Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys host Northwestern State in Season Opener
November 20, 2003 | Cowboy Basketball
Oklahoma State (0-0) hosts
Northwestern State (0-0)
in the season opener
Friday, Nov. 21, 2003 • 7:05 p.m.
Gallagher-Iba Arena • Stillwater, Okla.
radio - Cowboy Radio Network • internet - okstate.com • TV - none
Oklahoma State Cowboys
Projected Starters (based on last game)
Name Ht. Wt. Yr. PPG RPG F 23 Ivan McFarlin 6-8 237 Sr. 12.0 5.5 F 33 Jason Miller 6-8 239 Sr. 4.0 7.0 G 15 John Lucas 5-11 152 Jr. 11.5 4.0 ^ G 20 Daniel Bobik 6-4 200 Jr. 17.0 2.5 ^ G 24 Tony Allen 6-4 205 Jr. 17.0 6.5 Off the Bench
Name Ht. Wt. Yr. PPG RPG C 4 Frans Steyn 7-2 289 Jr. 3.5 3.5 F 14 Joey Graham 6-7 217 Jr. 10.5 3.5 G 21 Stephen Graham 6-6 213 Jr. 8.0 4.5 G 25 Janavor Weatherspoon 6-1 165 Sr. 4.0 2.0 F 32 David Monds 6-7 220 Fr. 5.0 3.5 Northwestern State Demons
Projected Starters (based on last game)
Name Ht. Wt. Yr. PPG RPG F 2 Byron Allen 6-7 255 So. 3.0 4.0 F 30 Clifton Lee 6-7 210 So. 14.0 13.0 C 40 Alfonse Dyer 6-10 210 So. 3.5 3.0 G 3 Tyronn Mitchell 6-1 185 So. 10.5 3.5 G 23 Jermaine Wallace 6-3 195 So. 10.0 2.0 ^ denotes assists per game Cowboys open 96th season
Oklahoma State opens its 96th season on the hardwood this week as the Cowboys host Northwestern State on Friday, Nov. 21, at 7:05 p.m. inside Gallagher-Iba Arena. OSU was 2-0 in exhibition contests the last week with a 90-82 win over Athletes First last Wednesday and a 95-73 victory over EA Sports Southwest All-Stars Monday night. Northwestern State was 1-1 in exhibition games, defeating Ouachita Baptist, 73-57, before falling to Henderson State, 81-70. This will be the fifth meeting between OSU and NSU on the basketball court, with the Cowboys maintaining a 4-0 record in the previous four. Oklahoma State is 3-0 vs. the Demons in Stillwater.
Last Time Out
Junior Daniel Bobik scored a game-high 23 points on 8-of-10 shooting, including a perfect 5-of-5 from beyond the arc, as OSU defeated EA Sports, 95-73, Monday night. Three other Cowboys scored in double figures as Oklahoma State built a 29-point lead before the All-Stars cut into the final margin. Tony Allen scored 19 for the Pokes, while Joey Graham added 14 off the bench and Ivan McFarlin scored 10 on 5-of-6 shooting. Jason Miller grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds as OSU outboarded the visitors, 55-38. The Cowboys shot 50.7 percent from the floor while limiting EA Sports to just 33.3 percent. It was OSU’s 26th victory in 27 exhibition games under Sutton.
About Northwestern State
Northwestern State finished 1-1 in exhibition action over the past week, defeating Ouachita Baptist, 73-57, before falling to Henderson State, 81-70. The Demons are led by 6-7 forward Clifton Lee, who had 14 points and 13 rebounds in the game vs. Ouachita Baptist. Sophomore guard Tyronn Mitchell averaged 10.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and three assists per contest. Guard Jermaine Wallace also averaged double figures, chipping in 10 points per contest. As a team, the Demons outscored their two opponents by an average of 2.5 points per game, but were outrebounded by an average of 6.5 boards per contest. NSU shot 45.1 percent in the two games, but just 18.5 percent (5 of 27) from beyond the three-point arc.
