Cowboys Look To Rebound Saturday

Feb. 18, 2000

STILLWATER, Okla. - Oklahoma State looks to avoid a letdown during a short break from a brutal road schedule when the Cowboys host Nebraska tonight. The game is OSU's only home contest in a span of 21 days and is crucial if the Cowboys hope to remain one game behind Iowa State in the Big 12 standings.

OSU-Nebraska: The Series
Nebraska owns a 58-45 edge in the overall series, and although OSU leads 27-14 in Stillwater, the Cornhuskers have won the last three meetings at Gallagher-Iba Arena. The Cowboys' last home victory over the Huskers was Feb. 18, 1995. OSU won last year's meeting in Lincoln by a 60-48 score, that victory was the game that turned the Cowboys' season around and spurred a late rally for an NCAA Tournament berth.

A quick look at Saturday's game
The Cowboys' next conference victory will give the team double-digit league wins for the third consecutive year, the school has not had a similar streak since the 1936-37 through 1939-40 teams each won 10 MVC games during a string that saw OSU win five straight Valley titles.

Oklahoma State has won 20 games for the third straight season and the eighth time in Eddie Sutton's 10-year OSU coaching career. The Cowboys had won 20 games just twice in 32 years before Sutton took the program's reins in 1990.

The four Division I teams in the state of Oklahoma are a combined 73-22, the best mark of any state in the country, and Tulsa and Oklahoma join OSU in the AP Top 25.

OSU is 7-2 on the road this season, no other Big 12 team has won more than five road contests this year. The seven away victories are OSU's most since the 1993-94 team went 7-3, the last time a Cowboy team won eight road games was 1957-58, when Eddie Sutton was a senior and helped lead OSU to an 8-5 road mark.

First-year Cowboy assistant coach Jimmy Williams came to Stillwater from Lincoln, where he was an assistant on Husker coach Danny Nee's staff for seven years. This year, OSU has frequently used the "Red 11" zone defense taught to the Cowboys by Williams, the Huskers used that defense to defeat OSU in Nebraska's last trip to Stillwater with Williams on its bench.

When OSU defeated Kansas earlier this month, it marked the first victory over KU in five years and one day. If the Cowboys defeat Nebraska on Saturday, it will be OSU's first Stillwater win over the Huskers in five years and one day.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (10-14, 3-8 Big 12) at
No. 8/9 Oklahoma State Cowboys (20-3, 9-2 Big 12)
Saturday, Feb. 19, 2000 * 6 p.m. * OSU Radio Network * ESPN
Stillwater, Okla. * Gallagher-Iba Arena (6,381)

Probable Oklahoma State Starters

Pos. No. Name             Ht.   Wt.  Yr.   PPG   RPG
F    30  Brian Montonati  6-10  220  Sr.  12.2   7.3
  Has started every game this year
F    34  Desmond Mason    6-5   215  Sr.  18.7   6.9
  Season-high 31 points against Kansas on Big Monday
C    12  Fredrik Jonzen   6-10  230  So.   8.9   6.3
  14 points, career-best 13 rebounds, 10-13 from line vs. Oklahoma
G    44  Doug Gottlieb    6-1   180  Sr.   6.3  *8.8
  15th in NCAA Division I history in career assists (856)
G    35  Joe Adkins       6-1   190  Sr.  10.1  *4.4
  21 points at Oklahoma, averaging 14.8 points in last five games

* - Assists per game. Probable OSU starters based on most recent game.

Probable Nebraska Starters

Pos.  No.  Name              Ht.   Wt.  Yr.   PPG  RPG
F     5    Larry Florence    6-5   220  Sr.  12.9  5.5
F     15   Steffon Bradford  6-6   240  Jr.  12.1  8.5
or    51   Louis Truscott    6-7   205  So.   7.6  5.3
C     31   Kimani Ffriend    6-11  220  Jr.  11.9  8.3
G     0    Danny Walker      6-1   190  Jr.  10.4  2.2
G     11   Rodney Fields     6-2   210  Jr.   4.6  2.0

OSU Coach Eddie Sutton
Eddie Sutton (Oklahoma State, 1958) is in his 10th year at OSU and his 30th year overall. Under his guidance, OSU has advanced to the NCAA Tournament seven times. Sutton currently owns a career record of 652-255 (71.9 percent) overall and is 222-91 (70.9 percent) at OSU. Sutton is the only coach to take four different schools to the NCAA Tournament.

