Men's Hoops Ready For A Showdown

Dec. 16, 1999

PDF Formatted Notes
PDF Formatted Season Stats

Saturday's Game
After opening the season with seven of its eight games in its home state, Oklahoma State begins a string of three straight games in unfriendly confines when the Cowboys visit UNLV in the Las Vegas Showdown on Saturday. The Cowboys, ranked 14th by AP and 15th by USA Today/ESPN/NABC, will try to duplicate last season's 81-69 victory over the Runnin' Rebels in Las Vegas. The game will be televised on ESPN, and OSU will try to reverse last year's TV woes: The Cowboys were 1-5 on national television during the regular season, with the only victory coming at UNLV.

OSU-UNLV: The Series

Last year's victory on Dec. 22 gave the Cowboys a 2-1 edge in the series between the schools. OSU also won Jan. 18, 1997, in Stillwater, while UNLV defeated the Cowboys in the first meeting between the schools, Feb. 10, 1990, in Las Vegas.

OSU Coach Eddie Sutton

Eddie Sutton (Oklahoma State, 1958) is in his 10th year at OSU and his 30th year of collegiate coaching. Under his guidance, OSU has advanced to the NCAA Tournament seven times. Sutton currently owns a career record of 640-252 (71.7 percent) overall and is 210-88 (70.5 percent) at OSU. Sutton is just the seventh coach to reach 600 coaching victories in 28 or fewer seasons.

Probable Oklahoma State Starters

Pos.  No.  Name             Ht.   Wt.  Yr.   PPG   RPG
F     30   Brian Montonati  6-10  220  Sr.  12.6   9.2
Four double-doubles this year, 22 points vs. Texas-San Antonio
F     34   Desmond Mason    6-5   215  Sr.  19.4   6.5
20+ points six times in last 10 games dating to last season
C     45   Alex Webber      6-10  270  Sr.   8.4   4.5
20 points, nine for 11 from the field vs. Wichita State
G     35   Joe Adkins       6-1   190  Sr.   9.9  *4.5
16 points, four for four beyond arc against San Diego State
G     44   Doug Gottlieb    6-1   180  Sr.   7.5 *11.5
Owns six of the top nine single-game assist totals in OSU history
*  -  Assists per game.

Probable UNLV Starters

Pos.  No.  Name              Ht.  Wt.  Yr.   PPG   RPG
F     10   Dalron Johnson    6-9  230  Fr.   7.3   6.0
F     14   Donovan Stewart   6-4  210  Jr.   3.6   1.9
C     34   Kaspars Kambala   6-9  250  Jr.  18.6   9.3
G     5    Danny Brotherson  6-3  210  Jr.   9.9   5.4
G     11   Mark Dickel       6-2  175  Sr.  13.6  *9.1

Cowboys again off to fast start

Prior to the 1997-98 season, OSU men's basketball teams had started their seasons with at least six victories just once since 1969-70. Now, the Cowboys have done so for the second time in three years. OSU is 8-0, tying for the seventh-best start in school history, and a victory Saturday would tie for the fifth-best start. It's the third strong start in the 1990s for the Cowboys, who went 20-0 in 1991-92 and 11-0 in 1997-98. Here's a quick look at the Cowboys' best season starts:

Year      Start First Loss            Finish Notes
1991-92   20-0  Feb. 5 at Nebraska    28-8   Preseason NIT champs, ranked
                                             No. 2 AP at end of streak,
                                             reached NCAA Sweet 16
1950-51   16-0  Jan. 20 at Oklahoma   29-6   Ranked No. 1 for only time in
                                             OSU history, NCAA Final Four
1997-98   11-0  Jan. 7 vs. Nebraska   22-7   Big 12 South champs reached
                                             NCAA Tournament second round
1914-15   10-0  at Tulsa (date n/a)   10-4   Started season with 10
                                             victories, finished it with
                                             four losses, all to Tulsa
1969-70    9-0  Jan. 5 vs. Kansas St. 14-12  Loss to K-State at Big Eight
                                             Holiday Tournament started
                                             five-game losing string
1936-37    9-0  Jan. 13 at Oklahoma   20-3   Won five straight games after
                                             loss to OU, second of five
                                             straight MVC crowns
1999-2000  8-0  ???                   ???    Have won first eight games by
                                             average of 25.4 points
1937-38    8-0  Jan. 8 at Grinnell    25-3   Finished regular season 24-2
                                             and earned trip to NIT

More quick-start info
Oklahoma State was one of 13 unbeaten Division I teams at the start of the week. One of the other 12 perfect squads was the Cowboys' archrival to the south, Oklahoma. The Cowboys and Sooners make the Big 12 one of two conferences with more than one unbeaten team -- LSU, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt are unbeaten in the SEC -- and make Oklahoma one of two states (the other is Ohio, with Dayton joining top-ranked Cincinnati) with two perfect D-I teams. The Big 12 also joins the SEC as the only leagues with every team at .500 or better on the won-lost ledger.

