Cowboys Head To The NCAA First Round

March 14, 2000

No. 14/15 Oklahoma State Cowboys
No. 3 Seed (24-6, 12-4 Big 12)
NCAA Tournament East Region
First-/Second-Round Notes

About the Cowboys
Senior-dominated Oklahoma State - OSU has seven seniors on its roster, the most since the 1948-49 team had eight seniors among its 21-man squad - is off to the school's best season five years. At 24-6, OSU has won its most games in a season since the 1995 Final Four squad went 27-10, and the Cowboys' 23-5 mark at the end of the regular season was their best in 46 years. OSU earned an at-large bid in part due to its lofty record and because the Cowboys are 7-5 against NCAA Tournament teams.

Cowboys return to Tourney for 17th appearance
OSU has earned its third straight NCAA Tournament appearance and the team's 17th all-time. This year's berth marks the eighth in Eddie Sutton's 10 years in Stillwater. OSU has enjoyed some tournament success, winning two championships, reaching the Final Four five times and earning a 15-1 record in opening tournament games (OSU's only loss came in 1983 at the hands of Princeton).

OSU's No. 3 seed is its second-best, the 1991-92 team was seeded second in the Southeast Region. OSU is in the East Region for just the third time, and both previous trips back east have resulted in successful runs. OSU reached the Sweet 16 as a third seed in the East in 1991, and the Cowboys rode Bryant "Big Country" Reeves and Randy Rutherford to the Final Four after beginning as a fourth seed in the East in 1995.

The Oklahoma State Lineup

No.	Name	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Yr.	PPG	RPG
3	Daniel Lawson	G	6-3	205	Jr.	1.0	0.0
4	Glendon Alexander	G/F	6-3	220	Sr.	12.0	2.6
11	Nate Fleming	G	6-0	180	Fr.	0.0	0.3
12	Fredrik Jonzen!	F/C	6-10	230	So.	8.3	6.8
24	Rodney Sooter	G	6-2	190	Sr.	0.0	0.0
30	Brian Montonati!	F	6-10	220	Sr.	12.2	7.4
34	Desmond Mason!	F	6-5	215	Sr.	18.1	6.8
35	Joe Adkins!	G	6-1	190	Sr.	11.0	*4.1
40	Andre Williams	F	6-7	210	Fr.	3.9	4.2
42	Zac Cazzelle	G/F	6-5	215	Jr.	1.3	1.1
43	Jason Keep	C	6-10	290	So.	2.1	1.1
44	Doug Gottlieb!	G	6-1	180	Sr.	6.3	*8.6
45	Alex Webber	F	6-10	270	Sr.	4.6	3.3

* - Assists per game
! - Probable OSU starters

OSU Quick Facts

Location Stillwater, Okla. (Pop. 37,000) Enrollment 21,216 Home Court Gallagher-Iba Arena (6,381) Colors Orange and Black President Dr. James Halligan Director of Athletics Terry Don Phillips

Basketball Head Coach Eddie Sutton (Oklahoma State, 1958) Career Record 656-258 (30th year) Record at OSU 226-94 (10th year) Assistant Coaches Sean Sutton (Oklahoma State, 1992) Jimmy Williams (Ashland [Ohio] College, 1970) Kyle Keller (Oklahoma State, 1990) Overall Record 24-6 (14-1 H, 8-3 A, 2-2 N) Big 12 Record 12-4 (Tied for third, 7-1 H, 5-3 A) 2000 Big 12 Tournament Finish Semifinals

Postseason History NCAA Tournament Record 27-15 (16 appearances) 1999 NCAA Tournament Finish Second Round National Championships 1945, '46 Other Final Four Appearances 1949, '51, '95 Other NCAA Appearances 1953, '54, '58, 65, '83, '91, '92, '93, '94, '98

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# (ESPN)                     W   89-75
Tuesday, Dec. 21    at Washington                       W   84-72
Thursday, Dec. 30   vs. LSU@ (Fox Sports Net)           L   53-63
Wednesday, Jan. 5   Langston                            W  125-65
Saturday, Jan. 8    Texas Tech* (ESPN Plus)             W   55-47
Saturday, Jan. 15   at Baylor* (ESPN Plus)              W   56-41
Wednesday, Jan. 19  No. 14 Texas* (ESPN Plus)           W   73-65
Saturday, Jan. 22   at Texas A&M* (ESPN Plus)           L   59-64
Wednesday, Jan. 26  at Kansas State*                    W   71-56
Sunday, Jan. 30     Baylor* (ESPN Plus)                 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* (ESPN)               W   86-53
Saturday, Feb. 12   at No. 16 Oklahoma* (ESPN Plus)     W   74-71
Wednesday, Feb. 16  at No. 17 Texas* (ESPN Plus)        L   57-68
Saturday, Feb. 19   Nebraska* (ESPN)                    W   94-55
Monday, Feb. 21     at Missouri* (ESPN)                 W   84-72
Saturday, Feb. 26   at No. 17 Iowa State* (ESPN Plus)   L   61-72
Wednesday, March 1  Colorado*                           W   96-60
Saturday, March 4   No. 21 Oklahoma* (ESPN)             L   56-59
Friday, March 10    vs. No. 24 Kansas* (ESPN Plus)      W   77-58
Saturday, March 11  vs. No. 7 Iowa State* (ESPN Plus)   L   64-68
Friday, March 17    vs. Hofstra+ (CBS)                  6:40 p.m.
Sunday, March 19    !vs. Indiana or Pepperdine+ (CBS)  11:10 a.m.