1999-2000 OSU Schedule/Results

Wednesday, Nov. 10      Athletes First (Exh.)     W  93-80
Wednesday, Nov. 17      Global Sports (Exh.)      W  91-63
Friday, Nov. 19         Appalachian State&        W  87-75
Saturday, Nov. 20       Idaho&                    W  81-50
Tuesday, Nov. 23        at Arkansas-Little Rock   W  93-64
Saturday, Nov. 27       North Texas               W 103-65
Wednesday, Dec. 1       Wichita State             W  68-56
Saturday, Dec. 4        Texas-San Antonio         W  87-66
Sunday, Dec. 12         vs. San Diego State%      W  97-63
Wednesday, Dec. 15      Alcorn State              W  79-53
Saturday, Dec. 18       at UNLV#                  W  89-75
Tuesday, Dec. 21        at Washington             W  84-72
Thursday, Dec. 30       vs. LSU@                  L  53-63
Wednesday, Jan. 5       Langston                  W 125-65
Saturday, Jan. 8        Texas Tech*               W  55-47
Saturday, Jan. 15       at Baylor*                W  56-41
Wednesday, Jan. 19      No. 14 Texas*             W  73-65
Saturday, Jan. 22       at Texas A&M*             L  59-64
Wednesday, Jan. 26      at Kansas State*          W  71-56
Sunday, Jan. 30         Baylor*                   W  67-51
Wednesday, Feb. 2       at Texas Tech*            W  63-59
Saturday, Feb. 5        Texas A&M*                W  87-55
Monday, Feb. 7          No. 20 Kansas*            W  86-53
Saturday, Feb. 12       at No. 16 Oklahoma*       W  74-71
Wednesday, Feb. 16      at No. 17 Texas*          L  57-68
Saturday, Feb. 19       Nebraska*                    6 p.m.
Monday, Feb. 21         at Missouri*                 8 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 26       at Iowa State*               3 p.m.
Wednesday, March 1      Colorado*                 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, March 4       Oklahoma*                    8 p.m.
Thur.-Sun., March 9-12  Big 12 Championship

All times CST, * - Big 12 Conference games, & - America's Youth Classic, Stillwater, Okla., % - game played in Oklahoma City, # - Las Vegas Showdown, Las Vegas, Nev., @ - Sugar Bowl Classic, New Orleans, La.

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

                                All Games              Big 12 Games
                             OSU         NU           OSU        NU
Overall Record             20-3 (2)  10-14 (10)      9-2 (2)   3-8 (8)
Scoring Offense            78.0 (3)   69.4 (9)      68.0 (9)  68.7 (7)
Scoring Defense            60.7 (1)   72.8 (10)     57.3 (1)  76.3 (10)
Scoring Margin            +17.3 (1)   -3.4 (10)    +10.7 (1)  -7.5 (8)
Field-Goal Pct.            48.5 (2)   43.2 (8)      45.1 (4)  41.3 (10)
Field-Goal Pct. Defense    38.0 (1)   41.6 (6)      37.5 (1)  43.0 (5)
Free-Throw Pct.            70.1 (3)   62.4 (12)     70.5 (3)  65.3 (9)
Rebound Margin             +3.5 (7)   +3.8 (5)      +0.8 (6)  +2.7 (3)
Three-Point FG Pct.        37.3 (3)   32.9 (9)      38.2 (3)  31.1 (9)
Three-Pointers Per Game     6.3 (6)    4.7 (10)      6.2 (5)   4.6 (10)
Turnover Margin            +3.7 (1)   -4.1 (11)     +1.2 (7)  -4.3 (11)

