Streaking Cowboys Travel To Texas A&M

Jan. 20, 2000

No. 12 Oklahoma State Cowboys (14-1, 3-0 Big 12)
at
Texas A&M Aggies (5-10, 1-3 Big 12)

Saturday, Jan. 22, 2000 * 12:47 p.m.
OSU Radio Network * ESPN+
College Station, Texas * Reed Arena (12,500)

Saturday's Game
Fresh from its biggest victory of the young season, 12th-ranked Oklahoma State looks to go 4-0 in conference play for the first time in eight years when the Cowboys visit Texas A&M on Saturday. OSU defeated Texas 73-65 on Wednesday, giving the Cowboys their 11th consecutive home-court victory.

OSU-Texas A&M: The Series
OSU leads the all-time series 14-7 and has won eight straight in the series, Texas A&M is the only South Division team against which the Cowboys are perfect since the inception of the Big 12 Conference three years ago. OSU's last loss to Texas A&M came Dec. 18, 1981, in El Paso, the Aggies' last victory over OSU in College Station was during the 1923-24 season.

OSU Coach Eddie Sutton
Eddie Sutton (Oklahoma State, 1958) is in his 10th year at OSU and his 30th year overall, Saturday's game is his 900th as a collegiate coach. Under his guidance, OSU has advanced to the NCAA Tournament seven times. Sutton currently owns a career record of 646-253 (71.9 percent) overall and is 216-89 (70.8 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.  13.5   7.9
  10-point streak snapped vs. Texas but hit four straight FTs late
F     34   Desmond Mason    6-5   215  Sr.  18.7   7.5
  30 points vs. Texas, eighth Cowboy with three career 30-pt. games
C     12   Fredrik Jonzen   6-10  230  So.   9.0   5.7
  Has started the last two games
G     35   Joe Adkins       6-1   190  Sr.   9.4  *4.6
  Six points, eight rebounds, seven assists, five steals against Texas
G     44   Doug Gottlieb    6-1   180  Sr.   7.3  *9.6
  19th in NCAA history in assists, 10.0 ppg in last three games
*  -  Assists per game. Probable starters based on most recent game.

Probable Texas A&M Starters

Pos.  No.  Name              Ht.   Wt.  Yr.   PPG  RPG
F     14   Tomas Ress        6-9   207  Fr.   3.4  1.7
F     21   Aaron Jack        6-8   243  Sr.   7.7  6.6
G     4    Jamaal Gilchrist  5-10  187  Fr.   8.5  3.8
G     32   Bernard King      6-3   178  Fr.  16.3  4.6
G     52   Jerald Brown      6-7   218  Sr.   6.7  3.8

In the polls
Currently ranked 12th in both major national polls, OSU reached a season-high No. 11 position in both the AP and the USA Today/ESPN ratings before its Dec. 30 loss to LSU. The Cowboys have not been higher during the regular season since the 1993-94 team climbed as high as No. 8 in early December. OSU has been ranked in 11 consecutive AP polls, the Cowboys were also ranked 11 straight weeks last season, a streak that was the longest since the 1990-91 and 1991-92 teams were ranked for 24 consecutive polls, including all 18 in 1991-92, just the fifth time in its history and the first since 1957-58 that an OSU team had gone wire-to-wire in the polls.

Inside the numbers
Here's a statistical look at Saturday's opponents with Big 12 rank in parentheses.

                                All Games                Big 12 Games
                              OSU        TAMU          OSU        TAMU
Overall Record             14-1 (1)   5-10 (12)      3-0  (3)   1-3   (7)
Scoring Offense            82.0 (2)   66.0 (12)     61.3 (11)   62.2 (10)
Scoring Defense            61.3 (1)   73.0 (12)     51.0  (1)   80.0 (10)
Scoring Margin            +20.7 (1)   -7.0 (12)    +10.3  (3)  -17.8 (11)
Field-Goal Pct.            49.6 (2)   40.9 (12)     42.1  (8)   37.2 (11)
Field-Goal Pct. Defense    38.2 (1)   43.6 (11)     36.9  (3)   49.6 (11)
Free-Throw Pct.            70.2 (3)   66.9  (6)     72.2  (2)   68.1  (5)
Rebound Margin             +5.8 (4)   +0.6 (12)     +5.0  (4)   -6.0 (10)
Three-Point FG Pct.        34.7 (8)   31.6 (11)     25.6 (10)   28.0  (9)
Three-Pointers Per Game     5.8 (5)    6.5  (4)      3.7 (11)    5.3  (7)
Turnover Margin            +5.3 (1)   -2.3 (10)     +2.0  (3)   -2.5 (10)

