Cowboys Travel To Austin To Take On The Longhorns

Jan. 31, 2003

Oklahoma State Cowboys
(17-1, 6-0) faces the Texas Longhorns (13-3, 4-1)
in a battle of Top 10 teams in Austin, Texas
Saturday, Feb. 1, 2003 *?3 p.m. (CST)
Erwin Events Center [16,079] * Austin, 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.     11.7      7.8
F  40  Andre Williams          6-8      225     Sr.      4.6      5.8
G   5  Victor Williams         5-10     187     Sr.     14.4      3.4 ^
G  24  Tony Allen              6-4      205     Jr.     16.2      5.2
G  34  Melvin Sanders          6-5      210     Sr.     13.4      4.4

Off the Bench

       Name                    Ht.      Wt.     Yr.      PPG      RPG
C   4  Frans Steyn             7-2      306     So.      0.6      1.0
G  25  Janavor Weatherspoon    6-1      165     Jr.      3.6      1.2
G  30  Cheyne Gadson           6-3      190     Sr.      5.9      3.3 ^
F  33  Jason Miller            6-9      245     Jr.      2.7      3.4

Texas Longhorns
Probable Starters (based on last game)

       Name                    Ht.      Wt.     Yr.      PPG      RPG
G  11  T.J. Ford               5-10     165     So.     14.6      7.3 ^
G   3  Brandon Mouton          6-4      205     Jr.     13.0      4.1
C   0  James Thomas            6-8      235     Jr.     10.3     11.3
G  24  Royal Ivey              6-3      192     Jr.      7.1      2.7
F  22  Brad Buckman            6-8      220     Fr.      6.8      5.5

^ denotes assists per game

Quickly
Oklahoma State travels to Austin, Texas, this weekend for a matchup between Top-10 opponents on Saturday, Feb. 1, at 3 p.m. inside the Erwin Events Center. OSU is 17-1 overall, 6-0 in league play after a 68-55 win over Iowa State Wednesday night in Stillwater. Texas is 13-3, 4-1 in Big 12 Conference action after a 90-87 loss at the hands of Kansas Monday night in Lawrence.

Rankings
Oklahoma State is ranked ninth in the latest Associated Press poll, and 11th in the most recent USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll. The Cowboys have achieved the top spot in the Ratings Percentage Index according to Collegiate Basketball News. The Longhorns are ranked third nationally in both the Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN Coaches polls, and have a No. 10 RPI ranking.

Top Spot in the RPI
With Arizona's loss to Stanford Thursday night, Oklahoma State has taken the top spot in the Collegiate Basketball News Men's Rating Percentage Index College Basketball Ratings. The Cowboys have an adjusted RPI of .6711, just 1/1000th of a point ahead of Georgia. Notre Dame is third, while Louisville and Arizona round out the top-five teams. From the Big 12, Oklahoma and Texas are both ranked in the top 10, garnering the eighth and 10th spots, respectively.

On Television
Saturday's game with Texas will be broadcast live by ESPN Regional, part of the Big 12 Conference's television package. Bill Doleman will handle the play-by-play duties, while Reid Gettys will provide expert analysis. The game can be seen in Oklahoma City and Stillwater on KOCB-TV 34 or in Tulsa on KJRH Channel 2.

Last Time Out For OSU
Victor Williams scored 18 points, including 11 in the second half, as the Cowboys struggled to a 13-point win over the Iowa State Cyclones Wednesday night in Stillwater. Tony Allen added 15, while Melvin Sanders chipped in 12. Andre Williams had a team-high 10 rebounds, but the Cowboy interior stuggled against ISU's three players taller than 6-9. Sanders did limit the Cyclones' top scorer, Jake Sullivan, to just six points on 1-of-10 shooting from the floor. Oklahoma State shot just 45.1 percent from the floor, but limited ISU to 38.2 percent. The Cowboys also made a season-high 34 trips to the free-throw line.

About Texas
The Texas Longhorns are 13-3 overall and 4-1 in league play. The only blemish on their record was the thrilling 90-87 loss in Lawrence Monday night. UT is led by sophomore sensation T.J. Ford, who is averaging 14.6 points and 7.3 assists per game. Brandon Mouton is coming in with 13 points per contest, while James Thomas is scoring 10.3 points and pulling down 11.3 rebounds per game. Texas is averaging 79.4 points per game, and outrebounding its opponents by an average of eight boards per contest. The Longhorns only other losses were at top-ranked Arizona and vs. Notre Dame.

