Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys, Red Raiders Meet In Lubbock
January 24, 2003 | Cowboy Basketball
Jan. 24, 2003
Oklahoma State Cowboys
(15-1, 4-0) face the
Texas Tech Red Raiders (11-3, 1-2)
in a Big 12 South Showdown in Lubbock
Sunday, Jan. 26, 2003 *?1 p.m. (CST)
United Spirit Arena [15,050] * Lubbock, Texas
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Oklahoma State Cowboys
Probable Starters (based on last game)
Name Ht. Wt. Yr. PPG RPG F 23 Ivan McFarlin 6-8 237 Jr. 12.6 8.1 F 40 Andre Williams 6-8 225 Sr. 4.4 5.4 G 5 Victor Williams 5-10 187 Sr. 13.6 3.4 ^ G 24 Tony Allen 6-4 205 Jr. 16.0 5.1 G 34 Melvin Sanders 6-5 210 Sr. 13.3 4.3
Off the Bench
Name Ht. Wt. Yr. PPG RPG C 4 Frans Steyn 7-2 306 So. 0.6 1.1 G 25 Janavor Weatherspoon 6-1 165 Jr. 4.1 1.4 G 30 Cheyne Gadson 6-3 190 Sr. 5.6 3.3 ^ F 33 Jason Miller 6-9 245 Jr. 2.9 3.4
Texas Tech Red Raiders
Probable Starters (based on last game)
Name Ht. Wt. Yr. PPG RPG F 22 Kasib Powell 6-7 218 Sr. 16.6 5.2 F 55 Robert Tomaszek 6-9 240 Jr. 8.9 5.0 G 10 Will Chavis 5-10 190 Sr. 7.3 2.9 G 14 Andre Emmett 6-5 229 Jr. 21.1 6.3 G 32 Nick Valdez 6-6 204 Sr. 5.9 3.3^ denotes assists per game
Quickly
Oklahoma State travels to Lubbock, Texas, this weekend to take on the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Sunday, Jan. 26, at 1 p.m. inside the United Spirit Arena. The Cowboys, ranked 13th in the Associated Press Poll and 17th in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Poll, are coming off a 67-64 overtime win at Baylor on Tuesday night. Tech, ranked 25th in the Coaches Poll and receiving votes in the AP Poll, is coming off a 69-64 overtime loss at the hands of the Oklahoma Sooners Monday night in Norman.
On Television
Sunday's game will be produced by ESPN Regional and will be seen in Oklahoma City on KOCB-TV 34 and in Tulsa on KJRH-Channel 2. In Stillwater, it will be on Cox Cable channel 11. Dave Armstrong will handle the play-by-play duties, while Reid Gettys will provide expert analysis.
Last Time Out For OSU
OSU led by as many as 10 points in the second half vs. Baylor, but it took a conventional three-point play by Tony Allen with 38.6 seconds remaining in overtime to give OSU a 67-64 win over the Bears. Allen finished with a team-high 17 points, while Ivan McFarlin chipped in 16 points and grabbed 10 boards. Victor Williams added 16 points while Melvin Sanders scored 15 as the starters scored 64 of OSU's 67 points. The Cowboys shot 47.5 percent from the floor and limited the Bears to just 35.5 percent, but Lawrence Roberts and R.T. Guinn each scored 21 for BU. The Bears also made 12-of-16 shots from the line, compared to just 5-of-9 for Oklahoma State.
About Texas Tech
Texas Tech is 11-3 overall but 1-2 in Big 12 Conference action after the Red Raiders overtime loss at Oklahoma on Monday night. Junior guard Andre Emmett leads all scorers with a 21.1 points per game average, while Kasib Powell is chipping in 16.6 points per contest. Tech is shooting 49.2 percent from the floor, but just 27.8 percent from beyond the three-point arc. The Red Raiders are outscoring their opponents by an average of 13.3 points per game, but holds just a 0.8 rebounds per game edge. Head Coach Bob Knight is looking for his 799th win on Sunday.
Last Time Out for Tech
Oklahoma's Hollis Price hit a game-tying shot at the end of regulation, and the Sooners outscored Texas Tech, 9-4, in the overtime period as OU defeated the Red Raiders, 69-64, Monday night in Norman. Four Tech starters scored in double figures, led by Kasib Powell's 19. But the Raiders got just two points off the bench, and connected on just one three pointer in the game. Andre Emmett scored 17 points for Tech, while Will Chavis chipped in 13 and Robert Tomaszek added 10. Price had 23 points for the Sooners.