Cowboys back to doing it with defense
The OSU teams of the first half of the 1990s made their name with defense, holding opponents well below 45 percent in the vast majority of games. That trend shifted in the second half of the decade -- remarkably, OSU was last in the Big 12 in field-goal defense in 1996-97 -- although OSU did improve its ability to force turnovers. This season, OSU seems to have married the best of both trends, the Cowboys have held eight opponents under 40 percent field-goal shooting and have forced more than 20 turnovers in seven games. Here's a statistical look at OSU defense in Eddie Sutton's first five years at OSU and in each of the past five years:

Year(s)    FG defense  TO forced
1990-95       41.3        13.3
1995-96       45.1        17.3
1996-97       44.7        12.7
1997-98       44.4        17.4
1998-99       42.3        16.3
1999-2000     38.2        19.6

Texans carry Cowboys past Longhorns
Desmond Mason (Waxahachie, Texas) and Glendon Alexander (Carrollton, Texas) combined for 47 points Wednesday as OSU remained unbeaten with a key 73-65 victory over 14th-ranked Texas. OSU, which trailed 30-29 at intermission, scored the last four points of the first half and the first eight points of the second period to take the lead for good. OSU defeated the Longhorns for just the third time in nine tries since the beginning of Big 12 Conference action three seasons ago.

Alexander recovers mid-game to key second half vs. UT
The Cowboys' sixth man, senior guard Glendon Alexander, struggled in the first 29 minutes against Texas, hitting just one of nine field-goal attempts. But a key sequence with 11 minutes left -- Alexander assisted Jason Keep on a layup, Keep was fouled, and after he missed the ensuing free throw, Alexander rebounded and scored a short jumper -- seemed to ignite him and the Cowboys for the stretch run. Alexander hit four of his last six field-goal attempts and drained six of eight free throws to finish with 17 points, 15 coming in those final 11 minutes. His career-high 25 points against Langston included a career-best seven three-pointers, the most by an OSU player since Randy Rutherford hit a school-record 11 against Kansas in 1995.

Mason's electrifying performance leads Cowboys
Senior forward Desmond Mason scored from everywhere on the court against Texas. He hit four three-pointers, had two dunks, converted all four of his free throws and finished with 30 points. Mason scored 17 of OSU's first 21 points in the game and its first eight points in the second half. His performance made him just the eighth player in OSU history to score 30 points at least three times in his career. Mason hit 11 of 16 field-goal attempts, breaking out of a slump that saw him score a total of 20 points and go eight-for-31 in the three previous Division I games. As Mason goes, so seem to go the Cowboys: OSU is 7-0 this season and 22-1 in his career when Mason leads the team in scoring.

Mason is making his mark in several areas of the OSU records book. With 1,372 points in his career, Mason now ranks 11th in OSU career scoring. He also ranks eighth in OSU history in rebounds (683), 12th in steals (132), sixth in blocked shots (73), ninth in minutes played (3,183), eighth in games started (90), fourth in consecutive games started (85) and fourth in double-doubles (18). Mason scored 22 points and pulled down a career-high 15 rebounds in the victory over Langston.

Adkins' amazing clutch shooting shows up again
Senior guard Joe Adkins earned OSU's "Mr. Clutch" award last season after hitting numerous late three-pointers in close games. Against Texas Tech, Adkins showed he still has that ability this season. The Cowboys' starting two-guard was two-for-11 from the field and one-for-six from three-point range in the first 39 minutes of the victory over Texas Tech. But with 1:08 remaining, OSU's lead down to six points and the shot clock at two seconds, Adkins hit an off-balance three-pointer over Tech center Andy Ellis to ice the victory. Adkins finished with 10 points in the game and moved ever closer to the 1,000-point barrier. On the OSU career records lists, Adkins ranks 24th in scoring (952), seventh in assists (361), eighth in steals (135) and fourth in three-pointers made (145). He had an impressive line against Texas: Six points, seven assists, a career-high-tying eight rebounds, five steals and one turnover in 34 minutes of action.

