Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Set To Play Ball State In All-College Classic
December 27, 2001 | Cowboy Basketball
Dec. 27, 2001
Oklahoma State Cowboys [12-0] vs. Ball State Cardinals [7-3]
Saturday, Dec. 29, 2001 * 6 p.m. [CST]
Myriad Convention Center [13,658] * Okla. City, Okla.
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Oklahoma State's Probable Starters
Name Ht. Wt. Yr. PPG RPG Notes
F 23 Ivan McFarlin 6-8 220 So. 11.1 6.9 Double-figure scoring in eight games for OSU
F 34 Melvin Sanders 6-5 220 Jr. 7.9 3.1 Started 42-straight games for Oklahoma State
C 12 Fredrik Jonzen 6-10 241 Sr. 12.6 7.3 Three double-doubles this season
G 1 Maurice Baker 6-1 190 Sr. 18.2 7.3 Scored 20 points in seven games this season
G 5 Victor Williams 5-10 185 Jr. 12.8 3.8^ Double-figure scoring in eight games this season
Ball State's Probable Starters
Name Ht. Wt. Yr. PPG RPG
F 21 Theron Smith 6-8 225 Jr. 18.5 11.0
C 45 Lonnie Jones 6-11 210 Sr. 8.1 6.6
G 1 Patrick Jackson 5-10 160 Sr. 19.5 4.0^
G 24 Chris Williams 6-3 180 Jr. 17.1 3.0
G 33 Matt McCollom 6-2 195 Fr. 4.0 1.8
^ denotes assists per game
Saturday's Game
Oklahoma State travels to Oklahoma City, Okla., for a game vs. the Ball State Cardinals in the All-College Classic. OSU is 12-0 this season and ranked sixth nationally in both polls. BSU is 7-3 and is ranked 21st in the Associated Press poll and 23rd in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll. The Cowboys are coming off an 85-76 win over Arkansas in Little Rock last Saturday, while Ball State is fresh off a 68-54 victory over Indiana State in Terre Haute, Ind.
Last Time Out For Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State trailed, 32-10, midway through the first half, but the Cowboys used patience and a stiff defense to cut the lead to seven vs. the Razorbacks. OSU tied the score at 74 with 2:19 remaining on a Victor Williams free throw and took the lead for good one free throw later. Williams was 6-of-6 at the charity stripe in the final two minutes, and Fredrik J?nz?n hit a trey from the top of the key with two seconds on the shot clock to lead the Cowboys to the 85-76 victory. Maurice Baker finished with a team-high 21 points, while all five starters scored in double figures. Ivan McFarlin picked up his second double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 boards. OSU shot 56.5 percent from the floor.
Cowboy Noteworthy
* Oklahoma State is one of six teams in the country that is still undefeated. The Cowboys are 12-0, followed by Butler and Miami (Fla.) which are 11-0. Duke is 10-0, while Virginia is 8-0. The College of Charleston is 7-0.
* Oklahoma State and Mississippi State are the first two teams to reach 12 victories this season. There are eight teams that have at least 11 wins so far this year (Cincinnati 11-1, Butler 11-0, Miami (Fla.) 11-0, Georgia 11-2, Pittsburgh 11-1, Boston College 11-1) and six others that have 10 wins.
OSU-Ball State: The Series
This will be the first-ever meeting between Oklahoma State and Ball State on the hardwood. The Cowboys are 2-2 all-time vs. the Mid-American Conference, including a 1-0 mark vs. Toledo, a 1-1 record vs. Marshall and an 0-1 slate vs. Bowling Green.
Last Time Out For Ball State
Ball State got 14 points and 16 rebounds from forward Theron Smith, and the Cardinals escaped Terre Haute, Ind., with a 68-54 win over Indiana State last Saturday night. The two teams were tied at halftime, 32-32, before BSU outscored Indiana State, 36-22, in the second period, limiting the Sycamores to just 36 percent shooting in the second period, including a 1-for-12 mark from beyond the arc. BSU's Patrick Jackson scored a game-high 19 points, while guard Chris Williams added 15 to the Cardinals' side of the scoreboard. Ball State shot 47.9 percent from the floor, including 6-of-15 from behind the three-point line, and shot 76.2 percent (16-of-21) from the free-throw line.
12-0 Record Third-Best in School History
Oklahoma State's 12-0 start to the season is the third-best ever in school history. The 1991-92 Cowboys began the season with 20-consecutive wins that lasted until Feb. 5. The string included a preseason NIT Championship and a No. 2 national ranking. That team finished the season with a 28-8 record and lost in the Sweet 16. In 1950-51, Oklahoma A&M began the season 16-0 and was the top-ranked team in the country before its first loss on Jan. 20. That year, the Aggies finished with a 29-6 record and a fourth-place finish at the Final Four.