Last Time Out for UT
T.J. Ford had 25 points and 10 assists, while Brian Boddicker added 20 for the Longhorns, but it wasn't enough to overcome a 24 point-23 rebound night by Nick Collison as Texas lost to Kansas, 90-87, in Lawrence. The only difference in the game was two additional field goals by the Jayhawks. The free throws were identical (20-of-28 for both teams), and UT made one more three pointer than KU. Kansas made two more shots from the floor on two less attempts, shooting 471. percent from the floor compared to 42.9 percent for the `Horns. Texas turned the ball over 15 times, compared to 12 for the `Hawks.

Series With UT: Almost Even
With Oklahoma State's 85-80 win over Texas last year in Austin, it not only broke a five-game losing streak at the hands of the `Horns, but it also gave Coach Eddie Sutton his 700th career victory. Texas leads the all-time series by a 30-28 margin but, since Big 12 play began in the 1996-97 season, the series is more lopsided. UT is 11-4 vs. the Cowboys since the formation of the Big 12. Texas also leads the series in Austin, 16-10. A complete look at the series can be found on page 4-61 of the 2002-03 Oklahoma State Men's Basketball Media Guide.

Sutton ties Haskins on Coaching List
Wednesday night's victory over Iowa State had more significance than just extending the Cowboys overall and home win streaks. It also tied Coach Eddie Sutton with Don Haskins for 13th place on the all-time career victories list. Haskins, who had 719 wins all at Texas-El Paso, played his collegiate basketball at Oklahoma A&M under legendary coach Mr. Iba. The Miners coach for 38 years had a 719-353 career record. Coach Sutton, in his 33rd season overall, is 719-279. Include that with Mr. Iba's 767 career wins, and that's three coaches with OSU ties that have a combined 2,205 career victories.

Coach Sutton vs. the `Horns
Coach Eddie Sutton is 25-17 all-time vs. the Texas Longhorns, but just 4-11 since arriving at Oklahoma State, all in the Big 12 era. He was 1-0 vs. UT while at Creighton, and 20-6 vs. Texas at Arkansas.

OSU Tops Longest Win Streaks
Oklahoma State's current 15-game win streak is currently the longest in the country. The Cowboys will look to extend that streak on Saturday at Texas. Here is a look at the top-five active winning strings:

Rk    Team               Streak  Next Game (Date)
1.    Oklahoma State       15    at Texas (Feb. 1)
2.    Louisville           14    vs. Indiana (Feb. 1)
3.    Florida              13    vs. Arkansas (Feb. 1)
4.    Stephen F. Austin    12    at Northwestern State (Feb. 1)
5.    Manhattan            11    at Niagara (Jan. 31)

And Then There Were Three
With Arizona losing to Stanford Thursday night, that leaves just three teams that can boast having lost just one game this season. Oklahoma State has the best record in NCAA Division I at 17-1. Pittsburgh and Louisville are both close behind at 15-1. Six teams in Division I have just two losses.

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 18 games, OSU is allowing just 59.6 points per game (second-best in the Big 12) and has allowed an opponent to score in the 70s just twice this season. OSU is allowing its opponents to shoot just 37.6 percent from the floor, best in the conference. On the defensive glass, OSU is outrebounding its opponents by an average of 10 boards per game. OSU is also averaging 9.83 steals per game (second in the Big 12 behind Kansas' 10.32) and 5.6 blocks per contest (tied for second in the league with Colorado behind Iowa State's 6.7).

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. For the season, OSU is the only team to have four players ranked in the Big 12's top 30 scorers. Tony Allen ranks 14th at 16.2 points per game, while Victor Williams is 18th at 14.4 points per contest. Melvin Sanders is 22nd at 13.4 ppg, and Ivan McFarlin is 28th, averaging 11.7 points per contest. Four other schools have three players ranked in the top 30 individually. In Big 12 Conference games, Oklahoma State joins Kansas State and Texas as the only three 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.

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 14.4 points and 3.4 assists per game. He's second on the team in free-throw shooting, connecting on 73.6 percent of his shots. Vic has has 43 steals and 33 rebounds. He also likes the friendly confines of Gallagher-Iba Arena, leading the team in scoring in home games at 16.1 points per contest, and shooting 52.9 percent from the floor, including 46.3 percent from three-point range. Victor is averaging 18.9 points per game over the last seven contests.

Vic Hits Magical 1,000 Point Mark
With 24 points vs. Texas Tech, senior Victor Williams became the 24th player in school history to record 1,000 points in a career. He surpassed Brooks Thompson, who had 996 points in his two-year career. Vic needs just 16 points to move past K.C. Kincaide and into 23rd place on the scoring list. Victor has 1,251 points in his career at the Division I level, including 245 as a freshman at Illinois State.

Williams Reaches 400 Assists in Career
With four assists vs. Iowa State, Victor Williams has 297 dishes in his three-year career at Oklahoma State. That ranks him 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 400 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 61 assists this season, an average of 3.4 per game.

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 16.2 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 11 games, Allen has connected on 73-of-136 shots from the floor, or 53.7 percent, and averaged 17.8 points in the last eight. He has made at least one three pointer in 13 of OSU's 18 games, and is shooting 48.9 percent (22-of-45) 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 5.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.3 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.

Honors Again for Allen
Last week, Tony Allen stepped it up another notch for the Cowboys, performing admirably in two conference road wins. In the game against Baylor, he scored eight of the teams' final 14 points in regulation. With the Cowboys down by one, he then stole the ball and converted a three-point play with 39.6 seconds remaining. A Victor Williams free throw put OSU ahead by three, and Allen forced Terrance Thomas into an errant shot at the buzzer. After Texas Tech narrowed the game to 65-64 with 3:09 remaining, Tony scored six-straight points and eight of OSU's final 14 for the 79-70 victory. For his efforts, Allen was named the Big 12 Conference's Rookie of the Week for the second time in three weeks, and was also named the ESPN.com Player of the Week.

Tony Steps up his Game in League Road Games
So far in conference play, Tony Allen has stepped up his game, especially on the road. In three home Big 12 games, Tony is averaging just 11 points per game, marred mostly by a seven-point performance against Missouri. However, in league road games, he is averaging over 22 points per game, and shooting 58.7 percent from the floor. He's also averaging better than seven rebounds per road contest, as well as four steals and nearly three assists.

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 two weeks ago, when in two games, Melvin stopped two of the top-12 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 was averaging 17.3 points per game, to a season-low 10. Against Baylor, Kenny Taylor scored just seven points, six below his season average, on 2-of-8 shooting. And most recently, ISU's Jake Sullivan was just 1-of-10 from the floor, finishing with six points and none in the final 35 minutes of the game. Sanders was the primary defensive player on all of them.

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 61.5 shooting percentage from the floor. He is averaging just under 12 points and eight rebounds per contest, including 60 boards on the offensive glass.

A Trio of Thieves
Oklahoma State has 177 steals this season, led by Victor Williams' 43, and Tony Allen's 41, while Melvin Sanders has 31. Those three Cowboys rank second, third and eighth, respectively, in the Big 12 in steals per game. Kansas is the only other school in the league that has two in the Top Eight. As a team, OSU is second in the league, averaging 9.83 thefts per contest.

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 100 blocked shots as a team, an average of 5.56 per game and the second-most in the Big 12 Conference behind Iowa State and tied with Colorado.

Williams Ranks Among Elite Shot Blockers
With three blocked shots vs. Iowa State, senior forward Andre Williams now has 177 career blocks, and is in fourth place on the school career blocked shots list. He leads the team with 49 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 (2.9 blocks per game).

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 seven more starts to tie Bryant Reeves, who started 87 consecutive contests from 1993-95, and eight starts to tie Darwyn Alexander. Ten 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 287-115 in his 13 years at Oklahoma State.

Sutton Nears 1,000th Career Game
Oklahoma State Coach Eddie Sutton has coached in 998 career Division I games, the fourth most by an active coach. He is just two games away from his 1,000th game, and will coach that game on next Wednesday 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.

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 first nationally. OSU has a highly ranked field-goal percentage defense, coming in at fifth nationally. Oklahoma State's scoring margin ranks 13th, while scoring defense ranks 14th, and blocks per game rank 15th. Offensively, OSU's field-goal percentage ranks 26th. Senior forward Andre Williams is the only individual in the rankings, as he ranks 14th in blocked shots per game. These rankings are as of Tuesday, Jan. 28.

Miscellaneous Notes
OSU's 17-1 record is the best since a 20-0 mark in 1991-92 ... The Cowboys' 6-0 record in league play is the best start since 1964-65, when Oklahoma State also started 6-0, and ties for the ninth best conference start in school history ... 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 (76.3 percent) than at home (57.4 percent) ... Oklahoma State has 55 dunks this season, led by Melvin Sanders' 17 ... OSU has taken 11 charges in 18 games, led by Ivan McFarlin's four ... Oklahoma State has won 16-straight home games, dating back to last season, the 10th-longest streak in the nation.

Oklahoma State University Athletics

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