Cowboys ride defense to victory over Baylor
Although OSU scored under 60 points for the second straight game, the Cowboys held Baylor to 41 points, a Big 12-record low for conference games, and won by 15 on Jan. 15 in Waco. OSU's offense struggled -- the Cowboys scored just three field goals in the first 10 minutes of the second half -- but the Pokes still shot 48.9 percent from the field while holding Baylor to 31.4 percent. The Bears' leading scorer, Tevis Stukes, was limited to just five shots and five points.

Gottlieb moves into all-time top 20 in assists
Senior 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-record assist average from last season. Gottlieb has 144 assists in the first 15 OSU games of the year, with 798 assists in his career, Gottlieb ranks 19th in Division I history (next on the list are Drafton Davis of Marist and Jacque Vaughn of Kansas, who are tied for 17th with 804 helpers). His current career average of 7.60 per game ranks 14th on the NCAA D-I chart. 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. Gottlieb scored a team-high 13 points at Baylor and has averaged 10.0 points in the past four games.

Jonzen moves into starting lineup
Forward Fredrik Jonzen entered his sophomore season with no career double-digit scoring performances. But Jonzen has hit for 10 or more points six times this season and has started the past two games, just the second and third starts of his career. He scored 10 points and hit five of seven field-goal attempts against Texas Tech, combining with Alex Webber to shoot 67 percent from the field while the rest of the team shot 24 percent. The Swedish import averaged 2.3 points and 2.7 rebounds as a freshman, hitting 46.9 percent of his field-goal attempts and 42.9 percent of his free-throw tries. This season, he's at 9.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 60.8 percent from the field and 72.6 percent from the line.

Montonati continues consistent offensive output
Senior forward Brian Montonati made a name for himself as a super sub last season, scoring in double figures 11 times off the bench and doing so five times in games when he played less than 20 minutes. As a starter for the first time in his career, he is now the Cowboys' most consistent performer: Until tallying six points against Texas, he was the only Cowboy to score in double figures in every game this season. The team's starting big forward is fourth on the team in minutes but second in scoring (13.5) and first in rebounding (7.9). Montonati scored a career-high 28 points to go along with 12 rebounds in the Jan. 5 victory over Langston, and he is third in the Big 12 with six double-doubles this season.

Other Cowboys can dish it, too
In addition to Gottlieb's prowess as a passer, as well as Joe Adkins' -- this season marks the only time in school history that two active players have 300 career assists -- 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 68.6 percent of the Cowboys' field goals have been assisted. After dishing out a school-record 36 helpers against Langston (including assists on the first 15 baskets), OSU is fourth in the nation with 20.5 assists per game.

Charting the Cowboys against the Aggies
Here's a look at current Cowboys' career statistics against Texas A&M:

Name       G-GS  FG-A   Pct.   3G-A  Pct.   FT-A  Pct.  RPG   PPG   Hi Pts.
Adkins     6-4  23-44   .523   8-18  .444   9-12  .750  1.5  10.5     18
Alexander  2-1   4-9    .444   1-5   .200   2-4   .500  1.5   5.5      8
Gottlieb   4-3  10-17   .588   0-5   .000   5-9   .556  1.0   6.3     11
Jonzen     2-0   1-1   1.000   0-0    ---   0-2   .000  3.5   1.0      2
Mason      6-4  22-47   .468   4-14  .286  21-27  .778  4.5  11.5     24
Montonati  4-0  10-17   .588   0-0    ---  10-11  .909  4.3   7.5     16
Webber     4-2   7-10   .700   0-0    ---   3-6   .500  3.0   4.3      7

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 televised on the ESPN Regional network, including KJRH (channel 2) in Tulsa and KFOR (channel 4) in Oklahoma City. Bill Doleman and Paul Splittorff will handle the on-air commentary.