All times CST, listed rankings are from AP polls at tipoff
* - 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.
? - Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship, Kansas City, Mo.
! - if OSU advances

Here's a look at some OSU Tournament Trivia:

Oklahoma State, then known as Oklahoma A&M College, was the first school to win back-to-back NCAA titles when Bob Kurland led the Aggies to titles in 1945 and '46. OSU is one of just five schools with back-to-back NCAA trophies and one of only 11 universities with two trophies overall.
Kurland was named the Outstanding Player of the tournament in both championship years and is one of only five players in NCAA history to win the award twice.
OSU hit 80 percent (20 of 35) of its field-goal attempts in the 1992 second round against Tulane, that mark still stands as a tournament record.
The 1946 NCAA Championship game against North Carolina was the first to be televised locally and was broadcast on WCBS in New York with an estimated audience of 500,000.
Legendary former OSU coach Henry Iba is one of 10 coaches to win at least two NCAA titles.
Eddie Sutton is the only coach to take four different schools to the NCAA Tournament and one of just 11 to take two different schools to the Final Four. Interestingly, for the second straight year, all four of the schools Sutton has coached - OSU, Arkansas, Creighton and Kentucky - are in the tournament field.

Men's basketball part of OSU's overall athletic success
Although March means men's and women's basketball, OSU is known nationally for its success in several different sports. The Cowboys' 30 national wrestling titles are the most by any school in any sport, and Oklahoma State ranks fourth in NCAA history with 42 national team titles in all men's sports. In addition to its 30 wrestling and two men's basketball championships, OSU has also won titles in men's golf (eight), baseball (one) and men's cross country (one). Oklahoma State's total of 145 individual national titles ranks sixth all-time.

Cowboys, Flying Dutchmen meet for first time
When Oklahoma State and Hofstra square off in Friday's first-round game, it will mark the first meeting between the schools on the basketball floor. In fact, OSU has only ever played one game against an America East Conference school, and superstitious Oklahoma State fans might remember that game as a positive omen: The Cowboys defeated Drexel 73-49 on March 16, 1995, in the first round of OSU's Final Four tournament run. Cowboys coach Eddie Sutton faced Hofstra twice during his coaching career at Arkansas, the Razorbacks won 63-58 in 1974-75 in Fayetteville and 95-70 in 1977-78 in Pine Bluff.

Looking ahead: Indiana or Pepperdine awaits winner
The winner of the OSU-Hofstra game will face Indiana or Pepperdine in the second round. The Cowboys have never played Indiana, although Eddie Sutton's Kentucky teams split four games with the Hoosiers during his stay in Lexington. OSU is 1-1 against Pepperdine, having split a two-year home-and-home series with the Waves in the 1986-87 and 1987-88 seasons.

We're here to help...
Traveling with the Cowboys are men's basketball SID Will Hancock and associate director of athletics/media relations Steve Buzzard. Please feel free to contact either Buzzard or Hancock with any questions. Buzzard will be staying at the media headquarters hotel, the Hyatt Regency (phone (716) 855-4940), while Hancock can be reached at the team hotel, the Adam's Mark (phone (716) 845-5100). Should OSU advance in the tournament, updated statistics will be available within two hours of the game's completion, and updated notes will be available prior to Saturday's news conferences.

Inside the numbers
Here's a statistical comparison between the Cowboys and the Flying Dutchmen:

                            OSU     HU
Overall Record             24-6   24-6
Scoring Offense            77.5   74.7
Scoring Defense            61.4   62.4
Scoring Margin            +16.2  +12.3
Field-Goal Pct.            48.2   45.8
Field-Goal Pct. Defense    38.4   41.2
Free-Throw Pct.            70.0   68.6
Three-Point FG Pct.        38.5   36.2
Three-Pointers Per Game     6.4    7.3
Rebound Margin             +4.2   +4.8
Turnover Margin            +2.8   +3.5

Recapping the 2000 Big 12 Tournament

Quarterfinals, March 10: OSU 77, Kansas 58
Oklahoma State took control early with a 21-4 run and cruised to a 77-58 quarterfinal victory over 24th-ranked Kansas. OSU, which had defeated the Jayhawks 86-53 in Stillwater on Feb. 7, won two games in one season against KU for the first time since 1994 and swept the Jayhawks for the first time since 1983. OSU had not defeated Kansas by double figures twice in the same season since 1947-48. Desmond Mason had 22 points, and Fredrik Jonzen had 15 points and 13 rebounds to pace the Pokes.