Scouting the Runnin' Rebels
UNLV enters Saturday's game with a 6-1 record, the lone loss coming at the hands of No. 7 North Carolina. The Rebels have been led by center Kaspars Kambala (18.6 ppg, 9.3 rpg) and guards Trevor Diggs (17.6 ppg) and Mark Dickel (13.6 ppg, 50.0 three-point percentage). The game matches the top two passers in the country, OSU's Doug Gottlieb leads the nation in assists with 11.5 per game, and Dickel is second at 9.1.

Inside the numbers
Here's a statistical comparison between Saturday's opponents. OSU's Big 12 rank through Dec. 15 is in parentheses.

                             OSU      UNLV
Overall Record              8-0 (1)    6-1
Scoring Offense            86.9 (2)   87.9
Scoring Defense            61.5 (1)   74.7
Scoring Margin            +25.4 (1)  +13.1
Field-Goal Pct.            50.1 (3)   47.8
Field-Goal Pct. Defense    36.9 (1)   41.1
Free-Throw Pct.            70.6 (5)   69.1
Rebound Margin             +9.4 (4)   +6.7
Three-Point FG Pct.        33.3 (8)   33.9
Three-Pointers Per Game     5.4 (6)    5.6
Turnover Margin            +6.6 (1)   -0.1

Cowboys roll past Braves
OSU committed a season-high 23 turnovers but forced a season-high 28 and coasted to a 79-53 victory over Alcorn State on Wednesday. The Cowboys shot 50.8 percent from the field, hitting over 50 percent for the second straight game, and recorded 17 steals, the third-highest single-game total in school history.

Mason continues to move up the charts
After a mini-slump in which he averaged "only" 14.3 points in three games, preseason All-American Desmond Mason appears to be back on track after scoring 43 points in the Cowboys' past two games. Mason hit for 23 points against Alcorn State, shooting seven-for-nine from the field and tying career highs with four three-pointers and five assists. With 1,246 points in his career, Mason now ranks 12th in OSU career scoring. He also ranks eighth in OSU history in rebounds (622). Mason has scored 20 or more points in six of the Cowboys' past 10 games dating to last season.

Williams steps up with other big men in foul trouble
Freshman forward Andre Williams, already a crowd favorite in Stillwater with his spirited, athletic style of play, solidified that standing with his performance against Alcorn State. Williams set career highs in minutes (20) as well as points (11), rebounds (12), blocked shots (four) and dunks (three). Earlier this season, Williams became the first freshman in school history to record double-digit rebounds in an OSU season opener. The Kansas City native had 10 caroms in the Cowboys' lid-lifting victory over Appalachian State.

Charting the Cowboys against the Rebels
Saturday's game marks the third meeting between UNLV and OSU in the past four years. Last season, after UNLV had tied the game with 5:37 left, OSU went on a 14-1 run -- keyed by three Joe Adkins three-pointers -- to earn an 81-69 triumph. The Cowboys won 73-54 in Stillwater on Jan. 18, 1997. Here's a look at how returning Cowboys fared in previous games:

Name      G-GS FG-A Pct.  3G-A Pct.  FT-A   Pct.   RPG   PPG Hi Pts.
Adkins    2-1  3-9  .333  3-8  .375  1-2    .500   2.5   5.0   10
Three treys last year included a game-clinching 25-footer
Alexander 2-1  8-20 .400  5-12 .417  8-10   .800   2.0  14.5   16
As freshman at Arkansas, faced UNLV in 1997 NIT and scored 13 points in victory
Gottlieb  1-0  1-2  .500  1-1  1.000 1-2    .500   4.0   1.0    4
15 assists in last year's victory
Jonzen    1-0  3-4  .750  0-0   ---  0-2    .000   6.0   6.0    6
Last year's six-point, six-rebound game was a highlight of his freshman season
Mason     2-1  9-17 .529  0-1  .000  3-3   1.000  10.5   4.0   21
21 points, eight rebounds in last year's game in Las Vegas
Montonati 1-0  0-1  .000  0-0   ---  0-0    ---    0.0   0.5    0
Played just five minutes last year, came back in next game with 13 points
Webber    2-1  2-4  .500  0-0   ---  3-4    .750   3.5   4.0    4
1997 game was second-to-last before he went down with a back injury