Noting the Cowboys

An MRI on Monday revealed that senior center Alex Webber has a bulging disc in his lower back. Webber came off the bench to play 10 minutes against Texas.
OSU is 3-0 in Big 12 play for the second straight year, before last season, the Cowboys had not won their first three conference games since the 1991-92 team started 4-0. OSU's 14-1 record is its best through 15 games since that 1991-92 team opened 20-0.
OSU came within two points of its single-game scoring record in a 125-65 victory over Langston on Jan. 5. Montonati (28), Alexander (25) and Gottlieb (18) each recorded career scoring highs in the victory, and Mason (22 points, 15 rebounds) recorded a rebounding personal best. The game marked the first time in six years that an OSU team had three players score 20 points in the same game.

Williams returns to OSU roster
Oklahoma State forward Andre Williams was reinstated to the school's basketball squad late last week by the NCAA Student-Athlete Reinstatement Committee. Williams missed five games of the current season while OSU officials and the NCAA discussed eligibility questions stemming from his enrollment at a prep school (Maine Central Institute). The committee determined that Williams' conditions for reinstatement would include just the games he has already missed this season and paying $5,000 to a charity over the next four years. The freshman from Kansas City, Kan., had his best game as a Cowboy in the last game before the eligibility issue surfaced, he recorded 11 points and 12 rebounds in a victory over Alcorn State on Dec. 15. In the two games since he returned to the lineup, Williams has played 20 minutes.

Head Coach Eddie Sutton
Eddie Sutton (Oklahoma State, 1958) is in his 10th year at his alma mater with a 216-89 record at the school as well as a 646-253 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 Sutton on Saturday will become the 26th person overall and the sixth active boss to coach 900 NCAA games. 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
1991-2000  Oklahoma State (10th)  216-89  .708    84-51    12-7
Totals     30th year (899 games)  646-253 .719   271-110   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
1999-2000 14-1                              Fourth-best start in school history

Player Thumbnails

#35 - Joe Adkins - 6-1 - 190 - Sr. - G
Needs 48 points to become OSU's 22nd 1,000-point scorer ... six points, seven assists, eight rebounds, five steals vs. Texas ... 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 several games, did so this year against Texas Tech, hitting a three-pointer over 6-10 Andy Ellis in the game's final minute.

#4 - Glendon Alexander - 6-5 - 215 - Sr. - G
Career highs of 25 points, seven three-pointers against Langston ... 18 points -- 15 in the second half, including 10 in one two-minute span during OSU's game-breaking run -- against UNLV ... again scored quickly in the next game, hitting for eight points in one minute, 10 seconds in a 15-point effort at Washington ... 17 points against Texas, 15 coming in the final 11 minutes ... averaging 13.6 points and hitting 55.9 percent from the field in home games ... led OSU in scoring with 19 points against North Texas ... 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 had reconstructive surgery earlier this month ... 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 ... broke his nose in practice in late December but returned to practice last week ... 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 and is ranked 19th in Division I career assists ... career-high 18 points against Langston, also had 11 assists for his third career points-assists double-double ... 13 points to lead OSU at Baylor ... his 16 assists against North Texas earlier this year rank second in school history to his OSU record of 18 ... holds or shares school and Big 12 records for assists in a half (11), game (18), season (299) and career (644) ... 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 ... 15 points vs. Langston ... 12 points, career-high-tying nine rebounds at UNLV, including 10 points, six rebounds in second half with OSU's starting big men in foul trouble ... 14 points against North Texas, going six-for-six from the field ... 10 points, seven rebounds against Texas Tech ... made second and third career starts in the past two games.

#43 - Jason Keep - 6-10 - 290 - So. - C
Played key minutes against UNLV with other big men in foul trouble ... nine points, seven rebounds in exhibition debut ... seven crucial minutes of floor time against Texas, with two points, three rebounds, an assist and two steals to go along with an impressive defensive effort ... scored five points in five minutes against North Texas ... career-high six points against Langston ... has already become a Gallagher-Iba crowd favorite ... averaged 15 points, nine rebounds and two blocked shots at North Idaho College in 1998-99, his freshman season.