Series With Texas Tech: Cowboys lead, 19-8
Oklahoma State leads the all-time series with Texas Tech, including a narrow 4-3 margin in Lubbock. However, Tech won two-of-three last season, including a 94-70 drubbing in Lubbock. The Cowboys have won 10 of the last 12, and have a 10-4 record vs. the Red Raiders since the Big 12 Conference was formed. A complete look at the series can be found on page 4-62 of the 2002-03 Oklahoma State Men's Basketball Media Guide.
Up Next: the Cyclones of Iowa State
Oklahoma State will return home for a brief period as the Cowboys host the Iowa State Cyclones (10-5 overall, 0-4) on Wednesday, Jan. 29, inside Gallagher-Iba Arena. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
And Then There Were Four
After Duke's loss on Wednesday and losses by Wake Forest, Creighton and Butler on Thursday night, only four teams can boast having lost just one game this season. Oklahoma State has the best record in NCAA Division I at 15-1. Pittsburgh and Arizona are both close behind at 14-1, while Louisville is 13-1.
OSU Tops Longest Win Streaks
Oklahoma State's current 13-game win streak is currently the longest in the country. The Cowboys will look to extend that streak on Sunday at Texas Tech. Here is a look at the top-five active winning strings:
Rk Team Streak Next Game (Date)1. Oklahoma State 13 at Texas Tech (Jan. 26) 2. Florida 12 at LSU (Jan. 28) Louisville 12 at Tennessee (Jan. 25) Michigan 12 vs. Michigan State (Jan. 26) 5. Stephen F. Austin 11 vs. Texas-Arlington (Jan. 25)
Cowboys in the National Rankings
As a team, Oklahoma State ranks nationally in several statistical categories. OSU's highest ranking is in win-loss percentage, where the Cowboys rank third nationally. OSU has a highly ranked field-goal percentage defense, coming in at fourth nationally. Oklahoma State's scoring defense ranks ninth, and the scoring margin is 14th, as well as blocks per game. Offensively, OSU's field-goal percentage ranks 27th. Senior forward Andre Williams is the only individual in the rankings, as he ranks 11th in blocked shots per game.
Sutton vs. Knight
This will be just the eighth meeting between coaches Eddie Sutton of Oklahoma State and Bob Knight of Texas Tech, although it will be the fourth in just over two years. The pair have combined to coach 2,095 games in 70 years. They have a combined record of 1,515-580, good for a .723 winning percentage. Despite all the coaching legacies between the two, they played against each other just four times prior to last season, with an even 2-2 record. All four games were played while Knight was at Indiana and Sutton was at Kentucky.
Stifling Defense
Eddie Sutton has always preached solid defense, and while OSU's offense has struggled at times this season, the defense has been outstanding. Through 16 games, OSU is allowing just 59.2 points per game (second-best in the Big 12) and has allowed an opponent to score in the 70s just once this season. OSU is allowing its opponents to shoot just 37.1 percent from the floor, best in the conference. On the defensive glass, OSU is outrebounding its opponents by an average of 10.4 boards per game. OSU is also averaging 9.38 steals per game (fourth-best in Big 12 behind Texas Tech, Kansas and Baylor) and 5.6 blocks per contest (third-best in league behind Iowa State and Colorado).