OSU cruises to another Oklahoma City rout
On Dec. 12, 1998, in a game played at the Myriad Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma State held Arkansas-Little Rock to 13 first-half points on the way to an 88-41 OSU victory. On Dec. 12, 1999, the Cowboys returned to the Myriad and turned in another strong defensive effort, allowing San Diego State just 19 first-half points and cruising to a 97-63 triumph. The Cowboys hit 10 three-pointers and shot 47.6 from beyond the arc, setting season highs in those categories for the second straight game.

Adkins' scoring touch returns
Since scoring 17 points in the second half of OSU's Nov. 20 victory over Idaho, Joe Adkins failed to crack double digits in scoring, shooting one-for-13 from three-point range and six-for-31 heading into Sunday's game against San Diego State. But he ended the slump against the Aztecs, hitting all four of his three-point tries and scoring 16 points. Adkins also had six assists and a season-high four steals in the Sunday victory. An Oklahoma City native, Adkins had played well in his most recent hometown game, scoring 24 points and hitting six three-pointers in the victory over UALR last season.

Alexander's shooting remains hot
Senior guard Glendon Alexander began the season shooting well and has continued to do so, the long-range marksman, who has added an impressive defensive game to his repertoire, has hit 11 of 20 three-point tries in the past three games. He hit an OSU-season-high five three-pointers against UTSA and scored 18 points, and he hit four threes and scored 12 points against San Diego State. Alexander has averaged 13.5 points and hit 57.1 percent of his field-goal tries in OSU's six home games.

Montonati records four double-doubles
Known as a super sub his first two years at OSU, senior forward Brian Montonati has parlayed his newfound starting role into solid scoring and a string of double-doubles. The only player other than Mason to score in double figures in every game this season, he scored a career-high 22 points against Texas-San Antonio and pulled down 11 rebounds for his fourth double-double in six games. He pulled down 15 rebounds in OSU's Nov. 27 victory over North Texas, that total was the most by a Cowboy since Bryant Reeves had 20 caroms in the Cowboys' last victory over Kansas on Feb. 6, 1995.

Webber's big game saves OSU from Shocker shocker
While his teammates were shooting 27.5 percent from the field -- a number that went up with a pair of layups in the final 11 seconds -- Alex Webber had an excellent night in OSU's victory over Wichita State, when he hit nine of 11 field-goal attempts and scored a game-high 20 points. Currently at 67.4 percent for the year, he appears to be on his way to leading OSU in field-goal percentage for the second straight season.

Gottlieb continues to dish it out
Senior point guard Doug Gottlieb led the nation last season in assists and recorded the 13th-best single-season assist total in NCAA Division I history. Already this year, he is well ahead of his school-1record assist average from last season. Gottlieb has 92 assists in the first eight OSU games of the year, moving him ever closer to the NCAA's list of the top 25 assist men of all time. With 746 assists in his career, Gottlieb needs 17 more to move into the Division I top 25. His current career average of 7.61 per game ranks 14th in Division I history. Duke's Bobby Hurley holds the total career assists record with 1,076, and Avery Johnson of Southern set the D-I record for career average with 12.00 per game.

Other Cowboys can dish it, too
In addition to Gottlieb's prowess as a passer, the entire OSU team has made a name for itself as a strong passing team in the past couple of seasons. The NCAA statisticians' manual states that as a rule of thumb, 50 to 60 percent of field goals should be accompanied by assists. But in 1998-99, OSU's assist/field-goal ratio was 67.9 percent, compared with 60.7 percent in 1997-98. This season is little different, as 69.3 of the Cowboys' field goals have been assisted. OSU dished out 31 assists, one shy of the school record, while hitting 37 field goals against San Diego State. OSU is second in the nation in assists per game (22.0).

Breaking out the orange
When OSU came on the floor in orange uniforms for the Nov. 20 game against Idaho, it marked the first time in Eddie Sutton's OSU tenure that the Cowboys had eschewed the traditional white or black unis. The Cowboys also wore orange in victories over Wichita State and San Diego State.