#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 ... 31 points, one off his career high, at Washington ... 30 points against Texas, including 17 of OSU's first 21 points and its first eight points of the second half ... 27 points against Appalachian State ... 28 points, career-high-tying four three-pointers against UALR ... 22 points, career-high 15 rebounds against Langston ... has started 85 consecutive games, the fourth-longest streak in school history and seven 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
Six double-doubles this season, including a career-best 15 rebounds against North Texas ... the 15 caroms against the Mean Green were the most by an OSU player since Bryant Reeves had 20 against Kansas in 1995 ... career-high 28 points against Langston ... third in the Big 12 in free-throw percentage (.808) ... 14 points, 14 rebounds against Texas Tech ... 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
Currently dealing with a bulging disk in his lower back, saw limited action Wednesday ... 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 ... 11 points against Texas Tech, hitting five of seven FGs while the rest of the team hit 31 percent from the field ... 12 points, including a five-for-five effort from the field, against North Texas ... led OSU in field-goal percentage last year and is on pace to do so this season.

#40 - Andre Williams - 6-7 - 210 - Fr. - F
Has become a crowd favorite with his active, spirited play ... missed five games relating to his enrollment at Maine Central Institute but was cleared last week ... 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 ... 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.

Up next
OSU, currently in a stretch when it plays four of six games away from home, returns to the road for its next game OSU visits Kansas State next Wednesday before returning home to face Baylor on Sunday, Jan. 30, at noon.

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 Collegiate Basketball News' 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
Dec. 20         13   13     8    61
Dec. 27         11   11     4    36
Jan. 3          16   12     8    39
Jan. 10         14   13    11    30
Jan. 17         12   12    10    21

Here's a look at how the rest of the Big 12 stacks up in the current rankings:

Team           AP   USAT   Sag.  RPI
Baylor         ---   ---   147   108
Colorado       ---   ---    60    51
Iowa State    (29)  (39)    25    29
Kansas          7     8      8     9
Kansas State   ---   ---   122    79
Missouri       ---   ---    63    59
Nebraska       ---   ---   149   100
Oklahoma       17    16     20    17
Texas          14    13     14     6
Texas A&M      ---   ---   207   191
Texas Tech     ---   ---    75    98
Big 12                       5     4

Free-Throw Shooting "in the Clutch"
Here's a look at OSU players' free-throw percentages in clutch situations (here defined as attempts in the last five minutes of games decided by fewer than 10 points) and overall:

             Clutch      Overall
Player     FT-A   Pct.     Pct.
Adkins      4-5   .800     .800
Alexander   4-6   .667     .839
Cazzelle    0-0   ---     1.000
Gottlieb    0-0   ---      .425
Jonzen      3-4   .750     .726
Keep        0-0   ---      .455
Mason       0-0   ---      .733
Montonati   5-5  1.000     .808
Webber      0-0   ---      .789
Williams    0-0   ---      .353

Big 12 Standings

    Big 12    All Games
thru Jan. 21   W L   Pct.    W L   Pct.
Iowa State     4 0  1.000   16 2   .889
Kansas         4 0  1.000   15 2   .882
OSU            3 0  1.000   14 1   .933
Texas          3 1   .750   11 5   .688
Missouri       3 1   .750   10 6   .625
Oklahoma       2 2   .500   14 3   .824
Colorado       1 3   .250   10 6   .625
Kansas State   1 3   .250    8 7   .533
Nebraska       1 3   .250    8 9   .471
Texas A&M      1 3   .250    5 10  .333
Texas Tech     0 3   .000    9 5   .643
Baylor         0 4   .000    9 6   .600

Around the Big 12

Wednesday, January 19
*at Nebraska 70, Texas Tech 67
*Iowa State 72, at Kansas State 61
*at OSU 73, Texas 65
*at Colorado 88, Oklahoma 80

Saturday, January 22
*Kansas at Missouri, Noon
*OSU at Texas A&M, 12:45 p.m.
*Baylor at Nebraska, 1:05 p.m.
*Iowa State at Oklahoma, 3 p.m.
*Kansas State at Colorado, 3 p.m.
*Texas at Texas Tech, 7:30 p.m.

Monday, January 24
*Colorado at Kansas, 8 p.m.

Tuesday, January 25
*Nebraska at Texas, 8 p.m.

Wednesday, January 26
*OSU at Kansas State, 7 p.m.
*Texas A&M at Iowa State, 7 p.m.
*Texas Tech at Baylor, 7 p.m.

Saturday, January 29
*Texas A&M at Missouri, 12:45 p.m.
*Kansas at Iowa State, 3 p.m.
*Oklahoma at Texas Tech, 3 p.m.
*Colorado at Texas, 5 p.m.
*Kansas State at Nebraska, 7:05 p.m.

