Stanford played much better than it did against Butler, but the result was the same, a 79-68 loss at Oklahoma State in the final game of the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series.

Oklahoma State was led by 5-foot-9 guard Keiton Page, who scored 20 of his 23 points in the second half. The first of Page's career-high five 3-pointers--one of which he drained from the edge of the midcourt logo at Gallagher-Iba Arena--gave the Cowboys a 34-33 halftime lead.

Josh Owens had 21 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Cardinal, while freshman point guard Aaron Bright also played well in defeat. Bright finished with a career-high 15 points, four assists, and zero turnovers, and made all eight of his free throws.

The Cardinal shot better from the free throw line as a team, making all 13 of its attempts in the first half. Stanford shot only 9-for-16 after the break, and had some crucial misses down the stretch after trimming a 14-point Cowboys lead to six.

Tara VanDerveer goes for her 800th career win tonight against USF, which is coached by former Stanford great Jennifer Azzi. "What will be fun is going out afterward and having dinner with her," VanDerveer said. | Mercury News

Stanford is the only Pac-10 team favored to win this bowl season. | Pac-10 Blog

Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster has faced a number of top-flight quarterbacks over the years. | Daily Press

Toby The Van's route to Miami is set. | TTV Blog

Grading the Cardinal's front seven. | Go Mighty Card

Hank doesn't just give out grades; he gives out single-serving coffee brewers. Head on over to his site for a chance to win an early Christmas gift. | Go Mighty Card

Check out some of the events going on in South Beach leading up to the Orange Bowl. | Stanford Alumni Association