OSU in the All-College Classic
This will be Oklahoma State's first participation in the All-College Classic since 1988, when the Cowboys went 1-1 in the annual tournament, losing to Texas, 85-84, and defeating Texas A&M, 94-79. OSU competed five times during the 80s in the Oklahoma City tournament after 20-straight years from 1936 until 1955. The Cowboys have a 62-15 record all-time in the All-College Classic. This weekend's tournament is the first to be sold out since 1988, the last time Oklahoma State participated in the holiday tourney.
Cowboys In The Polls
Oklahoma State is currently ranked fifth in both the Associated Press poll and the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll . It is the highest ranking OSU has achieved since the Cowboys were ranked second nationally in mid-February of 1992. OSU was ranked No. 2 for two weeks before dropping back to eighth that year. Four of Oklahoma State's opponents this season are ranked in the top 25 of both polls (Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Cincinnati), while three more are receiving votes in at least one of the polls. Here is a look at where OSU has ranked in each poll this season:
Date Pre N12 N19 N26 D3 D10 D17 D24 AP 18th 18th 15th 14th 10th 8th 6th 5th ESPN 18th 18th 16th 12th 10th 9th 6th 5th
OSU Doesn't Trail Often in the Second Half
Oklahoma State trailed Arkansas for all but three minutes, five seconds last Saturday, but it was the Cowboys that led when it mattered most. It was the only game this season that OSU trailed for a better half of the game, as Oklahoma State has led the majority of the time through the first 11 games. Before the game with Arkansas, OSU trailed just six minutes in the second half of the first 11 games and trailed just over 10 percent of the time through 11 games.
Gadson Coming On Strong
Junior college transfer Cheyne Gadson was hampered by knee surgery in the preseason, but the point guard is getting stronger every game. His playing time is up to nearly 19 minutes per game. He is averaging 5.2 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. He is also shooting 44.2 percent from the floor, 40 percent from beyond the arc and 78.6 percent from the line. He has 32 assists, an average of 2.7 per game. He started the New Orleans game at point guard, and will see more action as OSU moves to more three-guard lineups.
OSU in the Big 12 Statistics
Oklahoma State leads the Big 12 Conference in every defensive statistical category. The Cowboys are first in scoring defense (58.4 ppg), field-goal percentage defense (35.6 percent) and three-point field-goal defense (23.5 percent). OSU is also tops in the Big 12 in scoring margin, outscoring its opponents by an average of 21.5 points per contest. The Cowboys are second in field-goal percentage (47.6), trailing on Kansas (53.2). Oklahoma State (43.0 rpg) is third in rebounding offense, and fourth in rebounding margin (+9.8). The Cowboys are fifth in turnover margin, averaging 1.50 fewer turnovers per game than their opponents. OSU is fourth in steals, averaging 8.75 per contest.
J?nz?n Moving Up Scoring Chart
With 17 points vs. Northwestern State, senior center Fredrik J?nz?n moved into the top-25 on the all-time career scoring chart. He now has 993 points in his three-plus year career, just seven points away from reaching the 1,000-point plateau. He needs four points to move past Brooks Thompson's 996 and 23rd place on the career scoring list.
J?nz?n Surpasses 600 Career Rebounds
Senior center Fredrik J?nz?n moved into ninth-place on the career rebounding chart with his seven vs. Northwestern State. He now has 620 in his four years at OSU. He is just the 10th player in school history to record 600 boards in a career. He needs 143 to surpass James King for eighth on the career-rebounding chart.
McFarlin Posting Big Numbers
Oklahoma State sophomore Ivan McFarlin is showing the league what the coaching staff has known all along - he's a prime-time player. In his first season with the Cowboys (he was a partial qualifier last season), he has eight double-figure scoring games with a season-high of 19 points. He also recorded his first double-double in the second game of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds vs. Austin Peay. He picked up his second last Saturday vs. Arkansas with 10 and 10. In the first exhibition game of the season, I-Mac had 20 rebounds, including 10 on each end of the court. He is also second on the team in steals with 20 and is 12 blocked shots. He is second in the Big 12 Conference in field-goal shooting, connecting on 58.6 percent of his shots.
Up Next: Texas in the Conference Opener
Oklahoma State will host Texas in the first game of the conference season as the Cowboys and Longhorns tip off in Gallagher-Iba Arena on Saturday, Jan. 5. Game time is set for 3 p.m., and the game will be televised on ESPN plus, part of the Big 12 Conference's television package.