Up next
The Cowboys travel Sunday from Las Vegas to Seattle, where they face Washington on Tuesday. The Cowboys play LSU in the Sugar Bowl Classic on Dec. 30. OSU's next home game is Jan. 5, when it hosts Langston at 7:05 p.m. The Big 12 Conference schedule gets under way Jan. 8 when OSU hosts Texas Tech.

Quoting the Cowboys
"Saturday will be a pretty good barometer of where we are, because UNLV is really a good basketball team. I think after we play them, we'll have a better feel for where we are." -- OSU coach Eddie Sutton

"UNLV's going to be a really hard game, Washington's going to be a good game, going into New Orleans [to face LSU on Dec. 30] is going to be a really good game. I think for now, we have to get our heads screwed on. We can't do some of the things we did tonight [Wednesday], or we're going to lose on the road. It's just going to happen. We have to play solid. We have to finish a complete game. We have to play defense for 40 minutes. I think we're still learning as a team, and everyone's growing together. Even though we have seven seniors, we still learn every day. I think that's what's going on. We have a chance to be a really good team down the road." -- OSU senior forward Desmond Mason.

Head Coach Eddie Sutton
Eddie Sutton (Oklahoma State, 1958) is in his 10th year at his alma mater with a 210-88 record at the school as well as a 640-252 overall mark in his 30th year of collegiate coaching. Under his guidance, OSU has advanced to postseason play in eight of nine years and has won 20 games or more seven times. Sutton is the 20th coach in Division I history to reach the 600-victory mark, and he is just the seventh coach to reach it in 28 years or less, joining Denny Crum, Bob Knight, Adolph Rupp, Dean Smith, Jerry Tarkanian and John Wooden.

Only two active coaches (Knight and Tarkanian) rank ahead of Sutton in both victories and winning percentage, and only one other coach -- TCU's Billy Tubbs -- joins OSU's boss in having won coach-of-the-year awards in four different leagues. Sutton, who previously coached at Creighton, Arkansas and Kentucky, is the only coach in NCAA history to lead four different schools to the national tournament. With Sutton and Henry P. Iba among the 600-win club, OSU is one of only three schools -- joining Illinois and Kentucky -- with two coaches among the all-time top 20.

Years    School (No. of Years)    Record  Pct.    Conf.   NCAA
1970-74  Creighton (five)          82-50  .621      ---    2-1
1975-85  Arkansas (11)            260-75  .776   139-35   10-9
1986-89  Kentucky (four)           88-39  .693    48-24    5-3
1991-99  Oklahoma State (10th)    210-88  .705    81-51   12-7
Totals   30th year (892 games)    640-252 .717   268-110  29-20

Sutton at Oklahoma State

Year   Record Conf./Finish  NCAA Final AP Notes
1990-91 24-8   10-4/First    2-1   14th   OSU's second Big 8 championship
1991-92 28-8    8-6/T-Second 2-1   11th   Second straight Sweet 16
1992-93 20-9    8-6/T-Second 1-1   23rd   Big Eight Coach of the Year
1993-94 24-10  10-4/Second   1-1   19th   NCAA Second Round
1994-95 27-10  10-4/Second   4-1   14th   Final Four/Nat'l Coach of the Year
1995-96 17-10   7-7/T-Fourth ---   ---
1996-97 17-15   7-9/T-Sixth  ---   ---    First career NIT appearance
1997-98 22-7   11-5/T-Second 1-1   ---    Big 12 Coach of the Year
1998-99 23-11  10-6/T-Fifth  1-1   ---    NCAA Second Round

On the air
OSU games will be broadcast on the OSU Radio Network with KWTV's Bill Teegins handling play-by-play duties and Tom Dirato, OSU coordinator of radio & TV, providing commentary. Dirato and Teegins are in their ninth year as the Cowboys' basketball radio team, and Dirato is calling OSU men's basketball for the 23rd season. The OSU radio network can be accessed through the Internet (www.okstate.com) or on Teamline. Fans wishing to use Teamline should call (800) 846-4700 and use team code No. 1750. Use of Teamline requires a Visa or MasterCard.

Saturday's game will be telecast on ESPN with Bob Carpenter and Larry Conley calling the action. It's the 38th and final ESPN appearance in the 1990s for OSU and the 71st national TV game in the decade. OSU is 25-17 all-time on ESPN and 43-34 overall in national TV contests. However, OSU was just 2-6 in TV games last year after going 7-4 in the previous two seasons.