Semifinals, March 11: Iowa State 68, OSU 64
OSU led by four after Joe Adkins' three-pointer with 3:16 to play, but a trio of fouls - Mason's fifth with 2:19 left and back-to-back three-point plays in the final two minutes - allowed Iowa State to regain control of the game and advance to the championship contest. Jonzen set a tournament record with 17 rebounds, and Glendon Alexander had a career-best 10 boards, but OSU was unable to overcome 33.9-percent shooting and 20 turnovers. The Cowboys held Marcus Fizer to 19 points, just the second time since the start of February that the Cyclones' All-American had scored under 20 points.

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 16 opponents under 40 percent field-goal shooting and have forced more 20 or more turnovers in nine games. OSU leads the Big 12 in field-goal percentage defense (38.4) and three-point field-goal percentage defense (30.2). 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     38.4        17.2

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 11 games, OSU has hit 88 of 197 (.447) three-point attempts. The Cowboys finished the year ranked first in the Big 12 in conference-games three-point percentage (40.5) and fifth in three-pointers per game (6.7). Three OSU players - Joe Adkins, Desmond Mason and Glendon Alexander - rank among the school's all-time top six in three-pointers made.

Mason closing out great career with stellar senior year
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 - the All-American 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 1,634 points in his career, he now ranks fifth in OSU career scoring. He also ranks fifth in OSU history in rebounds (775), fourth in steals (156), sixth in blocked shots (90), fifth in three-pointers made (122), fourth in minutes played (3,712), fifth in games started (105), sixth in games played (125) and fourth in double-doubles (22). His current streak of 100 consecutive starts is a school record.

OSU is 26-3 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.)   Diff.
Player (Years)                Overall       Leading     Not Leading
Desmond Mason (1996-2000)  86-39 (68.8)   26-3 (89.7)  60-36 (62.5)  +27.2
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

Montonati among Big 12's Most Improved
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 has recorded eight double-doubles this season, good for fourth in the Big 12. Montonati had 22 points (a career high against Division I competition) and 12 rebounds against Nebraska and hit the first two three-pointers of his career. Montonati was named earlier this week as one of the Big 12's five most improved players.

Alexander's shooting nearing record status
Senior guard Glendon Alexander, who ranks second in the Big 12 in three-point percentage, is fourth in school history in career three-point percentage (42.4) and, despite playing just two years, tied for fifth in three-pointers made (122). 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. He hit six threes against Colorado and scored 20 points. Alexander is a Big 12 All-Bench selection this season. Despite a knee injury that had him hobbled during the Big 12 Tournament, the 6-3 Alexander pulled down a career-best 10 boards in the semifinal loss to Iowa State.

Adkins rediscovers scoring touch in season's second half
Senior guard Joe Adkins, named this week to the Big 12's all-underrated team, has once again become one of OSU's top scoring threats. In OSU's seven games in January, the Oklahoma City native averaged just 5.9 points while hitting 28.2 percent of his shots and 28.6 percent of his three-point tries. But in the 12 games since the first of February, he's hit over 40 percent inside and outside the arc, and he has averaged 14.3 points, topped by his vital 21-point efforts against Oklahoma and Missouri. Against the Tigers, Adkins hit all eight of his free-throw attempts and scored the Cowboys' last six points of the game. 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 16th in scoring (1,141), fifth in assists (415), sixth in steals (152) and third in three-pointers made (175). Adkins earned honorable mention on the coaches' All-Big 12 team and AP's All-America team.

Gottlieb joins all-time top 10 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 is threatening his school-record assist average from last season. Gottlieb is currently averaging 8.6 assists this season, and with 911 assists in his career including one season at Notre Dame, Gottlieb ranks ninth in Division I history (next on the list is Gary Payton, who dished out 939 helpers and starred at Oregon State in the late 1980s). Gottlieb's current career average of 7.59 per game ranks 14th on the NCAA D-I chart. Gottlieb's OSU career total of 757 assists is a Big 12 record, and he owns three of the top four single-season assist totals in the league's history, his 257 assists this season are second on the conference and school single-season charts only to his record performance last season.

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 68.1 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 18.9 assists per game, a school-record pace.