OSU rediscovers an important weapon: the three
After OSU's shocking loss at Texas A&M on Jan. 22, the Cowboys ranked an uncharacteristic last in the Big 12 in three-pointers per game (3.5) and 10th in three-point percentage (25.9) in conference games. Since then, however, the Cowboys have re-established themselves as a strong perimeter shooting team. In the past five games, OSU has hit 39 of 83 (.470) three-point attempts. The Cowboys have climbed to third in the Big 12 in all-games three-point percentage (37.3) and are sixth in three-pointers per game (6.3). Three OSU players -- Joe Adkins, Desmond Mason and Glendon Alexander -- rank among the school's all-time top 10 in three-pointers made.

In the polls
Currently ranked eighth by Associated Press and ninth by USA Today/ESPN, the Cowboys have not been higher in the AP poll since the 1991-92 team climbed to No. 2 after winning its first 20 games. The rank is OSU's first Top 10 appearance since the 1993-94 team also reached the No. 8 level in early December. OSU has been ranked in 15 consecutive AP polls, the longest streak 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.

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 12 opponents under 40 percent field-goal shooting and have forced more than 20 turnovers in seven games. OSU leads the Big 12 in field-goal percentage defense (38.0) and three-point field-goal percentage defense (29.8). Here's a statistical look at OSU defense in Eddie Sutton's first five years at OSU and in each of the past five seasons:

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     38.0        17.7

Cowboy hot streak ends in Austin
Texas built a double-digit lead early in the second half and then held off several OSU rallies to defeat the Cowboys 68-57 Wednesday night and move into a tie for second place in the Big 12. OSU, which had shot at least 45 percent from beyond the arc in its previous four games, managed just a two-for-12 performance from three-point land against the Longhorns and saw its six-game winning streak come to an end.

Cowboys hang on for huge Bedlam victory
OSU raced to a 41-21 lead in the first 17 minutes and then held off a furious rally to defeat Oklahoma 74-71 Saturday in perhaps the biggest regular-season Bedlam matchup in history. The teams' combined record of 38-5 entering the game was their best ever coming into an OSU-OU tilt, and the game's second half lived up to the hype as the Sooners launched a barrage of three-pointers and inside baskets to trim OSU's lead to three points with 1:06 remaining. But Joe Adkins hit a clutch jumper with 32 seconds left and OSU hit three of four free-throw tries in the final 11 seconds to hold on for the victory, OSU's 10th in the last 15 Bedlam games. The triumph over the 16th-ranked Sooners was also OSU's first on the road over a ranked team since Feb. 15, 1995, when OSU won at 21st-ranked Iowa State.

Adkins' scoring prowess returns
Senior guard Joe Adkins has once again become one of OSU's top scoring threats. In OSU's first six conference games, the Oklahoma City native averaged just 6.7 points while hitting 28.9 percent of his shots and 28.6 percent of his three-point tries. But in the past five games, he's averaged 14.8 points, hit 25 of 61 (.410) of his field-goal tries and 13 of 31 (.419) long-range attempts, topped by his vital 21-point effort against Oklahoma. With OSU's top two scorers and rebounders on the bench with foul trouble, Adkins took control, setting a season scoring high and hitting four three-pointers. His jumper in the lane with 32 seconds left was the thrilling game's most memorable moment. Adkins also hit four of seven three-point attempts and scored 18 points against Kansas on Feb. 7. His performance against the Jayhawks made him OSU's 22nd 1,000-point scorer. On the OSU career records lists, Adkins now ranks 20th in scoring (1,044), seventh in assists (393), eighth in steals (143) and fourth in three-pointers made (162).

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 one of the Cowboys' most consistent performers. The only Cowboy besides Mason to start every game, he scored 14 points and pulled down nine rebounds in the victory over Kansas State, and he had 10 points and nine rebounds at home against Texas A&M. The team's starting big forward is fourth on the team in minutes but second in scoring (12.2) and first in rebounding (7.3). Montonati scored a career-high 28 points to go along with 12 rebounds in the Jan. 5 victory over Langston, and he is sixth in the Big 12 with six double-doubles this season.

