wright covers Oklahoma State athletics for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Scott? He can be reached at swright@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @ScottWrightOK. Sign up for the Oklahoma State Cowboys newsletter to access more OSU coverage. Support Scott’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com or by using the link at the top of this page.

More: Oklahoma State basketball misses own storybook ending in Bedlam overtime loss to Sooners

OSU vs. UCF

TIPOFF: 7 p.m. Wednesday at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater (ESPN+)

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State basketball hopes to regain momentum against UCF