Coming Up
On Wednesday, Nov. 26, Oklahoma State will host Colorado State at the Mabee Center in Tulsa on the ORU campus. Tickets are still available by contacting either the ORU or OSU ticket office (1-877-ALL-4-OSU). Tickets are $25.50 for the upper bowl and $28.50 for the lower bowl. Oklahoma State is 14-1 in the Mabee Center since Coach Sutton’s arrival in 1990, and the Rams were 19-14 a year ago, losing to Duke by 10 points in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. After Thanksgiving, OSU will host Pepperdine on Saturday, Nov. 29, at 7 p.m. in Gallagher-Iba Arena. Tickets are available for that game as well.
Non-Conference Record in Gallagher-Iba Arena
Oklahoma State will open the non-conference portion of its schedule this week when the Cowboys host Northwestern State. The Pokes are riding a current 28-game home non-conference winning streak that dates back to 1998. OSU has won 107 of its last 108 non-conference games held in Gallagher-Iba Arena since Jan. 7, 1987. The only loss during that span was an 83-81 loss to Florida Atlantic on Dec. 1, 1998, when the Cowboys were ranked 11th in the nation. That loss broke a string of 79-consecutive home non-league wins for OSU. Dating back to 1981, Oklahoma State is 136-7 (.951) in those types of games. The Cowboys have not allowed more than 66 points in their last 24 home non-conference contests.
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 63-9 (87.5 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, a 13-1 record in 2001-02 and an 11-2 finish last year.
Pokes Ranked in both Preseason Polls
For the sixth time in the Eddie Sutton Era, Oklahoma State opens the basketball season ranked in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 poll. The Cowboys were ranked 25th in the AP poll, and began the season ranked 24th in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll. OSU was one of five Big 12 teams ranked in the preseason polls. Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas are currently ranked in both polls, while Colorado and Texas Tech are receiving votes.
Bobik Gets Chance to Shine
Junior Daniel Bobik, who sat out last season after transferring from BYU, has finally gotten his chance to shine in the two exhibition contests. He scored 11 points against the Athletes First squad, all in the first period, and also dished out four assists. Against EA Sports, he scored a game-high 23 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the floor, including a perfect 5-of-5 from beyond the three-point line. He even had three blocked shots in that game. For the two exhibition contests, Bobik was 11-of-14 from the field, 6-of-7 from three-point range and 6-of-6 from the charity stripe. He had five assists, three blocks and three steals.
Allen Returns
Senior Tony Allen picked up this year right where he was last season. In two exhibiton games, he averaged 17 points and 6.5 rebounds per contest. He was 13-of-22 (.591) from the floor, and made 7-of-9 free throws. He also had four steals. That 17 points-per-game average came while playing just 21.5 minutes per contest. The 6-4 guard from Chicago was the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year last season, and received mention for the preseason All-Big 12 squads this year.
Grahams Don’t Disappoint
The duo of Joey and Stephen Graham had received a lot of high preseason expectations and, while neither started in OSU’s two exhibition contests, they have been holding their own. In the two preseason games, the twins scored 37 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and dished out seven assists. They played a combined 70 minutes.
Five Players Average in Double Figures
Oklahoma State had five players average in double-figure scoring during the two exhibition contests. Allen and Bobik led the squad, averaging 17 points per game, while senior Ivan McFarlin averaged 12 points per contest on 11-of-17 (.647 percent) shooting. John Lucas averaged 11.5 points, including four three pointers, and Joey Graham averaged 10.5 points per game. Overall, the Cowboys scored 185 points in two exhibition contests, an average of 92.5 points per game.
I-Mac Nearing 500 Rebounds
Cowboy senior Ivan McFarlin, who will in all likelihood regain a year of eligibility when he graduates in May, is just three boards shy of the 500 rebound mark in his career. He will become the 19th player in school history to achieve that mark, and a season resembling his first two would put him in the top 10 by season’s end.
Sutton Successful with Division I Transfers
Coach Eddie Sutton has long been known as a successful coach with the uncanny ability to bring out the best in his players. That has never been more evident than in his ability to take Division I transfers and transform them into productive players. Former players like Sean Sutton (transfer from Kentucky), Brooks Thompson (Texas A&M), Doug Gottlieb (Notre Dame) and Victor Williams (Illinois State). A total of 12 players from other schools have transferred to OSU in the Sutton Era prior to last season. This year’s roster includes five players that came to OSU after spending time at another Division I school. That includes Jason Miller (North Texas), Daniel Bobik (BYU), Joey and Stephen Graham (Central Florida), and John Lucas (Baylor).