Mason continues push for postseason honors
Senior forward Desmond Mason continues to dazzle game in and game out, continuing a hot streak that began with his 30-point game against Texas on Jan. 19. After his 31-point effort against Kansas -- Mason shot 10-for-14 from the field (despite missing two dunks) and five-for-five from the three-point arc -- he is just the sixth player in OSU history to tally 30 points four times in his career.

Mason is making his mark in several areas of the OSU records book. With 1,521 points in his career, he now ranks seventh in OSU career scoring. He also ranks eighth in OSU history in rebounds (728), sixth in steals (146), sixth in blocked shots (79), sixth in three-pointers made (114), seventh in minutes played (3,457), fifth in games started (98), ninth in games played (118) and fourth in double-doubles (21). His current 93-game streak for consecutive starts is a school record.

OSU is 23-3 in Mason's career when the Waxahachie, Texas, native leads the Cowboys in scoring. Using at least this reckoning, Mason is one of the most important Cowboys in recent memory. Here is a comparison of the last five players to lead OSU in season scoring. The chart lists the player (his years of competition at OSU), the Cowboys' overall record during his career, the team's record in games when he led it in scoring, the team's record in games when he didn't lead it in scoring, and the difference between the last two numbers.

                           W-L (Pct.)   W-L (Pct.)   W-L (Pct.)
Player (Years)              Overall      Leading    Not Leading  Diff.
Desmond Mason (1996-2000) 82-36 (69.5)  23-3 (88.5) 59-33 (64.1) +24.4
Jerome Lambert (1995-96)  17-10 (63.0)   9-2 (81.8)   8-8 (50.0)  +31.8
Bryant Reeves (1991-95)   99-37 (72.8) 42-10 (80.8) 57-27 (67.9) +12.9
Byron Houston (1988-92)   86-43 (66.7) 50-19 (72.5) 36-24 (60.0) +12.5
Adrian Peterson (1995-99) 79-43 (64.8) 24-24 (50.0) 55-21 (72.4) -22.4

Jonzen turns in career performance against Sooners
Swedish native Fredrik Jonzen has started the past 10 games after replacing an ailing Alex Webber, and although he has played well since joining the starting five, the best performance of his career came Saturday at Norman. The Swedish import scored 14 points and pulled down a career-high 13 rebounds, most seeming to come at critical junctures in the game, to help lead the Cowboys to their Bedlam victory. He hit a career-best 10 free throws -- the most by an OSU player since Bryant Reeves hit 10 against Nebraska on Feb. 18, 1995 -- on 13 attempts, including four in the game's final three minutes. Jonzen, who had 10 rebounds at Texas for his second straight double-digit-carom game, 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 8.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 58.1 percent from the field and 72.6 percent from the line. He leads OSU in rebounding in conference games with 7.3 per game.

Alexander continues to get hot in spurts
Senior guard Glendon Alexander continues to show a knack this season for scoring bunches of points in short time spans. Alexander scored 10 points in a two-minute stretch at UNLV, eight points in one minute, 10 seconds at Washington, 15 points in the last 11 minutes against Texas, all 10 of his points against Kansas State in a game-turning four-minute stretch, and his 10 first-half points at Oklahoma in a six-minute span. Alexander is sixth in school history in career three-point percentage (41.4) and, despite playing just two years, ninth in three-pointers made (101). 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. Alexander scored 25 points at home against Texas A&M, going eight-for-nine from the field and six-for-seven from three-point range.

Up next
OSU returns to the road next week for two games against upper-division Big 12 teams. The Cowboys face Missouri in an ESPN-televised Big Monday game at 8 p.m. the day after tomorrow, and OSU visits league No. 1 Iowa State a week from Saturday in a 3 p.m. game that will be televised along the Big 12 network. The Cowboys return home to close out the season with games against Colorado (March 1 at 7:05 p.m.) and Oklahoma (March 4 at 8 p.m.).