Jonzen crashes the boards in KC
Swedish native Fredrik Jonzen spent one year away from home at Shawnee Mission (Kan.) East High School, and he appeared to know the lay of the land with a breakout performance in the Big 12 Tournament. Jonzen hit nine of 11 free throws and had 15 points and 13 rebounds in the Cowboys' quarterfinal victory over Kansas. In the semifinal loss to Iowa State, he had eight points and a tournament-record 17 rebounds. Despite playing just two games, Jonzen came within one carom of the tournament record for rebounds in a tournament. A first-team academic all-league selection, Jonzen was also named to the Big 12's all-improved and all-underrated "specialty" teams. He averaged 2.3 points and 2.7 rebounds while hitting under 50 percent from the field and the line as a freshman, but as a sophomore, his numbers are much better: 8.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 51.9 field-goal percentage and 73.8 free-throw percentage.

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.

The tournament games will be broadcast on CBS (out-of-market games are available on DirecTV), including KOTV (channel 6) in Tulsa and KWTV (channel 9) in Oklahoma City. The CBS talent for the Buffalo games includes Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkel with sideline reporting from Dwayne Ballen.

Head Coach Eddie Sutton
Eddie Sutton (Oklahoma State, 1958) is in his 10th year at his alma mater with a 226-94 record at the school as well as a 656-258 overall mark in his 30th year of collegiate coaching. Under his guidance, OSU has advanced to postseason play in nine of 10 years and has won 20 games or more eight times (the Cowboys won 20 games just twice in the 32 years prior to Sutton's arrival on campus). 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 is 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 tourney and one of just 11 coaches to lead two different schools to Final Four appearances. 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)  226-94  .706   93-55   12-7
Totals     30th year (914 games)  656-258 .718  280-114  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 24-6  12-4/T-Third        14th   20th career 20-win season

NCAA Tournament Coaching Records Games Won, Active Coaches Appearances, Active Coaches Mike Krzyzewski 48 Bob Knight 24 Denny Crum 42 Denny Crum 23 Bob Knight 42 Lute Olson 21 Lute Olson 31 Eddie Sutton 21 Jerry Tarkanian 31 Jim Boeheim 29 Eddie Sutton 29

This chart includes "vacated" appearances not listed in the NCAA records book.

Eddie Sutton's Teams in the NCAA Tournament

Creighton (1970-74) 1974 Texas W 77-61 Kansas L 54-55 Louisville W 80-71

Arkansas (1975-85) 1977 Wake Forest L 80-86 1978 Weber State W 73-52 UCLA W 74-70 Cal State-Fullerton W 61-58 Kentucky L 59-64 Notre Dame W 71-69 1979 Weber State W 74-63 Louisville W 73-62 Indiana State L 71-73 1980 Kansas State L 53-71 1981 Mercer W 73-67 Louisville W 74-73 LSU L 56-72 1982 Kansas State L 64-65 1983 Purdue W 78-68 Louisville L 63-65 1984 Virginia (ot) L 51-53 1985 Iowa W 63-54 St. John's L 65-68

Kentucky (1986-89) 1986 Davidson W 75-55 Western Kentucky W 71-64 Alabama W 68-63 LSU L 57-59 1987 Ohio State L 77-91 1988 Southern-Baton Rouge W 99-84 Maryland W 90-81 Villanova L 74-80

Oklahoma State (1991-present) 1991 New Mexico W 67-54 N.C. State W 73-64 Temple (ot) L 63-72 1992 Georgia Southern W 100-73 Tulane W 87-71 Michigan L 72-75 1993 Marquette W 74-62 Louisville L 63-78 1994 New Mexico State W 65-55 Tulsa L 80-82 1995 Drexel W 73-49 Alabama W 66-52 Wake Forest W 71-66 Massachusetts W 68-54 UCLA L 61-74 1998 George Washington W 74-59 Duke L 73-79 1999 Syracuse W 69-61 Auburn L 74-81

Noting the Cowboys

OSU finished with a 12-4 Big 12 mark, giving the Cowboys their most league victories since the 1964-65 team went 12-2 to win the Big Eight crown. OSU's school record for conference victories was set by the 1937-38 team, which went 13-1 in Missouri Valley Conference play.
The Cowboys have earned 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 at least 10 MVC games during a string that saw Oklahoma A&M won five straight Valley titles.
The four Division I teams in the state of Oklahoma are a combined 92-32, the best mark of any state in the country, and Tulsa and Oklahoma join OSU in the AP top 25 as well as the field of 64.
OSU finished with an 8-3 road record this season, the best of any Big 12 team. The eight away victories are OSU's most since 1957-58, when Eddie Sutton was a senior and helped lead OSU to an 8-5 road mark.
OSU has completed its sixth wire-to-wire stay in the AP poll and the first since the 1991-92 season.
OSU has an all-time combined record of 440-509 (.463) against the teams in this year's NCAA Tournament field. Against non-Big 12 tournament teams, the Cowboys are 198-159 (.554).
In its five previous games following losses this season, OSU has won by margins of 60, 15, 39, 36 and 19 points and an average score of 92.6 to 58.8.

