Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State Players Take Edge for NCAA Experience
June 21, 1999 | Cowboy Basketball
March 12, 1999
By HANK LOWENKRON
AP Sports Writer
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Oklahoma State relishes idea of being the underdog against top-seeded Auburn in Saturday's second-round game in the NCAA tournament's South Regional.
"We kind of like the role," guard Adrian Peterson said Friday. "It makes you go out and play loose, like to have nothing to lose. ... Auburn, there is a team that has everything to lose, being the No. 1 seed. It's the kind of a role you can get some positive things out of."
Ninth-seeded Oklahoma State (23-10) is a heavy underdog to the Tigers (28-3) and Cowboys coach Eddie Sutton thinks the Tigers deserve their role.
"When you get into the NCAA tournament, every team is good or they wouldn't be here," said Sutton, who is in the tournament as a coach for the 18th time since 1974 and is 10 on the tournament victory list with 29. "Somebody has to be a favorite and somebody has to be the underdog.
"I was a little surprised when I picked up the newspaper this morning and saw how much we were the underdog (11 1/2 points)," he said. "Then I watched some film of then and we're a big underdog after that."
This is the second consecutive year that Oklahoma State is running into the top-seeded team in a regional. Duke defeated the Cowboys 79-73 last year.
"It's kind of a role you can get some positive things out of," Peterson said of the underdog role.
"Our having been here last year gives us one year of experience and we know the ropes," said Oklahoma State's Joe Adkins. "Auburn has not been here, so I guess you can give us an edge because we have one year of experience."
Peterson, who leads the Cowboys in scoring with a 17.4 average and is second in school history with 224 3-pointers, adds that having Sutton on the bench provides a boost in confidence.
"We've got a great advantage because coach Sutton has been here (the tournament). He's been in so many close games," Peterson said. "He's been here so many times."