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. This year, he threatening his school-record assist average from last season. Gottlieb is currently averaging 8.8 assists this season, and with 856 assists in his career including one season at Notre Dame, Gottlieb ranks 15th in Division I history (next on the list is Grayson Marshall, who recorded 857 assists at Clemson in the late 1980s). His current career average of 7.58 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's OSU career total of 702 assists is a Big 12 record, and he owns three of the top four single-season assist totals in the league's history, his 202 assists this season already rank third on the conference chart and in OSU history. Gottlieb scored 12 points and had eight assists in the victory over Kansas.

Other Cowboys can dish it, too
In addition to Gottlieb's prowess as a passer, as well as Adkins' -- this season marks the only time in school history that two active players have 300 or more 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. OSU dished out a school-record 36 helpers against Langston (including assists on the first 15 baskets) and is fifth in the nation with 19.2 assists per game, a school-record pace.

Head Coach Eddie Sutton
Eddie Sutton (Oklahoma State, 1958) is in his 10th year at his alma mater with a 222-91 record at the school as well as a 652-255 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 eight 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)   222-91   .709    90-52    12-7
Totals     30th year (907 games)   652-255  .719   277-111   29-20

Sutton at Oklahoma State

Year    Record Conf./Finish  NCAA 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
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 20-3   9-2                   Third straight 20-win season

Quotes on the Cowboys
"He is a great player. He is definitely, I think, one of the top 10 players in the country." -- Kansas forward Nick Bradford on Desmond Mason, who scored 31 against the Jayhawks.

"They were as a good a team as I've ever seen or played against. They're a (heck) of a team, and they showed it tonight." -- Kansas forward Nick Collison after OSU's victory.

"Tonight, they were the NBA and we were high school." -- Kansas coach Roy Williams.

"I told Roy, as a team we played a little over our heads tonight. But if you can play like that, you can play with most teams in the country. I thought our defense was outstanding. It was just a good team victory for us. Mason had a tremendous game, I think he showed us why he's one of the best players in college basketball." -- Eddie Sutton following the KU victory.

"Joe Adkins had one of the outstanding games he's had. A lot of times, if Desmond doesn't have a terrific scoring game, we struggle. ... For the first 17 minutes, we can't play any better than we did today." -- Sutton after OSU's victory at Oklahoma.

"He's played with some great players before. He's just realizing that he's a great player himself and the more confidence he gets, the better he gets and the more it helps our team." -- OSU senior Brian Montonati on teammate Fredrik Jonzen after the Swede had 14 points and 13 rebounds against Oklahoma.

"While the polls don't mean much to coaches or the selection committee, the Cowboys can rest on the fact that they are now one of the challengers for the Final Four. Oklahoma State proved Saturday that its defense is as unforgiving on the road as it is in Gallagher-Iba Arena. ... They're playing unselfish with as much chemistry as any top-five team." -- ESPN.com writer Andy Katz in a Feb. 13 column.

"Check out the Cowboys. They're 19-2 after a 33-point rout of Kansas this week, dealing one of the nation's bellwether programs its worst defeat in a quarter-century. They're playing the best defense in the Big 12 Conference, feature one of its best players in forward Desmond Mason, and are closing in on the Top 10 in both major polls." -- USA Today's Steve Weiberg in a Feb. 11 column on basketball at Oklahoma's four Division I schools.

On the air
OSU games are 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 also be telecast on ESPN, with Dave Barnett and Jimmy Dykes handling commentary duties.

Player Thumbnails

#35 - Joe Adkins - 6-1 - 190 - Sr. - G
The 22nd OSU player to score 1,000 points in his career ... 21 points at Oklahoma, including a vital basket with 32 seconds left ... 18 points, four three-pointers against Kansas ... 10 points, eight rebounds, seven assists vs. Texas A&M ... nine points, nine assists at Kansas State ... six points, seven assists, eight rebounds, five steals vs. Texas ... team-high 18 points vs. Appalachian State ... 15 points at Texas Tech ... 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, has already done so this year against Texas Tech and Oklahoma.