The Cowboys in the NCAA Tournament
Here's a look at the Cowboys' career numbers in NCAA Tournament play. All players' statistics are from 1998 games against George Washington and Duke and 1999 contests with Syracuse and Auburn.

Name         G-GS FG-A  Pct.   3G-A  Pct.  FT-A   Pct.   Reb Pts Other
Adkins
  Geo. Wash. 1-1   3-5  .600   1-3   .333  7-8    .875     7 14  5 assists
  Duke       1-1  7-16  .438   3-12  .250  3-4    .750     5 20  7 ast., 3 stl.
  Syracuse   1-0   1-3  .333   1-1  1.000  0-0    ---      0 3   go-ahead
trey
  Auburn     1-0   2-5  .400   2-5   .400  0-1    .000     4 6   17 min.(inj.)
  Totals     4-2  13-29 .448   7-21  .333  10-13  .769    16 43  10.8 ppg
Alexander
  Syracuse   1-1   0-7  .000   0-6   .000  3-4    .750     6 3
  Auburn     1-1   1-7  .143   0-3   .000  3-4    .750     1 5
  Totals     2-2  1-14  .071   0-9   .000  6-8    .750     7 8   4.0 ppg
Gottlieb
  Geo. Wash. 1-1   1-2  .500   0-0   ---   1-7    .143     2 3   5 assists
  Duke       1-1   3-5  .600   1-2   .500  0-0    ---      3 7   8 assists
  Syracuse   1-1   0-0  ---    0-0   ---   1-3    .333     5 1   11 assists
  Auburn     1-1   1-4  .250   0-0   ---   1-2    .500     2 3   12 assists
  Totals     4-4  5-11  .455   1-2   .500  3-12   .250    12 14  9.0 apg
Jonzen
  Syracuse   1-0   0-1  .000   0-0   ---   0-0    ---      0 0
  Auburn     1-0   1-3  .333   0-0   ---   0-0    ---      2 2
  Totals     2-0   1-4  .250   0-0   ---   0-0    ---      2 2   1.0 ppg
Mason
  Geo. Wash. 1-1  4-10  .400   0-2   .000  5-8    .625    13 13  3 steals
  Duke       1-1   2-7  .286   0-2   .000  4-6    .667     5 8   3 steals
  Syracuse   1-1  10-17 .588   2-3   .667  6-6    1.000    8 28
  Auburn     1-1  8-11  .727   2-4   .500  8-9    .889     9 26
  Totals     4-4  24-45 .533   4-11  .364  23-29  .793    35 75  18.8 ppg, 8.8 rpg
Montonati
  Geo. Wash. 1-0   2-4  .500   0-0   ---   0-0    ---      6 4
  Duke       1-0   1-2  .500   0-0   ---   0-0    ---      1 2
  Syracuse   1-0  5-10  .500   0-0   ---   0-0    ---      7 10  14 minutes
  Auburn     1-0   0-4  .000   0-0   ---   1-2    .500     4 1
  Totals     4-0  8-20  .400   0-0   ---   1-2    .500    18 17
Webber
  Geo. Wash. 1-0   0-0  ---    0-0   ---   0-2    .000     0 0
  Duke       1-0   0-0  ---    0-0   ---   0-0    .000     0 0
  Syracuse   1-1   1-3  .333   0-0   ---   1-2    .500     2 3
  Auburn     1-1   2-2  1.000  0-0   ---   0-0    ---      0 4
  Totals     4-2   3-5  .600   0-0   ---   1-4    .250     2 7

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
Feb. 21    10    9     9    18
Feb. 28    13   11     8    20
March 6    17   14    10    21
March 13   14   15     9    19

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

Team           AP   USAT  Sag.  RPI
Baylor         ---   ---   145  130
Colorado       ---   ---   66    72
Iowa State      6     7     8    6
Kansas        (27)  (27)   20    17
Kansas State   ---   ---   158  142
Missouri       ---  (34)   34    38
Nebraska       ---   ---   159  156
Oklahoma       12    13    12    10
Texas          15    18     7    8
Texas A&M      ---   ---   191  194
Texas Tech     ---   ---   131  151
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 a game when the margin was in single digits) and overall:

Clutch Overall Player FT-A Pct. Pct. Adkins 13-17 .765 .803 Alexander 12-14 .857 .776 Cazzelle 0-0 --- 1.000 Gottlieb 2-7 .286 .450 Jonzen 13-21 .619 .738 Keep 0-0 --- .462 Mason 3-5 .600 .771 Montonati 10-12 .833 .744 Webber 2-2 1.000 .767 Williams 0-0 --- .510 Team 55-78 .705 .700