Coming up Big on Offense
While Oklahoma State is well-known for its unbreakable defense, the Cowboy offense has been coming into its own lately. In league games only, OSU is the only team to have four players rank in the Big 12's top 30 scorers. Victor Williams ranks ninth at 17.5 points per game, while Tony Allen is 11th at 16 points per contest. Melvin Sanders is 22nd in scoring at 12.5 points per game, while Ivan McFarlin is tied for 23rd, chipping in 12 points per contest. Five schools have three players ranked in the top 30 individually. In Big 12 Conference games, Oklahoma State joins Kansas State as the only two teams with three players ranked in the top 15 for field-goal percentage, and OSU is the only school with three individuals ranked in the top 15 in three-point field-goal percentage. Check out these rankings since league play began:
Statistical Category Big 12 rank BehindThree-Point Field Goal Percentage first -- Field Goal Percentage second Texas Scoring Offense third Texas, Kansas Scoring Margin third Texas, Kansas
Vic Williams Making the Plays
Victor Williams was the Cowboys' leading scorer a year ago, and the senior guard has come up big for the Cowboys this season, but none bigger than the Bedlam game vs. Oklahoma. With the score tied and the shot clock winding down, Williams drove towards the basket and pulled up for what turned out to be the game-winning jumper. Vic followed up his performance against OU with a season-high 24 points vs. Missouri. For his effort that week, he was named the Big 12 Conference's Player of the Week. Williams has been solid this season, averaging 13.6 points and 3.4 assists per game. He leads the team in free-throw shooting, connecting on 76.4 percent of his shots. Vic has a 1.38 assists-to-turnovers ratio, and has 35 steals. He also likes the friendly confines of Gallagher-Iba Arena, leading the team in scoring in home games at 15.9 points per contest, and shooting 51.6 percent from the floor, including 46.2 percent from three-point range.
Allen Living up to Expectations
Junior transfer Tony Allen is doing it all for Oklahoma State. The 6-4 guard leads the team in scoring, averaging 16 points per game this season, and is an all-around player for the Cowboys. He had a career-high 29 points vs. Texas A&M. Over the last nine games, Allen has connected on 58-of-104 shots from the floor, or 55.8 percent, and averaged 17 points in those nine. He has made at least one three pointer in 11 of OSU's 16 games, and is shooting 47.6 percent (20-of-42) from beyond the arc. He had a career-high nine rebounds vs. Texas A&M in College Station, and had career bests in assists (7) and steals (5) vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The Chicago native is averaging 5.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.1 steals per contest. Defensively, Tony is joining Melvin Sanders as one of the top stoppers on the squad. He limited A&M freshman phenom Antoine Wright to just 15 points on 14 shot attempts, and held OU's Ebi Ere to six points, 12 below his average, on 2-of-10 shooting. Tony was the Big 12 Rookie of the Week for the period ending Jan. 12.
Sanders the Stopper
Senior guard/forward Melvin Sanders is one of the top defensive players in the league and perhaps the country. He is typically assigned to the opposing team's top offensive player, regardless of height. That was evident last week, when in two games, Melvin stopped two of the top-six scorers in the Big 12 dead in their tracks. He held Oklahoma's Hollis Price, a 6-0 guard, to just six points, a dozen below his average, on 2-of-14 shooting. One game later, he limited Missouri's Rickey Paulding, who is averaging 17.3 points per game, to a season-low 10. Coach Sutton has stated that Sanders is one of the top-two defenders he's had, joining Corey Williams in that elite duo.
McFarlin a Warrior
Ivan McFarlin is the prototypical Coach Sutton player, a "warrior". I-Mac is the toughest player on the team, and certainly one of the hardest workers in the league. He scored a career-high 24 points vs. UMKC and, three games later, broke that with a 27-point performance against BYU. In the UMKC game, McFarlin also had 14 rebounds, recording the eighth double-double of his career. Ivan leads the conference with a 62.9 shooting percentage from the floor. He is averaging 12.6 points and 8.1 rebounds per contest, including 56 on the offensive glass.
A Trio of Thieves
Oklahoma State has 150 steals this season, led by Victor Williams' 35. Tony Allen has 33, while Melvin Sanders has 27. Those three Cowboys rank second, fourth and eighth, respectively, in the Big 12 in steals per game. No other team in the league has two in the Top Eight. As a team, OSU is fourth in the league, averaging 9.38 thefts per contest. Kansas leads the Big 12 at 10.41 thefts per game, while Texas Tech is second, averaging 10.21 steals per contest. Baylor is third at 9.73 steals per game.
Cowboys Host Block Parties
On two occasions this season, Oklahoma State has blocked 13 shots in a single game, the third-best mark in school history. OSU had 13 deflections vs. Hartford, and did the same at Wichita State. In three games at the Great Alaska Shootout, OSU had 18 blocked shots. This season, OSU has 89 blocked shots as a team, an average of 5.6 per game and the third-most in the Big 12 Conference behind Iowa State and Colorado.