#4 - Glendon Alexander - 6-5 - 215 - Sr. - G
Career highs of 25 points, seven three-pointers against Langston ... again tallied 25 against Texas A&M ... 10-for-13 from three-point range in the past four games ... 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 ... 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 in January ... 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
Ranked 15th 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 (702) ... 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 of his charities, scored 13 in the first half ... 14 points, 13 rebounds, 10-for-13 from foul line at Oklahoma ... 10 charities are the most by an OSU player in five years ... 13 points, 11 rebounds at Texas A&M for first career double-double ... 10 rebounds at Texas ... 15 points vs. Langston ... 12 points, nine rebounds at UNLV, including 10 points, six rebounds in second half ... 14 points against North Texas, six-for-six from the field ... 22 points, 13 rebounds in two games against Texas Tech ... last name is pronounced "yahn-ZEE-in."

#43 - Jason Keep - 6-10 - 290 - So. - C
Averaging just 5.5 minutes per game but is making the most of them ... 6-for-6 from the field in conference games ... 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 and against Kansas ... hit all five of his three-point attempts against the Jayhawks ... 30 points against Texas, including 17 of OSU's first 21 points and its first eight points of the second half ... 23 points, 10 rebounds at Kansas State ... 27 points against Appalachian State ... 28 points, career-high-tying four three-pointers against UALR ... 22 points, career-high 15 rebounds against Langston ... 23 points against Texas A&M ... has started 93 consecutive games, a new school record ... Wooden Award candidate.

#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 ... eighth in the Big 12 in free-throw percentage (.769) ... 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
Has played in nine games this season ... walked on to the program last year ... 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, but acupuncture seems to be helping ... 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.

#40 - Andre Williams - 6-7 - 210 - Fr. - F
Has become a crowd favorite with his active, spirited play ... the Big 12's leading freshman shot blocker (1.4 per game) ... missed five games relating to his enrollment at Maine Central Institute but was cleared Jan. 15 ... career highs of 11 points, 12 rebounds, four blocks, three dunks and 20 minutes against Alcorn State ... 11 points against Baylor ... 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 ... four blocks against Texas A&M ... 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 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
Jan. 24    15   16    17    45
Jan. 31    13   14    16    26
Feb. 7     14   13    16    27
Feb. 14     8    9     8    12

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

Team           AP  USAT   Sag.  RPI
Baylor        ---   ---    136  107
Colorado      ---   ---     70   69
Iowa State     14   17      19   15
Kansas         24   21      16   13
Kansas State  ---   ---    151  106
Missouri      ---   ---     42   36
Nebraska      ---   ---    149  117
Oklahoma       20   19      18   11
Texas          17   14      14    7
Texas A&M     ---   ---    182  162
Texas Tech    ---   ---    115  121
Big 12                       5    3

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      5-7   .714     .804
Alexander   8-10  .800     .809
Cazzelle    0-0    ---    1.000
Gottlieb    1-3   .333     .452
Jonzen      9-14  .643     .726
Keep        0-0    ---     .455
Mason       0-1   .000     .743
Montonati   7-8   .875     .769
Webber      0-0    ---     .840
Williams    0-0    ---     .400
Team       30-43  .698     .701

Big 12 Standings

                 Big 12       All Games
thru Feb. 16    W L   Pct.    W L   Pct.
Iowa State     10 1   .909   22 3   .880
OSU             9 2   .818   20 3   .870
Texas           9 2   .818   18 6   .750
Oklahoma        8 3   .727   20 4   .833
Missouri        8 3   .727   15 8   .652
Kansas          7 4   .636   18 7   .720
Colorado        4 7   .364   14 10  .583
Baylor          3 8   .273   12 10  .545
Nebraska        3 8   .273   10 14  .417
Texas A&M       3 8   .273    7 15  .318
Texas Tech      1 10  .091   10 12  .455
Kansas State    1 10  .091    8 14  .364