Big 12 Standings

Big 12 All Games March 12 W L Pct. W L Pct. Iowa State* 14 2 .875 29 4 .879 Texas* 13 3 .813 23 8 .742 Oklahoma* 12 4 .750 26 6 .813 OSU* 12 4 .750 24 6 .800 Kansas* 11 5 .688 23 9 .719 Missouri* 10 6 .625 18 12 .600 Colorado+ 7 9 .438 18 13 .581 Baylor 4 12 .250 14 15 .483 Nebraska 4 12 .250 11 19 .367 Texas A&M 4 12 .250 8 20 .286 Texas Tech 3 13 .188 12 16 .429 Kansas State 2 14 .125 9 18 .321

* - NCAA Tournament entrant - NIT entrant

OSU Honors & Awards

Joe Adkins
All-America honorable mention (AP)
All-Big 12 honorable mention (coaches)
Big 12 All-Underrated

Glendon Alexander

Big 12 All-Bench

Doug Gottlieb
All-Big 12 honorable mention (coaches)

Fredrik Jonzen
Academic All-Big 12 first team
Big 12 All-Improved
Big 12 All-Underrated

Desmond Mason
All-America (College Hoops Insider)
All-America third team (Basketball Times)
All-America honorable mention (AP)
Wooden Award finalist
All-Big 12 first team (AP, coaches)
Big 12 All-Defense
Big 12 Player of the Week (Dec. 21)

Brian Montonati
All-Big 12 third team (AP, coaches)
Big 12 All-Improved

Rodney Sooter
Academic All-Big 12 first team

The OSU Record Books

             Career Scoring
                         1. Byron Houston, 1989-90-1-2     2,379
                         3. Adrian Peterson, 1996-7-8-9    1,866
                         4. Bob Kurland, 1943-4-5-6        1,669
                         5. Desmond Mason, 1997-8-9-2000   1,634
                        14. Arlen Clark, 1957-8-9          1,197
                        15. Joe Atkinson, 1982-4-5         1,145
                        16. Joe Adkins, 1997-8-9-2000      1,141
            Career Rebounds
                         1. Byron Houston, 1989-90-1-2     1,190
                         3. Andy Hopson, 1973-4-5          1,020
                         4. Olus Holder, 1975-6-7-8        902
                         5. Desmond Mason, 1997-8-9-2000   775
             Career Assists
                         1. Doug Gottlieb, 1998-9-2000     757
                         3. Darwyn Alexander, 1989-90-1-2  420
                         4. Randy Wright, 1978-9-80-1      417
                         5. Joe Adkins, 1997-8-9-2000      415
              Career Steals
                         1. Brooks Thompson, 1993-4        169
                         2. Darwyn Alexander, 1989-90-1-2  168
                         3. Byron Houston, 1989-90-1-2     159
                         4. Desmond Mason, 1997-8-9-2000   156
                         5. Matt Clark, 1979-81-2-3        155
                         6. Joe Adkins, 1997-8-9-2000      152
                         7. Chianti Roberts, 1994-5-6-7    151
                         8. Ronnie Daniel, 1974-5-6-7      145
                         9. Doug Gottlieb, 1998-9-2000     140
              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   90
              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   105
 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   22
  Three-Point FG Percentage
                         1. Sean Sutton, 1991-2            44.5
                         2. Brooks Thompson, 1993-4        43.2
                         3. Todd Christian, 1987-8         43.1
                         4. Glendon Alexander, 1999-2000   42.4
        Three-Pointers Made
                         1. Randy Rutherford, 1993-4-5     279
                         2. Adrian Peterson, 1996-7-8-9    228
                         3. Joe Adkins, 1997-8-9-2000      175
                         4. Brooks Thompson, 1993-4        170
                         5. Glendon Alexander, 1999-2000   122
                            Desmond Mason, 1997-8-9-2000   122

National Stats Leaders
Here's how the Cowboys stack up in the national statistical leaders according to STATS, Inc. (through games of March 12):

Individual Statistics - Assists 2. Doug Gottlieb 8.6

Team Statistics 16. Scoring Defense 61.4 5. Assists 18.9 14. Field-Goal Percentage 48.2 10. Field-Goal Percentage Defense 38.4 23. Three-Point FG Percentage 38.5 20. Three-Point FG Pct. Defense 30.2 6. Scoring Margin* 16.8 13. Won-Lost Percentage* 82.1 * - From NCAA statistics through March 6.

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: 13,028
Projected completion date: Dec. 1, 2000

For current construction information, see the "Facility Update" section of OSU's Web site (http://www.okstate.com).

GIA FAQ
Here are a few frequently asked questions, and their answers, regarding the construction on Gallagher-Iba Arena.