Sunday, January 30
*Baylor at OSU, Noon

Monday, January 31
*Texas at Oklahoma, 8 p.m.

Wednesday, February 2
*Kansas State at Iowa State, 7 p.m.
*Baylor at Texas A&M, 7 p.m.
*OSU at Texas Tech, 7 p.m.
*Missouri at Colorado, 8 p.m.

Thursday, February 3
Kansas at Iowa, 6 p.m.

The OSU Record Books

Career Scoring

1. Byron Houston, 1989-90-1-2      2,379
9. Olus Holder, 1975-6-7-8         1,428
10. Bob Mattick, 1952-3-4          1,378
11. Desmond Mason, 1997-8-9-2000   1,372
22. Brooks Thompson, 1993-4          996
23. Larry Hawk, 1963-4-5             970
24. Joe Adkins, 1997-8-9-2000        952

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     683

Career Assists

1. Doug Gottlieb, 1998-9-2000       639
5. Ronnie Daniel, 1974-5-6-7        412
6. Andre Owens, 1995-6              397
7. Joe Adkins, 1997-8-9-2000        361

Career Steals

1.  Brooks Thompson, 1993-4          169
6.  Ronnie Daniel, 1974-5-6-7        145
7.  Richard Dumas, 1987-8-9          136
8.  Joe Adkins, 1997-8-9-2000        135
    Andre Owens, 1995-6              135
10. Adrian Peterson, 1996-7-8-9      133
    Cornell Hatcher, 1991-2          133
12. Desmond Mason, 1997-8-9-2000     132

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      73

Games Started

1. Bryant Reeves, 1992-3-4-5        133
6. Randy Rutherford, 1993-4-5        95
   Corey Williams, 1989-90-1-2       95
8. Desmond Mason, 1997-8-9-2000      90

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      85

Double-Doubles (Pts.-Reb.)

1. Byron Houston, 1989-90-1-2        51
2. Bryant Reeves, 1992-3-4-5         49
3. Olus Holder, 1975-6-7-8           30
4. Desmond Mason, 1997-8-9-2000      18

Three-Point FG Percentage

1. Sean Sutton, 1991-2             44.5
5. Randy Rutherford, 1993-4-5      41.8
6. John Potter, 1990-1             39.6
7. Glendon Alexander, 1999-2000    39.5

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        145

Big 12 Stats Leaders
Here's a look at where the Cowboys rank among the Big 12's statistical leaders (through Jan. 21):

Scoring

3.  Desmond Mason      18.7
17. Brian Montonati    13.5
20. Glendon Alexander  12.6

Rebounds

8.  Brian Montonati     7.9
11. Desmond Mason       7.5

Field-Goal Percentage

6. Fredrik Jonzen     60.8
8. Brian Montonati    57.1

Assists

1. Doug Gottlieb      9.60
5. Joe Adkins         4.60

Free-Throw Percentage

3.  Brian Montonati    80.8
5.  Joe Adkins         80.0
14. Desmond Mason      73.3
15. Fredrik Jonzen     72.6

Steals

4.  Doug Gottlieb      2.27
11. Joe Adkins         1.73
    Brian Montonati    1.73

Three-Point FG Percentage

10. Desmond Mason      41.9
12. Glendon Alexander  40.2

Three-Pointers Made

12. Glendon Alexander  2.20

Blocked Shots

10. Brian Montonati    1.07
14. Desmond Mason      0.93

Assist-Turnover Ratio

1. Doug Gottlieb      2.67
4. Joe Adkins         1.92

Offensive Rebounds

13. Brian Montonati    2.67

Defensive Rebounds

6. Desmond Mason      5.33
8. Brian Montonati    5.20

National Stats Leaders
Here's how the Cowboys stack up in the national statistical leaders according to STATS, Inc. (through Jan. 20):

Individual Statistics

Assists

1.    Doug Gottlieb    9.6

Team Statistics

16.  Scoring                        82.0
26.  Scoring Defense                61.3
 4.  Assists                        20.5
 8.  Field-Goal Percentage          49.6
20.  Field-Goal Percentage Defense  38.2
 3.  Scoring Margin*                21.6

* - From NCAA statistics of Jan. 17.

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).

On tap this week
Here's a look at what is planned for construction during the week of Jan. 24: