Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State-Syracuse Preview
March 22, 2003 | Cowboy Basketball
March 22, 2003
GAME: No. 6 Oklahoma State (22-9) vs. No. 3 Syracuse (25-5).
REGIONAL: East Regional, Second Round.
TIME: Sunday, 2:40 p.m. EST.
SITE: FleetCenter; Boston.
Third-seeded Syracuse hopes Carmelo Anthony and the rest of its freshmen continue to play like veterans when it faces No. 6 seed Oklahoma State in the second round of the East Regional.
The Orangemen posted a 76-65 win over Manhattan in the first round, thanks to 43 points from its first-year players. Anthony, considered by many to be the best freshman in the nation, led the way with 17 points and nine rebounds.
Part of Anthony's success was his ability to take advantage of the Jaspers' undersized front line, an advantage he may again have against the Cowboys. After missing several outside shots in the first half, Anthony decided to go into the low post to score, making four of his last five shots in the paint.
"I know now I have to start out the game from the inside," the 6-foot-8 Anthony said. "All day, everyone was telling me to take advantage of the height I had on them."
Oklahoma State will likely try to keep Anthony on the perimeter, as it also features a smaller lineup. Cowboys starting forwards Ivan McFarlin and Andre Williams both measure 6-foot-8, and the rest of the lineup consists of guards.
With three seniors and two juniors in the starting five, however, Oklahoma State figures to make up for a lack of size with experience. The current Cowboys' senior class is playing in the NCAA tournament for the fourth straight year, and coach Eddie Sutton is appearing in the tournament for the 24th time.
After losing in the first round the last two years, the Cowboys are determined to make a run in this year's tournament. Oklahoma State showed its experience in Friday's 77-63 win over Pennsylvania, scoring 12 of the game's final 14 points.
"We had a meeting before we took the floor and all the seniors said, 'We can't leave this program without giving coach Sutton a win,"' said Cowboys guard Victor Williams, who led the team with a career-high 29 points. "I could see it in everyone's eyes. Down the stretch, we just made everything happen."
Friday's win helped the Cowboys break out of a slump that saw them lose four of their final five games in the regular season. That skid cost Oklahoma State a high seed in the tournament, despite winning 10 of its first 12 Big 12 conference games.
"We were making too many mistakes," Sutton said. "We didn't play very well the last month of the year."
Syracuse and Oklahoma State have split two all-time meetings. The Cowboys won the last game between the teams, 69-61 in the first round of the 1999 NCAA tournament.
PROBABLE STARTERS:
Oklahoma State - F McFarlin, F Andre Williams, G Melvin Sanders, G Allen, G Victor Williams.
Syracuse - F Anthony, F Hakim Warrick, C Craig Forth, G Queth Duany, G Gerry McNamara
TEAM LEADERS:
Oklahoma State - Victor Williams, 15.2 ppg; McFarlin, 7.6 rpg; Cheyne Gadson, 3.2 apg.
Syracuse - Anthony, 22.7 ppg and 10.0 rpg; McNamara, 4.6 apg.
HOW THEY GOT HERE:
Oklahoma State - At-large bid, Big 12; beat Pennsylvania 77-63, first round.
Syracuse - At-large bid, Big East; beat Manhattan 75-65, first round.
ALL-TIME TOURNAMENT RECORD:
Oklahoma State - 31-18, 19 years.
Syracuse - 41-28, 27 years.