Will the "new" arena have a new floor?
No. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the original white maple floor, which was installed with the building's original construction in 1938, will be retained in the new arena.

What, if anything, will remain the same in the new configuration?
Nothing in the "lower bowl" - in other words, the retractable seating on the floor - is expected to change, with the exception of the bench locations. The team benches and scorer's table will move to the west side of the floor to put the benches nearer to the teams' locker rooms.

Will the television camera angle be altered in the arena's new configuration?
Yes! The high-angle camera position in the reconfigured building will be at the top of the east side of the arena. Its angle to the floor will be much more easy on the eyes than the current shot from the "crow's nest." Television crews will also benefit from the rearrangement of the benches.

What happens to the scoreboards from the current building?
The new arena will have a new scoreboard system, complete with television screens on the center scoreboard. The current scoreboards from the north and south ends of the building will go into the athletic center's auxiliary gym, there are no plans to retain the current center scoreboard.

Game-By-Game History

1945 (27-4)
National Champions * Western Region
Utah                    W 62-37     Kansas City, Mo.
Arkansas                W 68-41     Kansas City, Mo.
New York                W 49-45     New York, N.Y.
1946 (31-2) 
National Champions * Western Region
Utah                    W 62-37     Kansas City, Mo.
California              W 52-35     Kansas City, Mo.
North Carolina          W 43-40     New York, N.Y.
1949 (23-5) 
Second Round * Western Region
Wyoming                 W 40-39     Kansas City, Mo.
Oregon State            W 55-30     Kansas City, Mo.
Kentucky                L 36-46     Seattle, Wash.
1951 (29-6)
Fourth Round * Western Region
Montana State           W 50-46     Kansas City, Mo.
Washington              W 61-57     Kansas City, Mo.
Kansas State            L 44-68     Kansas City, Mo.
Illinois                L 46-61     Minneapolis, Minn.
1953 (23-7)
Regional 2nd Round * West Region
Texas Christian         W 71-53     Manhattan, Kan.
Kansas                  L 55-61     Manhattan, Kan.
1954 (24-5)
Regional 2nd Round * West Region
Rice                    W 51-45     Stillwater, Okla.
Bradley                 L 57-71     Stillwater, Okla.
1958 (21-8)
Regional 2nd Round * Midwest Region
Loyola (La.)            W 59-42     Stillwater, Okla.
Arkansas                W 65-40     Lawrence, Kan.
Kansas State            L 57-69     Lawrence, Kan.
1965 (20-7)
Regional 4th Round * Midwest Region
Houston                 W 75-60     Manhattan, Kan.
Wichita State           L 46-54     Manhattan, Kan.
1983 (24-7)
First Round * 5th seed, West Region
Princeton (12)          L 53-56     Corvallis, Ore.
1991 (24-8)
Sweet 16 * 3rd seed, East Region
New Mexico (14)         W 67-54     College Park, Md.
North Carolina St. (6)  W 73-64     College Park, Md.
Temple (10)        (OT) L 63-72     East Rutherford, N.J.
1992 (28-8)
Sweet 16 * 2nd seed, Southeast Region
Ga. Southern (15)      W 100-73     Atlanta, Ga.
Tulane (10)            W  87-71     Atlanta, Ga.
Michigan (6)           L  72-75     Lexington, Ky.
1993 (20-9)
Second Round * 5th seed, Midwest Region
Marquette (12)          W 74-62     Indianapolis, Ind.
Louisville (4)          L 63-78     Indianapolis, Ind.
1994 (24-10)
Second Round * 4th seed, Midwest Region
New Mexico St. (13)     W 65-55     Oklahoma City, Okla.
Tulsa (12)              L 80-82     Oklahoma City, Okla.
1995 (27-10)
Final Four * 4th seed, East Region
Drexel (13)             W 73-49     Baltimore, Md.
Alabama (5)             W 66-52     Baltimore, Md.
Wake Forest (1)         W 71-66     E. Rutherford, N.J.
Massachusetts (2)       W 68-54     E. Rutherford, N.J.
UCLA (1)                L 61-74     Seattle, Wash.
1998 (22-7)
Second Round * 8th Seed, South Region
Geo. Washington (9)     W 74-59     Lexington, Ky.
Duke (1)                L 73-79     Lexington, Ky.
1999 (23-11)
Second Round * 9th Seed, South Region
Syracuse (8)            W 69-61     Indianapolis, Ind.
Auburn (1)              L 74-81     Indianapolis, Ind.

Individual NCAA Tournament Bests

Career Records Games Played 12 Bryant Reeves 1992, 93, 94, 95 12 Terry Collins 1992, 93, 94, 95 Points 221 Bryant Reeves 1992, 93, 94, 95 Scoring Avg. 23.3 Arlen Clark 1958 FG Made 76 Bryant Reeves 1992, 93, 94, 95 FG Attempted 157 Bryant Reeves 1992, 93, 94, 95 FT Made 59 Bryant Reeves 1992, 93, 94, 95 FT Attempted 71 Bryant Reeves 1992, 93, 94, 95 Rebounds 101 Bryant Reeves 1992, 93, 94, 95 Rebound Avg. 11.6 Arlen Clark 1958

Game Records

Points (Top 10) 1. 35 Bob Mattick vs. Texas Christian 1953 2. 32 Bryant Reeves vs. Tulsa 1994 3. 29 Byron Houston vs. Georgia Southern 1992 29 Bob Kurland vs. California 1946 5. 28 Desmond Mason vs. Syracuse 1999 28 Randy Rutherford vs. New Mexico St. 1994 7. 27 Adrian Peterson vs. Auburn 1999 27 Byron Houston vs. Tulane 1992 27 Corey Williams vs. Tulane 1992 10. 26 Desmond Mason vs. Auburn 1999 26 Bryant Reeves vs. Alabama 1995 26 Bryant Reeves vs. Marquette 1993 26 Arlen Clark vs. Loyola 1958

Rebounds (Double Figures) 1. 17 Byron Houston vs. New Mexico 1991 2. 14 Arlen Clark vs. Loyola 1958 3. 13 Desmond Mason vs. Geo. Washington 1998 13 Johnny Pittman vs. New Mexico 1991 3. 13 Arlen Clark vs. Arkansas 1958 6. 12 Byron Houston vs. North Carolina St. 1991 7. 11 Randy Rutherford vs. Wake Forest 1995 11 Bryant Reeves vs. Drexel 1995 11 Bryant Reeves vs. Georgia Southern 1992 10. 10 Bryant Reeves vs. Massachusetts 1995 10 Bryant Reeves vs. Marquette 1993

Team NCAA Tournament Bests

Most Points
100 vs. Georgia Southern (73)    1992

Most Points Allowed
82 to Tulsa (L 80-82)    1994

Fewest Points
36 vs. Kentucky (46)    1949

Fewest Points Allowed
29 to Baylor (W 44-29)    1946

Most Points in a Loss
80 vs. Tulsa (82)    1994

Fewest Points in a Win
40 vs. Wyoming (39)    1949

Biggest Winning Margin
27 vs. Georgia Southern (100-73)    1992

Biggest Losing Margin
24 vs. Kansas State (68-44)    1951

Highest Combined Scoring
173 vs. Ga. Southern (W 100-73)    1992

Lowest Combined Scoring Game
79 vs. Wyoming (W 40-39)    1949

NCAA Tournament Records

Vs. All Opponents
Alabama               1-0  1995
Arkansas              2-0  1945, 58
Auburn                0-1  1999
Baylor                1-0  1946
Bradley               0-1  1951
California            1-0  1946
Drexel                1-0  1995
Duke                  0-1  1998
George Washington     1-0  1998
Georgia Southern      1-0  1992
Houston               1-0  1965
Illinois              0-1  1951
Kansas                0-1  1953
Kansas State          0-2  1951, 58
Kentucky              0-1  1949
Louisville            0-1  1993
Loyola (La.)          1-0  1958
Marquette             1-0  1993
Massachusetts         1-0  1995
Michigan              0-1  1992
Montana State         1-0  1951
New Mexico            1-0  1991
New Mexico State      1-0  1994
New York              1-0  1945
North Carolina        1-0  1946
North Carolina State  1-0  1991
Oregon State          1-0  1949
Princeton             0-1  1983
Rice                  1-0  1954
Syracuse              1-0  1999
Temple                0-1  1991
Tulane                1-0  1992
Tulsa                 0-1  1994
UCLA                  0-1  1995
Utah                  1-0  1945
Wake Forest           1-0  1995
Washington            1-0  1951
Wichita State         0-1  1965
Wyoming               1-0  1949

By Tournament Site

Atlanta, Ga.           2-0  1992
Baltimore, Md.         2-0  1995
College Park, Md.      2-0  1991
Corvallis, Ore.        0-1  1983
East Rutherford, N.J.  2-1  1991, 95
Indianapolis, Ind.     2-2  1993, 98
Kansas City, Mo.       8-1  1945, 46, 49, 51
Lawrence, Kan.         1-1  1958
Lexington, Ky.         1-2  1992, 98
Manhattan, Kan.        2-2  1953, 65
Minneapolis, Minn.     0-1  1951
New York, N.Y.         2-0  1945, 46
Oklahoma City, Okla.   1-1  1994
Seattle, Wash.         0-2  1949, 95
Stillwater, Okla.      2-1  1954, 58

Oklahoma State University Athletics