Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State Faces BYU Cougars In All-College Classic
January 03, 2003 | Cowboy Basketball
Jan. 3, 2003
Oklahoma State Cowboys
(9-1 overall) face the BYU Cougars (10-2)
in the Touchtone Energy All-College Classic
Saturday, Jan. 4, 2003 *?5:30 p.m. (CST)
Ford Center [17,908] * Oklahoma City, Okla.
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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. 11.9 8.2
F 40 Andre Williams 6-8 225 Sr. 5.2 6.0
G 5 Victor Williams 5-10 187 Sr. 12.0 3.7 ^
G 24 Tony Allen 6-4 205 Jr. 15.0 5.2
G 34 Melvin Sanders 6-5 210 Sr. 13.7 4.3
Off the Bench
Name Ht. Wt. Yr. PPG RPG
C 4 Frans Steyn 7-2 306 So. 1.0 1.4
G 25 Janavor Weatherspoon 6-1 165 Jr. 4.5 1.5
G 30 Cheyne Gadson 6-3 190 Sr. 4.8 3.4 ^
F 33 Jason Miller 6-9 245 Jr. 3.8 3.3
BYU Cougars
Probable Starters (based on last game)
Name Ht. Wt. Yr. PPG RPG
F 52 Jared Jensen 6-9 245 So. 9.1 3.8
C 55 Rafael Araujo 6-11 265 Jr. 10.4 8.4
G 2 Travis Hansen 6-6 210 Sr. 15.6 4.9
G 3 Mark Bigelow 6-7 190 Jr. 12.9 3.3
G 24 Kevin Woodberry 6-0 170 Jr. 6.2 2.5 ^
^ denotes assists per game
Quickly
Oklahoma State travels to Oklahoma City this weekend and will play the first game of the Touchtone Energy All-College Classic vs. the BYU Cougars. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. and the game will be televised by ESPN2. The second game of the doubleheader will be Oklahoma vs. Michigan State. OSU is 2-3 all-time vs. BYU, with the last matchup taking place in 1994.
On Television
The Oklahoma State-BYU game will be televised nationally by ESPN2. Bob Carpenter will handle the play-by-play duties, while Jimmy Dykes will provide expert analysis. This will be OSU's second game on ESPN2 this so far this season, and sixth televised game overall.
Last Time Out For OSU
Victor Williams scored a season-high 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including 4-of-6 from three-point range, as the Cowboys handed Arkansas its worst loss of the season, 71-45, Monday night inside Gallagher-Iba Arena. Tony Allen added 14 points for the Cowboys and Ivan McFarlin chipped in 11 for OSU, while Melvin Sanders had eight points and a game-high nine rebounds. The Oklahoma State defense was outstanding, giving up the fewest points since the Northwestern State game a year ago. The Cowboys limited the Razorbacks to just 32.7 percent shooting from the floor, and 1-of-13 (7.7 percent) from beyond the arc. OSU also forced 22 turnovers and had 12 steals. Meanwhile, the OSU offense was dramatically improved, shooting 56.3 percent from the floor. However, the Cowboys did shoot just 43.3 percent from the free-throw line, connecting on just 13-of-30 from the charity stripe.
Tickets Available
There are a limited number of tickets available for Oklahoma State's game next Wednesday vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in Gallagher-Iba Arena. For more information, contact the OSU Athletics Ticket Office at 1-877-ALL-4-OSU.
OSU vs. Non-Conference Opponents
Oklahoma State's Cowboys have enjoyed considerable success at home vs. non-conference opponents. However, OSU has also been successful overall vs. non-league foes. Since the 1997-98 season, Oklahoma State has a 61-8 (88.4 percent) record in regular-season non-Big 12 contests. That includes a 10-0 record in 1997-98, a 9-3 mark in 1998-99, an 11-1 record in 1999-2000, a 9-2 mark in 2000-01 and a 13-1 record last year.
About BYU
BYU is 10-2 overall this season after an 84-68 win over Pepperdine Thursday night in Provo. The Cougars are led by senior Travis Hansen, who is averaging 15.6 points and more than three assists per game. Junior Mark Bigelow is averaging nearly 13 points per contest, while 6-11 center Rafael Araujo is chipping in 10.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. BYU has 10 wins, including victories over Kansas State, Arizona State and Utah State, and two losses, at Creighton by 10 and at San Francisco. The Cougars are coached by Steve Cleveland, in his sixth season both overall and at BYU. He has a record of 95-71.
Last Time Out for BYU
BYU shot 54.2 percent as a team, and scored 50 points in the paint as the Cougars defeated Pepperdine, 84-68, Thursday night in Provo. Rafael Araujo recorded a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds, while Travis Hansen added 17 and Jake Shoff chipped in 15 off the bench on 6-of-6 shooting. BYU limited Pepperdine to just 34.5 percent shooting from the floor, and forced 13 turnovers. Brigham Young also scored 22 points off turnovers, compared to just eight by Pepperdine.
Series With BYU: Cougars lead, 3-2
BYU leads the all-time series between the two schools 3-2, including a three-game winning streak. Oklahoma State won the first two meetings, the first in Stillwater during the 1961-62 season and the second in 1963 in Provo. However, the Cougars have won the last three, with victories in 1971 and 1972, and the most recent, a 69-59 victory over the Cowboys in the 1994 Great Alaska Shootout in Anchorage, Alaska. Here is a look a the all-time series:
Date Winner Score LocationD15, 1961 OSU 61-44 Stillwater D12, 1963 OSU 71-64 Provo D15, 1971 BYU 84-74 Stillwater D13, 1972 BYU 96-69 Provo N23, 1994 BYU 69-59 Anchorage
Last Time Between the Cowboys and the Cougars
In the first game of the 1994-95 season between both schools, BYU limited OSU to just 21 second-half points and overcame a four-point halftime deficit to defeat the Cowboys, 69-59, in the Great Alaska Shootout. Oklahoma State took a 38-34 lead into the lockerroom as Randy Rutherford and Bryant Reeves combined to score 28 points in the first period. However, OSU was held to just nine field goals in the second stanza and scored just 21 points. BYU hit eight three pointers in the game and shot 54 percent from the floor. Rutherford finished with 22 points to lead all scorers, while Reeves had 18 and nine rebounds. Despite the season-opening loss, Oklahoma State eventually advanced to the Final Four that season.
Up Next: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Oklahoma State hosts Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (5-6) on Wednesday, Jan. 8, inside Gallagher-Iba Arena. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. It will be the final game of the non-conference season before OSU begins Big 12 action. OSU will travel to College Station, Texas, for the conference opener vs. Texas A&M on Saturday, Jan. 11.
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 10 games, OSU is allowing just 58.3 points per game (best in the Big 12) and has not given up more than 69 points in a contest. Over the last seven games, the Cowboys are only allowing 55.6 points per game. OSU is allowing its opponents to shoot just 35.7 percent from the floor, best in the conference. On the defensive glass, OSU is outrebounding its opponents by an average of 10.3 boards per game. OSU is also averaging 10 steals per game (third-best in Big 12 behind Texas Tech and Kansas) and 6.6 blocks per contest (second-best in league behind ISU's 6.8 bpg).
Allen Living up to Expectations
Junior transfer Tony Allen has been playing extremelly well for Oklahoma State this season, living up to the expectations placed upon him when he transferred to OSU from Wabash Valley Community College. Through 10 games this season, Allen has scored in double figures in nine of them, including a season-high 23 points vs. the College of Charleston. Tony leads the team in scoring, averaging 15 points per game. He's shooting 52.9 percent from the floor, including 50 percent from three-point range, and 72.7 percent from the free-throw line. He is averaging 5.2 rebounds per contest, has 22 assists, 20 steals and seven blocked shots.
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, combined with 14 rebounds, recorded his third double-double this season and the eighth of his career. Ivan is second in the conference with a 61.8 shooting percentage from the floor. He is averaging 11.9 points and 8.2 rebounds per contest, including 34 on the offensive glass.
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 ... senior guard/forward Melvin Sanders and guard Tony Allen are the only two players to have double-digit scoring in 9-of-10 games this season ... senior forward Andre Williams has had at least one blocked shot in every game this season ... Williams is second in the Big 12 Conference in blocks, averaging 3.2 per game ... the Cowboys have shot better from the charity stripe away from Gallagher-Iba Arena (80.2 percent) than at home (56.6 percent) ... Oklahoma State has 38 dunks this season, led by Melvin Sanders' 10 ... OSU has taken eight charges in 10 games, with Melvin Sanders, Tony Allen, Andre Williams and Ivan McFarlin taking two each ... senior guard Victor Williams leads the Big 12 Conference in steals, averaging 2.5 per game ... Sanders and Allen are tied for fifth in the league, averaging two steals per contest ... Allen is fourth in the league in three-point shooting percentage, connecting on 50 percent of his shots from long range ... Oklahoma State has won 12-straight home games, dating back to last season ... OSU has the longest current winning streak in the league at seven.
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 66 blocked shots, an average of 6.6 per game and the second-most in the Big 12 Conference behind Iowa State, which is averaging 6.8 blocks per contest.
Williams Ranks Among Elite Shot Blockers
Forward Andre Williams leads the team with 32 blocked shots so far this season, and is just eight away from moving past Leroy Combs and into fourth place on the all-time OSU career blocked shots list. Andre had five blocks in the season opener vs. Yale, and had three vs. Alaska-Anchorage. He added three more vs. the College of Charleston, and had two vs. Michigan State. His four vs. Hartford led a team total of 13. Most recently, he had three vs. Northwestern State, and one each vs. Fresno State and UMKC. He had a career high with eight blocks vs. Wichita State, and extended his streak of games with at least one blocked shot to 10 with two against Arkansas. Williams is currently averaging 3.2 blocks per game this season, and is second in the league behind Colorado's David Harrison (3.5 blocks per game).
Andre Grabs His 500th Rebound
With four rebounds vs. the College of Charleston in the Great Alaska Shootout, senior Andre Williams achieved a major milestone by reaching 500 career rebounds. He joined an elite group of just 18 Cowboys that have achieved that milestone. He currently has 541 caroms, and ranks 15th all-time in the OSU record books. He needs 22 boards to move past Lafayette Threatt and into 14th place.
Vic Reaches 800
With 22 points vs. Arkansas (a season high), senior Victor Williams now has 884 points in his OSU career. That scoring total ranks 32nd on the all-time OSU career scoring list. He needs five points to surpass James King's 888. Victor has 1,129 points in his career at the Division I level, including 245 his freshman season at Illinois State. Victor also leads the league in steals, averaging 2.5 per game.
Williams Ranks in Top 15
Victor Williams has 273 assists in his two-plus year career at Oklahoma State. That ranks him 13th among all-time OSU career assist leaders. With five assists vs. Yale in the season opener, Williams surpassed Randy Rutherford, who had 239 dishes from 1993-95. Vic is 19 assists away from moving past current OSU Associate Head Coach Sean Sutton, who had 291 assists in his two-year career with Oklahoma State. Vic has 376 career assists, including a game-high nine vs. Texas A&M on Feb. 21, 2001, and a season-high 126 last 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 16 more starts to move past Bryant Reeves, who started 87 consecutive contests from 1993-95.
Sutton Nears 400th Game at OSU
Oklahoma State Coach Eddie Sutton has coached in 396 games in his 13 years at OSU, and is nearing the 400-game milestone. He will coach in his 400th game at OSU on Jan. 13, 2003, when the Cowboys host the Sooners in Gallagher-Iba Arena. He's already coached in more games for OSU than 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 Approaches 1,000th Game in Career
Oklahoma State Coach Eddie Sutton has coached in 990 career Division I games, the fifth most by an active coach. He is just 10 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.
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