Williams Ranks Among Elite Shot Blockers
With four blocked shots vs. Oklahoma, senior forward Andre Williams surpassed Leroy Combs and moved into fourth place on the school career blocked shots list. He leads the team with 43 deflections so far this season, and next on the list is Bryant Reeves, who had 194 blocked shots in his OSU career. Andre had a career-high eight deflections vs. Wichita State, and has had at least four blocks in four games this season. The only game this year in which he failed to block a shot was vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. He is currently averaging 2.7 blocks per game this season, and is second in the league behind Colorado's David Harrison (three blocks per game).
Vic Moving up the Scoring Chart
With 16 points vs. Baylor, senior Victor Williams now has 982 points in his OSU career. In that game, he surpassed Maurice Baker and Larry Hawk, and now sits in 25th place on that list. Vic needs just 15 points to move past Brooks Thompson, the next player on that list, and 18 points to become the 24th player in school history to score 1,000 points in his OSU career. Victor has 1,227 points in his career at the Division I level, including 245 as a freshman at Illinois State.
Williams Ranks in Top 15
With two assists vs. Missouri, Victor Williams has 291 dishes in his 2-1/2 year career at Oklahoma State, tying him with current Associate Head Coach Sean Sutton for 12th on the OSU career assists list. Next on the list is No. 11 Bill Self, who had 317 assists for OSU from 1982-85. Vic has 394 career assists, including a game-high nine vs. Texas A&M on Feb. 21, 2001, and a season-high 126 last season. He had a season-high eight dishes vs. Texas A&M. Victor currently has 55 assists this season, an average of 3.4 per game. That ranks him 13th in the Big 12 at this point in the season.
Sanders Has String of Starts
Cowboy senior Melvin Sanders has started every game of his Cowboy career, and has moved into fifth-place on the consecutive starts list. Sanders needs nine more starts to tie Bryant Reeves, who started 87 consecutive contests from 1993-95, and 10 starts to tie Darwyn Alexander. Twelve starts would move Melvin into second-place on the consecutive-starts list.
Sutton Coaches in 400th Game at OSU
Oklahoma State Coach Eddie Sutton coached in his 400th game at OSU when the Cowboys defeated the Oklahoma Sooners, 48-46, in Gallagher-Iba Arena. He's already coached in more games for OSU than the 10 previous coaches combined, and ranks second only to Mr. Iba, who coached in 971 career games at OSU over a span of 36 years. Sutton is 286-115 in his 13 years at Oklahoma State.
Sutton Nears 1,000th Career Game
Oklahoma State Coach Eddie Sutton has coached in 996 career Division I games, the fourth most by an active coach. He is just four games away from his 1,000th game, and will coach that game on Feb. 5, 2003, against the Kansas State Wildcats in Gallagher-Iba Arena. There are 16 coaches in NCAA history that have achieved that mark, including Sutton's mentor, Henry Iba, who coached in 1,105 games.
Miscellaneous Notes
OSU had seven players score in double figures vs. Alaska-Anchorage, the first time for that to happen in the Eddie Sutton era at OSU ... the Cowboys have shot better from the charity stripe away from Gallagher-Iba Arena (77.6 percent) than at home (57.7 percent) ... Oklahoma State has 50 dunks this season, led by Melvin Sanders' 14 ... OSU has taken 10 charges in 16 games, with Ivan McFarlin and Andre Williams each leading the pack with three ... Oklahoma State has won 15-straight home games, dating back to last season, the 13th-longest streak in the nation ... The Cowboys rank third in the Ratings Percentage Index, according to the Collegiate Basketball News, and fourth, according to CollegeRPI.com ... OSU's 15-1 record matches last season's start as the best since a 20-0 mark in 1991-92.
Speaking of RPI
Oklahoma State ranks third in the Ratings Percentage Index, according to Collegiate Basketball News, and has beaten three top-15 teams and is 7-1 vs. the top 100. However, with 13 games remaining on the regular-season schedule, the Cowboys may have their toughest road ahead of them. According to the RPI posted on Jan. 24, OSU has seven of its 13 games remaining vs. teams in the top 40, and five of those seven are as the visiting team. Oklahoma State has six games vs. teams ranked between NO. 59 and 131, and four of those six are in the friendly confines of Gallagher-Iba Arena.
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