Oklahoma State University Athletics
Men's Basketball Receives Preseason Praise
June 21, 1999 | Cowboy Basketball
November 5, 1998
STILLWATER, Okla. -- Cowboy Basketball was honored with more preseason plaudits this week when several new polls were released yesterday and today.
The Cowboys are ranked 18th nationally in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll released Wednesday and 13th in the Associated Press Poll, which came out Thursday afternoon. In addition, Big 12 media followed the league coaches' lead and named the Cowboys a narrow favorite to win the conference championship.
The preseason rank is OSU's first since the 1994-95 Final Four season, when OSU was picked 19th by the AP in its preseason poll. The Cowboys' current rank in both polls is its highest since the Cowboys were 14th in the final 1995 writers' poll and fourth in the final coaches' poll. OSU enjoyed two brief stints among the top 25 last year, which ended with a second-round NCAA Tournament appearance.
OSU was tabbed as the preseason favorite over two-time defending league titlist Kansas in a very close vote of the league coaches last week. In that poll, the Cowboys edged KU by two points. In the media poll, Oklahoma State's lead grew by just one point. Senior guard Adrian Peterson was named the preseason conference player of the year in both polls.
The Cowboys' season begins Tuesday, when OSU hosts to the California East All-Stars in the Pokes' first exhibition of the year. Athletes First visits Stillwater on Friday, Nov. 13, and the Cowboys begin their regular season Monday, Nov. 16, against Northwestern (La.) State.