Player Thumbnails

#35 - Joe Adkins - 6-1 - 190 - Sr. - G
Needs 110 points to become OSU's 22nd 1,000-point scorer ... team-high 18 points vs. Appalachian State ... 17 points, all in the second half, against Idaho ... 16 points, four-for-four from three-point range against San Diego State while playing in Oklahoma City, his hometown ... nine assists at Arkansas-Little Rock ... career-high eight rebounds against Wichita State ... earned the team's "Mr. Clutch" Award last season by hitting several key baskets late in games, including at UNLV.

#4 - Glendon Alexander - 6-5 - 215 - Sr. - G
Averaging 13.5 points and hitting 57.1 percent from the field in home games ... 11-for-20 from long range in past three games ... led OSU in scoring with 19 points against North Texas ... 18 points against Texas-San Antonio, hitting five three-pointers ... showing no ill effects from a knee injury that bothered him early in the season ... set a Big 12 Tournament record last season with 16 three-pointers, including five against Baylor and a career-high six against Oklahoma.

Antoine Broxsie - 6-10 - 240 - Jr. - F
Injured a knee in practice in early November and has been diagnosed with ligament damage ... played in 57 games in two years for Minnesota, averaging over four blocks per 40 minutes of playing time ... second on the team in blocked shots in both 1997-98 and 1998-99 despite averaging 10 minutes of playing time ... eligible 2000-01.

#42 - Zac Cazzelle - 6-5 - 215 - Jr. - G
A walk-on redshirt last season, Cazzelle saw his first court time in the Idaho game and scored two points ... tallied five times at Arkansas-Little Rock and hit three-pointers against Texas-San Antonio and San Diego State ... played at Centenary in 1996-97, averaged 7.7 points in 27 games, playing over 20 minutes per contest ... scored in double figures nine times, including a career-high 18 in one game.

#11 - Nate Fleming - 6-0 - 180 - Fr. - G
Played the final minute against Idaho, North Texas, San Diego State and Alcorn State ... lettered three years in basketball under coach Garret Mantle and four in tennis while at Edmond North ... two-year team captain in basketball and three-year captain in tennis ... outstanding student who was class valedictorian and a National Honor Society member ... senator on the student council ... helped lead Edmond North to a state semifinal appearance and was a member of the national eighth-place AAU team.

#44 - Doug Gottlieb - 6-1 - 180 - Sr. - G
Leads the nation in assists ... 13 points, 16 assists against North Texas for his second career points-assists double-double ... his 16 helpers against the Mean Green rank second in school history to his OSU record of 18, set last December ... holds or shares school and Big 12 records for assists in a half (11), game (18), season (299) and career (592) ... led the nation in assists last season with 8.8 per game, an average that ranked 13th in NCAA Division I history.

#12 - Fredrik Jonzen - 6-10 - 230 - So. - F
Career-best 19 points at Arkansas-Little Rock, hitting seven of eight field-goal tries and all five (another career high) of his charities, scored 13 in the first half ... 14 points against North Texas, going six-for-six from the field ... 10 points, eight rebounds against Texas-San Antonio ... pulled down 10 rebounds vs. Athletes First ... played for the Swedish club team Sallens, which recently made news by facing Magic Johnson's team in a game in Sweden ... spent one year at Shawnee Mission (Kan.) East High School.

#43 - Jason Keep - 6-10 - 290 - So. - C
Nine points, seven rebounds in exhibition debut ... injured his left knee against Global Sports and missed the first three regular-season games, returned to the lineup for his first regular-season action against North Texas, scored five points in five minutes ... four points vs. Texas-San Antonio ... has already become a Gallagher-Iba crowd favorite ... attended North Idaho College in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, last year ... averaged 15 points, nine rebounds and two blocked shots in 1998-99, his freshman season ... attended Moscow High School until his senior year, when he moved to Pullman.

#3 - Daniel Lawson - 6-3 - 205 - Jr. - G
Made a quick impression in the exhibition vs. Athletes First, scoring a bucket almost immediately after being inserted in the lineup late in the game ... got into the game late against Idaho and UALR, tallying his first OSU points in the latter game ... second-team NJCAA Division II All-American at Mott (Mich.) CC ... earned Michigan community college player-of-the-year honors ... helped lead Mott to a 26-6 overall record and a final No. 2 national ranking.

#34 - Desmond Mason - 6-5 - 215 - Sr. - F
Named to the preseason all-conference team by the league's coaches ... preseason fourth-team All-American according to Blue Ribbon ... 27 points against Appalachian State ... 28 points, career-high-tying four three-pointers against UALR ... 23 points, hitting seven of nine field-goal attempts, vs. Alcorn State ... has started 78 consecutive games, the third-longest streak in school history and 11 shy of the record ... starred in the NCAA Tournament with 54 points in two games, ranking third among all players through the tourney's first two rounds.