Around the Big 12

Monday, February 14
*Oklahoma 62, at Nebraska 54

Tuesday, February 15
*Missouri 86, at Texas Tech 76
at Colorado 79, Texas-Pan American 64

Wednesday, February 16
*at Baylor 63, Texas A&M 54
*Iowa State 64, at Kansas 62
*at Texas 68, OSU 57

Saturday, February 19
*Missouri at Kansas State, 12:45 p.m.
*Texas at Baylor, 12:45 p.m.
*Iowa State at Colorado, 3 p.m.
*Texas Tech at Texas A&M, 3 p.m.
*Nebraska at OSU, 6 p.m.

Sunday, February 20
*Oklahoma at Kansas, 12:30 p.m.

Monday, February 21
*OSU at Missouri, 8 p.m.

Tuesday, February 22
*Texas at Iowa State, 7 p.m.

Wednesday, February 23
*Texas A&M at Kansas State, 7 p.m.
*Kansas at Nebraska, 8 p.m.
*Texas Tech at Oklahoma, 8 p.m.
*Baylor at Colorado, 8 p.m.

Saturday, February 26
*Colorado at Nebraska, 12:45 p.m.
*Texas A&M at Texas, 12:45 p.m.
*Kansas State at Texas Tech, 3 p.m.
*OSU at Iowa State, 3 p.m.
*Baylor at Kansas, 7:05 p.m.
*Missouri at Oklahoma, 8 p.m.

Monday, February 28
*Kansas at Texas, 8 p.m.

The OSU Record Books

Career Scoring

 1. Byron Houston, 1989-90-1-2      2,379
 5. Matt Clark, 1979-81-2-3         1,542
 6. Randy Rutherford, 1993-4-5      1,541
 7. Desmond Mason, 1997-8-9-2000    1,521
18. Chianti Roberts, 1994-5-6-7     1,129
19. Richard Dumas, 1988-9-90        1,112
20. Joe Adkins, 1997-8-9-2000       1,044

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      728

Career Assists

 1. Doug Gottlieb, 1998-9-2000        702
 5. Ronnie Daniel, 1974-5-6-7         412
 6. Andre Owens, 1995-6               397
 7. Joe Adkins, 1997-8-9-2000         393

Career Steals

 1. Brooks Thompson, 1993-4           169
 4. Matt Clark, 1979-81-2-3           155
 5. Chianti Roberts, 1994-5-6-7       151
 6. Desmond Mason, 1997-8-9-2000      146
 7. Ronnie Daniel, 1974-5-6-7         145
 8. Joe Adkins, 1997-8-9-2000         143

Career Blocks

 1. Byron Houston, 1989-90-1-2        223
 4. Leroy Combs, 1980-1-2-3           167
 5. Johnny Pittman, 1989-90-1          91
 6. Desmond Mason, 1997-8-9-2000       79

Games Started

 1. Bryant Reeves, 1992-3-4-5         133
 3. Adrian Peterson, 1996-7-8-9       120
 4. Darwyn Alexander, 1989-90-1-2     108
 5. Desmond Mason, 1997-8-9-2000       98

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       21

Three-Point FG Percentage

 1. Sean Sutton, 1991-2              44.5
 4. Darwyn Alexander, 1989-90-1-2    42.2
 5. Randy Rutherford, 1993-4-5       41.8
 6. Glendon Alexander, 1999-2000     41.4

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         162
 5. Corey Williams, 1989-90-1-2       118
 6. Desmond Mason, 1997-8-9-2000      114
 7. Sean Sutton, 1991-2               108
 8. Darwyn Alexander, 1989-90-1-2     102
 9. Glendon Alexander, 1999-2000      101

Other Record Books Big 12 Single-Season Records

(All Games)

Field-Goal Pct. (min. 5 FG/gm.)