#30 - Brian Montonati - 6-10 - 220 - Sr. - F
Started the season with four double-doubles in six games, including a career-high 22 points against Texas-San Antonio and a career-best 15 rebounds against North Texas ... the 15 caroms against the Mean Green are the most by an OSU player since Bryant Reeves had 20 against Kansas in 1995 ... also scored 14 points against the Mean Green to go along with three assists, three steals and two blocked shots ... 18 points in exhibition opener ... scored in double figures 11 times last year, five coming when he played under 20 minutes.

#24 - Rodney Sooter - 6-2 - 190 - Sr. - G
Saw his first action this year against Idaho, also saw the floor against Arkansas-Little Rock, North Texas, Texas-San Antonio, San Diego State and Alcorn State ... walked on to the program last season ... saw his first action of last year in the UALR game and saw his three-point attempt go in and then out of the hoop ... also played against Houston Baptist and Baylor at home ... played for two years at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, playing for Coach Lonnie Spencer ... three-time all-conference and -district performer at Miami (Okla.) High School.

#45 - Alex Webber - 6-10 - 270 - Sr. - C
Went scoreless for the first three games of 1998-99 but would have none of that this season, scoring OSU's first points of the year 34 seconds into the Appalachian State game ... 20 points against Wichita State, keeping OSU close to set up a late run to victory ... hit nine of 11 field-goal attempts against the Shockers while the rest of the team shot 27 percent ... 12 points, including a five-for-five effort from the field, against North Texas ... scored six points in the first four minutes against Arkansas-Little Rock ... tied a career high with 22 points in the home finale against Texas Tech last season, scoring 16 in the second half ... led OSU in field-goal percentage.

#40 - Andre Williams - 6-7 - 210 - Fr. - F
Has become a crowd favorite with his active, spirited play ... career highs of 11 points, 12 rebounds, four blocks, three dunks and 20 minutes against Alcorn State ... 10 rebounds against Appalachian State, becoming the first freshman ever to record double-digit rebounds in an OSU season opener ... seven points, eight rebounds at UALR ... blocked three shots in five minutes of playing time against Global Sports ... was ranked as the nation's No. 21 power forward by Future Stars out of high school ... the team's best leaper -- can reach 11-7.

Victor Williams - 5-10 - 170 - So. - G
Illinois State's starting point guard as a freshman and named the top freshman in the MVC ... began his career with a stellar performance against Oakland with 19 points, seven rebounds and seven steals ... came into his own late in the year, averaging 13.4 points and 4.0 assists while hitting 53.1 percent of his three-pointers in the final eight games of the season ... eligible 2000-01.

National Rankings
Here's a look at Oklahoma State's week-by-week appearance in the Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN/NABC polls as well as Jeff Sagarin's computer rankings and an approximation of the RPI:

Date       AP  USAT  Sag.  RPI
Preseason  22   25
Nov. 15    23
Nov. 22    21   23    27
Nov. 29    21   22    21   196
Dec. 6     17   17    22    86
Dec. 13    14   15    27   103

Here's a look at how the rest of the Big 12 and OSU's upcoming opponents stack up in the current rankings:

Team           AP   USAT   Sag.  RPI
Baylor         ---   ---    153  115
Colorado       ---  (31)    155  157
Iowa State    (47)   ---     25   17
Kansas          8     6       6    8
Kansas State   ---   ---    135   71
LSU           (32)   ---     30   59
Missouri       ---   ---     66   53
Nebraska       ---   ---    159   64
UNLV          (42)   ---     31   44
Oklahoma       23    24      10    3
Texas          15    16      11    4
Texas A&M      ---   ---    239  262
Texas Tech     ---   ---     40   36
Washington     ---   ---    140  164

Big 12 Coaches' Poll

 1.  Kansas (6)           116
 2.  Texas (5)            113
 3.  Oklahoma State (1)   103
 4.  Oklahoma              89
 5.  Missouri              84
 6.  Iowa State            55
 7.  Nebraska              54
 8.  Colorado              50
 9.  Texas Tech            47
10.  Kansas State          42
11.  Texas A&M             23
12.  Baylor                16

Preseason All-Big 12
Marcus Fizer, Iowa State
Eric Chenowith, Kansas
Eduardo Najera, Oklahoma
Desmond Mason, Oklahoma State
Chris Mihm, Texas

Preseason Player of the Year
Chris Mihm, Texas

Preseason Newcomer of the Year
Terry Black, Baylor

Preseason Freshman of the Year
Nick Collison, Kansas

Big 12 Standings

                Big 12     All Games
thru Dec. 15   W L  Pct.   W L   Pct.
Oklahoma       0 0  .000   8 0  1.000
OSU            0 0  .000   8 0  1.000
Kansas         0 0  .000   7 1   .875
Texas Tech     0 0  .000   5 1   .833
Iowa State     0 0  .000   7 2   .778
Baylor         0 0  .000   5 2   .714
Kansas State   0 0  .000   5 2   .714
Texas          0 0  .000   5 2   .714
Colorado       0 0  .000   4 2   .667
Missouri       0 0  .000   5 3   .625
Nebraska       0 0  .000   4 4   .500
Texas A&M      0 0  .000   3 3   .500

Around the Big 12
Wednesday, December 15
at OSU 79, Alcorn State 53
Thursday, December 16
Ohio State at Kansas, 8 p.m.

Friday, December 17
Texas Tech at New Mexico State, 8:05 p.m.

Saturday, December 18
Kansas vs. Illinois, 11 a.m.
Iowa at Missouri, Noon
Baylor at Jacksonville, 6:30 p.m.
Georgia Southern at Oklahoma, 7 p.m.
Wofford at Texas, 7 p.m.
Texas A&M at Lamar, 7 p.m.
Eastern Washington at Colorado, 8 p.m.
Nebraska vs. Arizona, 8:30 p.m.
OSU at UNLV, 11 p.m.

Sunday, December 19
Kansas State at Loyola Chicago, 2 p.m.
Northern Iowa at Iowa State, 6 p.m.

Monday, December 20
San Francisco at Nebraska, 7:05 p.m.

Tuesday, December 21
Texas A&M at Dayton, 6:30 p.m.
North Texas at Baylor, 7 p.m.
Southwest Texas St. at Texas Tech, 7 p.m.
New Mexico State at Colorado, 8 p.m.
Idaho State at Iowa State, 8 p.m.
Missouri vs. Illinois, 8 p.m.
OSU at Washington, 9 p.m.

Wednesday, December 22
Old Dominion at Kansas State, 7 p.m.
Princeton at Kansas, 7:05 p.m.
Oral Roberts at Nebraska, 7:05 p.m.
Iowa St. in Tribune Holiday Classic, 8 p.m.
Cincinnati at Oklahoma, 8 p.m.
Texas at Utah, 11 p.m.

Monday, December 27
Colorado vs. Villanova

The OSU Record Books

Career Scoring

 1.  Byron Houston, 1989-90-1-2     2,379
10.  Bob Mattick, 1952-3-4          1,378
11.  Corey Williams, 1989-90-1-2    1,320
12.  Desmond Mason, 1997-8-9-2000   1,246
25.  Don Johnson/Ed Odom              945
27.  Clayton Carter, 1954-5-6         866
28.  Joe Adkins, 197-8-9-2000         890

Career Rebounds

1.  Byron Houston, 1989-90-1-2     1,190
6.  Leroy Combs, 1980-1-2-3          763
7.  James King, 1963-4-5             762
8.  Desmond Mason, 1997-8-9-2000     622

Career Assists

1.  Doug Gottlieb, 1998-9-2000   592
7.  Corey Williams, 1989-90-1-2  349
8.  Brooks Thompson, 1993-4      339
9.  Joe Adkins, 1997-8-9-2000    328

Career Steals

 1.  Brooks Thompson, 1993-4       169
 9.  Adrian Peterson, 1996-7-8-9   133
     Cornell Hatcher, 1991-2       133
11.  Desmond Mason, 1997-8-9-2000  127
12.  Joe Adkins, 1997-8-9-2000     124

Career Blocks

1.  Byron Houston, 1989-90-1-2    223
5.  Johnny Pittman, 1989-90-1      91
6.  Andrew Jones, 1977-8           72
7.  Desmond Mason, 1997-8-9-2000   67

Games Started

 1.  Bryant Reeves, 1992-3-4-5     133
 8.  Leroy Combs, 1980-1-2-3        89
 9.  Raymond Crenshaw, 1981-2-3-4   86
10.  Desmond Mason, 1997-8-9-2000   83

Consecutive Games Started

1.  Adrian Peterson, 1996-7-8-9   89
2.  Darwyn Alexander, 1989-90-1   88
3.  Bryant Reeves, 1993-4-5       87
4.  Desmond Mason, 1997-8-9-2000  78

Double-Doubles (Pts.-Reb.)

1.  Bryant Reeves, 1989-90-1-2    51
4.  Joe Atkinson, 1982-4-5        18
    Don Youman, 1979-80           18
6.  Desmond Mason, 1997-8-9-2000  17

Three-Point FG Percentage

1.  Sean Sutton, 1991-2           44.5
6.  John Potter, 1990-1           39.6
7.  Marlon Dorsey, 1996-7         39.4
8.  Glendon Alexander, 1999-2000  39.3

Three-Pointers Made

1.  Randy Rutherford, 1993-4-5   279
2.  Adrian Peterson, 1996-7-8-9  228
3.  Brooks Thompson, 1993-4      170
4.  Joe Adkins, 1997-8-9-2000    134

Big 12 Stats Leaders
Here's a look at where the Cowboys rank among the Big 12's statistical leaders (through Dec. 15):

Scoring

 3.  Desmond Mason      19.4
19.  Brian Montonati    12.6
20.  Glendon Alexander  12.1

Rebounds

 5.  Brian Montonati  9.2
18.  Desmond Mason    6.5

Field-Goal Percentage

 3.  Alex Webber     67.4
10.  Fredrik Jonzen  57.1
12.  Desmond Mason   57.0

Assists

1.  Doug Gottlieb  11.50
5.  Joe Adkins      4.50

Free-Throw Percentage

7.    Joe Adkins    82.6

Steals

4.  Doug Gottlieb  2.25
9.  Joe Adkins     1.88

Three-Point FG Percentage

9.    Desmond Mason    46.9

Three-Pointers Made

10.  Desmond Mason      1.88
13.  Glendon Alexander  1.75

Blocked Shots

 7.  Andre Williams   1.71
 9.  Brian Montonati  1.38
13.  Desmond Mason    1.00

Assist-Turnover Ratio

1.  Doug Gottlieb  3.29
4.  Joe Adkins     1.80

Offensive Rebounds
4. Brian Montonati 3.62

Defensive Rebounds

 8.  Brian Montonati  5.62
11.  Desmond Mason    4.62

National Stats Leaders Here's how the Cowboys stack up in the national statistical leaders according to STATS, Inc. (through Dec. 15):

Individual Statistics
Assists

1.    Doug Gottlieb    11.5

Team Statistics

 7.  Scoring                        86.9
16.  Rebounds                       43.3
 2.  Assists                        22.0
27.  Turnovers                      21.1
11.  Field-Goal Percentage          50.1
21.  Field-Goal Percentage Defense  36.9

The OSU Athletic Center Oklahoma State will play its home games in a construction zone this year as massive Gallagher-Iba Arena renovations get into full swing. Here is a quick look at the facts of the construction:

Facility name: The arena itself will continue to be called "Gallagher-Iba Arena," but the entire facility is currently known as "The OSU Athletic Center."
Architects: Gary Sparks Companies
Contractor: Manhattan Construction
Projected capacity: 13,025
Projected completion date: Dec. 1, 2000
For current construction information, see the "Facility Update" section of OSU's web site (http://www.okstate.com).

Box-truss erection nearly complete
Construction of Oklahoma State's new Athletic Center continues with the second box truss scheduled to be completely in place Thursday, Dec. 16. The enormous metal trusses span the new facility from east to west and will support the roof structure.

Soon after the box trusses are in place, long-span joists will be put in place. These joists will span the facility from north to south. When the long-span joists are in place, the roof structure and exterior walls can be completed.

Gary Sparks, coordinating architect on the project, says work is progressing very well. "The impressive thing is all the work that is being done inside," Sparks said. "They are almost nine months ahead of schedule on the inside work. The exterior work is also going well."

Training, weight areas relocated
OSU's athletic training facilities and the weight-training facilities are currently in the process of relocating. When relocation is complete, work on renovating those existing areas will begin. Those areas, including the football dressing rooms, are scheduled to be completed by August.

What's next
The most visible work upcoming on the project will be construction of two more stair towers, one on the north and the other on the south side of the arena. When those towers are in place, work will begin on the north and south sides of the concourse.

On Time
The Athletic Center is still on target for completion on Dec. 1, 2000. "I anticipate no problems making that Dec. 1 deadline," Sparks said. "I fully expect the arena, dressing rooms, wrestling areas and football coaches building to be completed by that date."

Oklahoma State University Athletics

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