 1. Chianti Roberts, OSU, 1997  62.5
10. Manny Dies, KSU, 1998       54.7
11. Shanne Jones, TAMU, 1999    53.9
12. Desmond Mason, OSU, 2000    52.8

Free-Throw Pct. (min. 2.5 FT/gm.)

 1. Rayford Young, TTU, 1999    87.7
18. Brett Robisch, OSU, 1998    78.2
19. Corey Brewer, OU, 1997      78.0
20. Brian Montonati, OSU, 2000  76.9

Assists

 1. Doug Gottlieb, OSU, 1999     299
 2. Ryan Robertson, KU, 1998     248
 3. Doug Gottlieb, OSU, 2000     202
 4. Doug Gottlieb, OSU, 1998     201

Three-Point Pct. (min. 1.5 3G/gm.)

1. Brian Grawer, MU, 1999 49.6 3. Stan Bonewitz, TTU, 1997 46.3 4. Kantrail Horton, ISU, 2000 45.9 5. Desmond Mason, OSU, 2000 45.3

Big 12 Single-Season Records

(Conference Games Only)

Assists

 1. Doug Gottlieb, OSU, 1999     139
11. Brian Barone, TAMU, 1998      74
    Tyronn Lue, NU, 1997          74
13. Doug Gottlieb, OSU, 2000      73

Three-Point Pct. (min. 1.5 3G/gm.)

 1. Brian Grawer, MU, 1999      50.6
 3. Ivan Wagner, UT, 2000       47.4
 4. Tim Heskett, OU, 1999       46.7
 5. Desmond Mason, OSU, 2000    50.0

NCAA Career Records
These tables list the player along with the team with which he finished his career and his last collegiate season.

Total Assists

 1. Bobby Hurley, Duke, 1993            1,076
13. Taurence Chisholm, Delaware, 1988     877
14. Grayson Marshall, Clemson, 1988       857
15. Doug Gottlieb, OSU, 2000              856

Assist Average

 1. Avery Johnson, Southern, 1988       12.00
12. Bobby Hurley, Duke, 1993             7.69
13. Chuck Evans, Miss. State, 1993       7.62
14. Doug Gottlieb, OSU, 2000             7.58

Big 12 Stats Leaders
Here's a look at where the Cowboys rank among the Big 12's statistical leaders (through games of Feb. 16):

Scoring

 3. Desmond Mason      18.7
20. Brian Montonati    12.2
22. Glendon Alexander  12.0

Rebounds

11. Brian Montonati     7.3
13. Desmond Mason       6.9
20. Fredrik Jonzen      6.3

Field-Goal Percentage

 7. Brian Montonati    55.0
12. Desmond Mason      52.8

Assists

 1. Doug Gottlieb      8.78
 6. Joe Adkins         4.39

Free-Throw Percentage

 8. Brian Montonati    76.9
11. Desmond Mason      74.3

Steals

 6. Doug Gottlieb      1.87

Three-Point FG Percentage

 2. Desmond Mason      45.3
 4. Glendon Alexander  44.0

Three-Pointers Made

11. Glendon Alexander  2.22
13. Desmond Mason      2.09

Blocked Shots

12. Desmond Mason      0.87

Assist-Turnover Ratio

 2. Doug Gottlieb      2.77
11. Joe Adkins         1.66

Defensive Rebounds

 7. Desmond Mason      4.87
    Brian Montonati    4.87

National Stats Leaders
Here's how the Cowboys stack up in the national statistical leaders according to STATS, Inc. (through games of Feb. 17):

Individual Statistics

Assists

2.    Doug Gottlieb    8.8

Team Statistics

17.  Scoring Defense                60.7
 5.  Assists                        19.5
16.  Field-Goal Percentage          48.5
10.  Field-Goal Percentage Defense  38.0
15.  Three-Point FG Pct. Defense    29.8
 5.  Scoring Margin*                18.5
 4.  Won-Lost Percentage*           90.9
14.  Home-Court Winning Streaks*    14

* -- from NCAA statistics through Feb. 14.

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 Feb. 14: