Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Hit Road to Play Missouri
April 09, 2003 | Cowboy Basketball
7 p.m. * Wednesday, Jan. 14, 1998 * Cowboy Radio Network Hearnes Center (13,300) * Columbia, Mo.
Wednesday's Game Oklahoma State will try to give head coach Eddie Sutton the 600th victory of his career when the Cowboys visit Missouri on Wednesday. The Cowboys are 12-1 following Saturday's dramatic come-from-behind victory over Texas Tech and have cracked into the AP Top 25 for the first time since 1995's Final Four season.
OSU-Missouri: The Series The Tigers own a 66-33 advantage in the all-time series, including 39-5 in Columbia. OSU has won the last two games, though, including last year's 68-67 win on Chad Alexander's buzzer-beater in Stillwater. OSU also won the last game played in Columbia, topping Mizzou 51-49 in the final regular-season game in 1996. That win snapped an 18-game losing streak in the Hearnes Center that had dated back to 1979.
OSU Head Coach Eddie Sutton Eddie Sutton (Oklahoma State, 1958) is in his eighth year at OSU and his 28th year of collegiate coaching. Under his guidance, OSU has advanced to the NCAA Tournament five times. Sutton currently owns a career record of 599-235 (71.8 percent) overall and is 169-71 (70.4 percent) at OSU. Only three coaches - Dean Smith, John Wooden and Bobby Knight - won more games in their first 27 years than Coach Sutton.
Probable Oklahoma State Starters Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. PPG RPG F 34 Desmond Mason 6-6 207 So. 15.5 7.8 11 points, 13 rebounds vs. Texas Tech C 31 Brett Robisch 6-11 255 Sr. 14.2 9.1 Double-doubles in five of last seven games G 20 Adrian Peterson 6-4 197 Jr. 16.0 7.1 Needs just 39 points for 1,000 in his career G 35 Joe Adkins 6-2 185 So. 12.5 3.4 Career-high 26 points at TCU G 44 Doug Gottlieb 6-1 190 So. 5.9 2.2 Leads Big 12 with 7.2 assists per game Probable Missouri Starters Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. PPG RPG F 24 Jeff Hafer 6-5 215 So. 6.5 3.2 F 33 Kelly Thames 6-8 218 Sr. 15.2 6.9 C 53 Monte Hardge 6-11 335 Jr. 5.4 4.8 G 21 Dibi Ray 5-10 167 Sr. 1.9 1.1 G 32 John Woods 6-3 202 Jr. 10.5 2.3
1997-98 OSU Schedule/Results Tuesday, Nov. 11 California All-Stars (Exh.) W 97-83 Saturday, Nov. 15 Texas-Pan American..........W 103-71 Tuesday, Nov. 18 Buducnost (Exh.)............W 114-52 Saturday, Nov. 22 Creighton...................W 86-70 Tuesday, Nov. 25 Southern Utah...............W 79-58 Saturday, Nov. 29 North Texas.................W 98-60 Tuesday, Dec. 2 Oral Roberts................W 73-66 Saturday, Dec. 6 Washington..................W 81-66 Wednesday, Dec. 10 vs. Arizona State†..........W 79-68 Saturday, Dec. 20 Jackson State...............W 60-58 Tuesday, Dec. 23 Arkansas State..............W 78-62 Tuesday, Dec. 30 at TCU (Ft. Worth Local)....W 82-81 Saturday, Jan. 3 at Texas A&M*...............W 100-65 Wednesday, Jan. 7 Nebraska*...................L 62-67 Saturday, Jan. 10 Texas Tech* (ESPN)..........W 66-63 Wednesday, Jan. 14 at Missouri*...................7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17 at Baylor* (Big 12 TV).........3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 24 Texas A&M*.................12:45 p.m. Monday, Jan. 26 at Oklahoma* (ESPN).........8:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 31 at Texas* (Big 12 TV)......12:45 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 3 Colorado*...................7:05 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7 Baylor* (Big 12 TV)........12:45 p.m. Monday, Feb. 9 at Iowa State* (ESPN2).........8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14 Oklahoma* (Big 12 TV)......12:45 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18 at Texas Tech*.................7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21 at Kansas State*............7:05 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 24 Texas* (Big 12 TV).............8 p.m. Sunday, March 1 Kansas* (ABC)...............2:30 p.m. March 5-8 Big 12 Championship (Big 12 TV)..TBA * - Big 12 Conference games † - Game played in Oklahoma City
About the Tigers Missouri has been a hard team to figure this season; the Tigers followed important victories over Illinois and Maryland with a 55-point loss at Kansas State, and that loss was followed by a 22-point rout over Texas. Kelly Thames is Mizzou's leading scorer at a 15.2 ppg clip and is joined in double-figure averages by Tyron Lee (12.9) and John Woods (10.5).
Inside the numbers Here's a look at how OSU and Missouri compare statistically (number in parentheses represents Big 12 rank):
All Games Big 12 Games OSU MU OSU MU Overall Record 12-1 (1) 8-6 (8) 2-1 (4) 1-2 (8) Scoring Offense 80.5 (5) 68.3 (11) 76.0 (5) 69.7 (8) Scoring Defense 65.8 (2) 72.0 (8) 65.0 (3) 85.0 (10) Scoring Margin +14.8 (2) -3.7 (12) +11.0 (3) -15.3 (9) Field Goal Pct. 49.3 (2) 41.2 (11) 47.7 (4) 40.5 (9) FG Pct. Defense 42.5 (8) 43.4 (10) 43.8 (8) 49.7 (10) Free Throw Pct. 66.8 (6) 72.2 (1) 71.7 (4) 73.5 (3) Rebound Margin +5.6 (5) -1.7 (10) -2.0 (9) -7.0 (11) 3-Point FG Pct. 29.7 (10) 37.6 (3) 36.2 (5) 39.6 (3) 3-Pointers Per Game 4.5 (10) 6.1 (6) 5.7 (6) 6.3 (3) Turnover Margin +3.1 (1) -1.5 (11) +3.0 (3) -2.0 (11)
Sutton nears victory No. 600 Cowboy coach Eddie Sutton needs just one victory for the 600th win of his career and just one home win for his 100th coaching victory in Gallagher-Iba Arena. The victory over Texas A&M was Sutton's 598th, moving him past one-time rival Abe Lemons into 21st place on the all-time list, and his 599th (against Texas Tech) moved him into 20th place all-time among primarily Division I coaches.
Assuming he crosses the 600-win plateau this season, he would be the 20th coach in Division I history to reach that mark, and he would be just the seventh coach to reach it in 28 years or less, joining Denny Crum, Bob Knight, Adolph Rupp, Dean Smith, Jerry Tarkanian and John Wooden.
Among active coaches, Sutton ranks 14th in winning percentage and ninth in victories. Only three active coaches (Crum, Knight and Tarkanian) rank ahead of Sutton in both victories and winning percentage. Sutton, who previously coached at Creighton, Arkansas and Kentucky, is the only coach in NCAA history to lead four different schools to the national tournament.
OSU earns top 25 ranking for first time in three years Despite suffering its first loss of the season last week, Oklahoma State earned a No. 25 national ranking in the current Associated Press poll. That rank is OSU's first appearance among the national leaders since the 1995 season, which led to a Final Four appearance. The Cowboys 27th in the extended USA Today/ESPN poll and are in the top 20 in both major computer rankings, the Sagarin ratings (No. 18) and the unofficial RPI (No. 17).
Cowboys getting the ball up the floor OSU averaged 69.4 points per game in 1996-97, making last season's team the lowest-scoring Cowboys in 20 years, and they were out-scored by their combined opponents for the first time since 1988. But this season, OSU is averaging 80.5 points per game and out-scoring its opponents by an average of 14.8 points. The Cowboys have reached the century mark in two games this season after failing to score 100 in each of the past two years. The Pokes have already had more 80-point games this season (six) than they had in all 32 games last year (four).
Last season's road blues appear to be a distant memory OSU tied a school record with 14 victories at home last year, but the Cowboys were just 1-12 on the road and lost their first nine games in unfriendly territory. That's obviously a trend OSU will hope to reverse in 1997-98, and signs are good after the Cowboys opened their road schedule with victories at TCU and at Texas A&M. OSU has already won as many games away from Gallagher-Iba Arena (three including neutral-site contests) as it did in 16 tries last season. Particularly from three-point range, the Cowboys are shooting much better on the road (57.4 percent overall, 47.2 from three) than at home (48.2 percent overall, 26.5 percent from three).
Cowboys rally late for victory over Texas Tech Joe Adkins' two free throws with 18.5 seconds remaining capped a 12-4 run to end the game as OSU came back to defeat Texas Tech on Saturday, 66-63. The Cowboys committed a season-low 12 turnovers and shot 55 percent from the field in the second half to earn the victory. Burned by the three-point shot (Tech hit 9 of 18) throughout the game, OSU made use of back-to-back conventional three-point plays by Doug Gottlieb and Desmond Mason to convert a five-point deficit into a one-point lead with under three minutes to play.
Robisch's consistently strong play continues Senior center Brett Robisch has recorded five double-doubles in the past seven games after his 17-point, 12-rebound game against Texas Tech. Robisch scored a season-high 23 points (hitting 11 of 15 field goals for the third 20-point game in his career) and led OSU in rebounding (10) at TCU, and he has averaged 15.0 points and 11.1 rebounds in the last seven contests. Robisch leads OSU in rebounding (9.1 rpg, third in the Big 12) and is third on the team in scoring (14.2 ppg, 16th in the Big 12). He also leads the league in offensive rebounds per game (4.4).
Nebraska surprises OSU in Pokes' home league opener The Cowboys, fresh off a school-record shooting performance at Texas A&M last Saturday, shot the second-worst percentage of the season on Wednesday and lost at home to Nebraska, 67-62. The Cowboys jumped out to an early 11-2 lead but then saw the Cornhuskers out-score them 26-14 over the remainder of the half. OSU held the lead at several different times in the second half but saw Nebraska hit over 60 percent of its second-period shots as the 'Huskers pulled off the upset victory.
Peterson strong in the second half Junior guard Adrian Peterson has averaged 15.3 points in the past three games - and that's just in the second half. Peterson scored 20 points in the second half against Nebraska and 12 against Texas Tech as the Cowboys battled back from deficits in both games. Peterson scored a season-high 25 points at Texas A&M, shooting 8 of 10 from the field (2 of 4 from three-point range) and 7 of 7 from the free throw line. He ranks 22nd in career scoring at OSU and is fourth in school history in three-pointers made. Peterson needs just 39 points to become OSU's 20th 1,000-point scorer. Peterson has been one of OSU's top scorers over his two-plus seasons at OSU, but he has added a new dimension to his game this season - rebounding. "Pete" pulled down a career-high 11 rebounds against Arizona State, and he has the first three double-doubles of his career this season. Peterson's career rebounding high (seven) prior to this year is below his current average (7.3), which ranks 12th in the Big 12.
Mason's super sophomore season continues Sophomore forward Desmond Mason, in a mini-slump of late, returned to form against Texas Tech, scoring 11 points and pulling down 13 rebounds after he had recorded a total of 12 boards in the previous three games. Mason scored OSU's first 11 points of the second half at Texas A&M and finished with 21. He is currently second on the team in scoring (15.5 ppg, 10th in the Big 12) and rebounding (7.8 rpg, seventh in the league).
Adkins' fast start leads to big game at TCU Sophomore guard Joe Adkins scored 12 of OSU's first 16 points against TCU on his way to a season-high 18 points - and that was just the first half ofOSU's 82-81 win Dec. 30. Adkins finished the game with a career-high 26 points, including a career-high four three-pointers, to lead the Cowboys in their road win. Averaging 12.5 points and leading the team in three-pointers made (20), he has made a remarkable improvement from his freshman season, when he averaged 3.8 points and hit just 18 threes all year. Ironically, Adkins, whose two free throws with 18 seconds left sealed the Texas Tech win, had gone to the line with the exact same score (64-63) late in last season's game at Tech and had missed both as OSU eventually lost; he atonedfor those misses in Saturday's game.
Gottlieb passes his way into the record books Sophomore guard Doug Gottlieb has so far this season provided the element the Cowboys missed last year - a true point guard. Gottlieb has 93 assists and just 34 turnovers, a 2.74 assist/turnover ratio (second in the Big 12), and he has shown an ability to beat a press on his own on the dribble. Gottlieb had a career-high 12 assists against North Texas, tying for the seventh-best single-game mark in school history, and he is the first OSU player to record double-figure assist totals in three consecutive games. After hitting the game-winning free throw at TCU, Gottlieb had a career-high scoring day at Texas A&M, tallying 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting.
Alexander records top scoring day of season Senior guard Chad Alexander has been known for his three-point shooting throughout his Cowboy career, but he struggled early this season. Through seven games, Alexander hit just 3 of 14 threes (21.4 percent), but in the past six games he has hit 9 of 17 (52.9 percent). He has also recorded season scoring highs in two of those six games, tallying nine points against Jackson State and 11 at Texas A&M. Alexander ranks ninth in school history in three-pointers made (76) and eighth in three-point percentage (38.2 percent).
Streak intact as OSU closes non-league home season OSU's home-court non-conference streak is now nearly 11 years old, and barring a postseason home loss, it will extend to the 1998-99 season. OSU's 78-game non-league win streak at Gallagher-Iba Arena is the longest such current streak in the country; Maryland has the second-longest streak at 58 games. The Cowboys' last non-conference loss in Gallagher-Iba was an 81-75 setback against Missouri Southern on Jan. 7, 1987, and the last Division I non-conference opponent to win in Stillwater was Tulsa in a 67-58 decision Dec. 21, 1985.
Cowboy frosh of 1997 are top sophs in 1998 Much was made of OSU's freshman class last season, and although three of the five freshmen suffered season-ending injuries, the remaining two - Adkins and Mason - showed promise, particularly at the end of the year. Both have played well as sophomores, and they are currently the second- and third-ranked sophomore scorers in the Big 12, with Mason averaging 15.5 points and Adkins 12.5.
Quarterbacks join Cowboys hoops roster Two backup quarterbacks on the OSU football team, junior Joe Phears and freshman B.J. Tiger, have been added to the Cowboy basketball roster. The pair joined practice after OSU's appearance in the Alamo Bowl. Phears completed all three of the passes he attempted in 1997, including a 50-yarder to Tony Lindsay; Tiger redshirted his freshman season.
Scott Robisch out at least four weeks Redshirt freshman forward Scott Robisch will miss at least four weeks with a stress fracture in his right femur, the Cowboys announced last week. The injury to Robisch's thigh developed in mid-December; he had missed OSU's games at TCU and Texas A&M with the ailment. Robisch has played in six games, averaging 3.8 points and 2.7 rebounds and hitting 63.6 percent of his field goal attempts.
Head Coach Eddie Sutton Eddie Sutton (Oklahoma State, 1958) has coached for seven-plus years at his alma mater with a 169-71 record at the school as well as a 599-235 overall mark in his 28th year of collegiate coaching. Sutton began the 1997-98 season ranked ninth in total victories and 15th in winning percentage among active Division I coaches with at least five years' experience. Under his guidance, OSU has advanced to postseason play in six of the last seven years and has won 17 games or more each season. Only three coaches - Bobby Knight, Dean Smith and John Wooden - won more games than Eddie Sutton in 27 years as head coaches.
Years School (No. of Years) Record Pct. Conf. NCAA 1970-74 Creighton (five) 82-50 .621 --- 2-1 1975-85 Arkansas (11) 260-75 .776 139-35 10-9 1986-89 Kentucky (four) 88-39 .693 48-24 5-3 1991-98 Oklahoma State (eighth) 169-71 .704 62-41 10-5 Totals 28th year (834 games) 599-235 .718 249-100 27-18 Sutton at Oklahoma State Year Record Conf./Finish NCAA Final AP Notes 1990-91 24-8 10-4/First 2-1 14th OSU's second Big 8 championship 1991-92 28-8 8-6/T-Second 2-1 11th Second straight Sweet 16 1992-93 20-9 8-6/T-Second 1-1 23rd Big Eight Coach of the Year 1993-94 24-10 10-4/Second 1-1 19th 1994-95 27-10 10-4/Second 4-1 14th Final Four/Nat'l Coach of the Year 1995-96 17-10 7-7/T-Fourth --- --- 1996-97 17-15 7-9/T-Sixth --- --- First career NIT appearance 1997-98 12-1 3rd-best start in OSU history (11-0)
Looking ahead OSU plays its first game on the Big 12 TV network when the Cowboys visit Baylor on Saturday in a 3 p.m. tipoff. The Cowboys then have a week off before playing host to Texas A&M at 12:45 p.m. Jan. 24.
Coaches vs. Cancer Cowboy coach Eddie Sutton is joining his NABC colleagues in participating in the Coaches vs. Cancer program this season. The Coaches vs. Cancer IKON Three-Point Attack is a fund-raising program that recruits fans to help fight cancer. Fans can contribute by making a one-time donation or by pledging any amount from $.01 to $10 or more for every three-point basket the Cowboys make during the season. For information, fans may call the Men's Basketball Office at 405-744-5845.
On the Air Wednesday's game will be broadcast on the OSU Radio Network with Tom Dirato and Bill Teegins providing commentary. Dirato and Teegins are in their seventh year as the Cowboys' basketball radio team, and Dirato is calling OSU men's basketball for the 21st season in 1997-98. While head coach Eddie Sutton is nearing his 600th career victory, Dirato is just three games away from the 600th broadcast of his OSU career.
Postgame procedure The Oklahoma State locker room is closed to the media. However, selected OSU players and head coach Eddie Sutton will be available for postgame interviews. If you have any questions, please contact OSU coordinator of athletic media relations Will Hancock.
National Rankings Here's a look at Oklahoma State's week-by-week appearance in the Associated Press and USA Today polls, Jeff Sagarin's basketball ratings and the unofficial RPI compiled by Jim Sukup:
Week AP USAT Sag. RPI Preseason (64) --- 48 Nov. 17 (61) 59 Nov. 24 (65) (60) 52 Dec. 1 (56) (44) 50 Dec. 8 (36) (45) 24 Dec. 15 (37) (45) 17 25 Dec. 22 (34) (34) 27 Dec. 29 (33) (32) 25 32 Jan. 5 (26) (28) 10 16 Jan. 12 25 (27) 18 17 Here's how the other Big 12 teams stack up in the current rankings: Team AP USAT Sag. RPI Jan. 12 25 (27) 18 17 Baylor --- --- 98 78 Colorado --- --- 192 141 Iowa State --- --- 136 114 Kansas 3 3 4 3 Kansas St. --- --- 81 101 Missouri --- --- 103 83 Nebraska --- --- 48 22 Oklahoma (37) (43) 83 76 Texas --- --- 123 112 Texas A&M --- --- 160 184 Texas Tech --- --- 90 90 Big 12* 7 6 * - Ranked among the nation's 31 conferences. The Record Books Career Scoring 1. Byron Houston, 1989-90-1-2 2,379 19. K.C. Kincaide, 1973-4-5 1,021 20. Brooks Thompson, 1993-4 996 21. Larry Hawk, 1963-4-5 970 22. Adrian Peterson, 1996-7-Pres. 961 Career Three-Pointers Made 1. Randy Rutherford, 1993-4-5 279 3. Corey Williams, 1989-90-1-2 118 4. Adrian Peterson, 1996-7-Pres. 113 8. John Potter, 1990-91 91 9. Chad Alexander, 1995-6-7-Pres. 76 Double-Figure Assist Games 1. Andre Owens, 1995-6 9 2. Eddie Hannon, 1981-2 5 Bill Self, 1982-3-4-5 5 4. Randy Wright, 1978-9-80-1 4 Doug Gottlieb, Present 4 Best OSU Season Starts Year Start Finish 1991-92 20-0 28-8 1950-51 16-0 29-6 1997-98 11-0 --- Current Big 12 Standings through Jan. 12 Big 12 All Games W L Pct. W L Pct. Oklahoma 4 0 1.000 13 4 .765 Kansas 3 0 1.000 19 2 .905 Baylor 3 0 1.000 8 5 .615 Oklahoma St. 2 1 .667 12 1 .923 Nebraska 2 1 .667 11 5 .688 Texas Tech 1 1 .500 7 5 .583 Iowa State 1 1 .500 8 7 .533 Kansas St. 1 2 .333 10 3 .769 Missouri 1 2 .333 8 6 .571 Colorado 0 3 .000 6 7 .462 Texas A&M 0 3 .000 6 7 .462 Texas 0 4 .000 6 9 .400 Around the Big 12 Saturday, January 10 *Kansas 102, at Texas 72 *Oklahoma 76, at Texas A&M 66 *at Iowa State 75, Missouri 62 *at Baylor 73, Kansas State 62 *at Oklahoma State 66, Texas Tech 63 Sunday, January 11 *at Nebraska 87, Colorado 72 Monday, January 12 *at Oklahoma 91, Texas 75 Tuesday, January 13 *Baylor at Texas Tech, 7 p.m. Wednesday, January 14 *Kansas at Texas A&M, 7 p.m. *Oklahoma State at Missouri, 7 p.m. *Iowa State at Kansas State, 7:05 p.m. Saturday, January 24 Iowa at Missouri, 11 a.m. *Texas A&M at Oklahoma St., 12:45 p.m. *Oklahoma at Baylor, 12:45 p.m. *Iowa State at Nebraska, 12:45 p.m. *Texas Tech at Kansas, 3 p.m. Texas at Fresno State, 3 p.m. Home non-league streaks Active streaks School No. Next home game Oklahoma State 78 Finished Maryland 58 Temple 2/28 North Carolina 47 Appalach. St. 1/17 Kentucky 39 Finished All-time streaks School No. Years UCLA 97 1966-77 Duke 95 1983-95 Marquette 81 1967-73 DePaul 81 1942-56 Oklahoma State 78 1987-Present Statistical Leaders Here's a look at where the Cowboys rank among the Big 12's and NCAA's statistical leaders: Big 12 (All Games through Jan. 11) Scoring 9. Adrian Peterson 16.0 10. Desmond Mason 15.5 16. Brett Robisch 14.2 22. Joe Adkins 12.5 Rebounding 3. Brett Robisch 9.1 7. Desmond Mason 7.8 12. Adrian Peterson 7.3 Field Goal Pct. 2. Desmond Mason .565 4. Brett Robisch .543 Free Throw Pct. 4. Adrian Peterson .811 11. Brett Robisch .723 15. Desmond Mason .655 Assists 1. Doug Gottlieb 7.2 Steals 6. Joe Adkins 1.9 Desmond Mason 1.9 10. Doug Gottlieb 1.8 Three-Point FG Pct. 15. Joe Adkins .323 Assist/Turnover Ratio 2. Doug Gottlieb 2.74 Offensive Rebounds 1. Brett Robisch 4.4 14. Desmond Mason 2.6 Adrian Peterson 2.6 Defensive Rebounds 4. Desmond Mason 5.2 9. Brett Robisch 4.7 13. Adrian Peterson 4.5 NCAA Individuals (through Jan. 11; provided by STATS, Inc.) Assists 7. Doug Gottlieb 7.2 NCAA Teams (through Jan. 5) 21. Scoring Offense 83.5 14. Scoring Margin 17.6 1. Winning Percentage 1.000 9. Field Goal Percentage 51.2
#35 * Joe Adkins 6-2 * 185 * So. * G Career-high 26 points, including 18 in the first half, against TCU ... hit a career-high four three-pointers against the Horned Frogs ... three more threes and 15 points at Texas A&M ... also tied a career high with six assists at Texas A&M while committing just one turnover ... 17 points and career-best six steals vs. Southern Utah ... six steals ties for fifth-best in school history ... also scored 17 against Arkansas State ... 16 points, 12 of which came in the second half, against Creighton ... 13 points, five rebounds, five assists, three steals vs. North Texas.
#12 * Chad Alexander 6-3 * 193 * Sr. * G The only remaining letterwinner from OSU's 1995 Final Four team ... season-high 11 points, hitting three three-pointers, at Texas A&M ... nine for last 17 (52.9 percent) from three-point range ... career-high-tying six rebounds vs. Nebraska ... nine points against Jackson State ... hit both his three-point attempts and all three of his foul shots vs. JSU ... ninth in school history in three-pointers made and eighth in three-point percentage.
#44 * Doug Gottlieb 6-1 * 190 * So. * G Seventh in the nation with 7.2 assists per game ... career-high 12 points at Texas A&M ... hit two three-pointers and scored 10 points against TCU, including the game-winning free throw with 8.9 seconds left · career-high 12 assists, the seventh-best mark in school history, against North Texas ... the first OSU player to record three straight double-figure assist games and just the fifth to record four 10-assist games in a career ... second in the Big 12 with a 2.74 assist/turnover ratio.
#33 * Michael Johnson 6-7 * 220 * Fr. * F OSU's only true freshman (excluding football player B.J. Tiger) in 1997-98 ... has seen action in six games, scoring four points vs. UTPA ... was called "Too Much in the Clutch" by the Kansas City Star during his senior year at Shawnee Mission (Kan.) East High School after he hit numerous buzzer-beating shots to win games or send them into overtime.
#25 * Estell Laster 6-2 * 172 * Fr.-RS * G Career-high 10 points, hitting all five of his field goal attempts, against North Texas ... career highs of three rebounds and seven free throws against Southern Utah ... scored just four points but had an important defensive performance against Texas Tech ... medical redshirt in 1996-97 after suffering a broken arm in the fourth game of the year ... showed promise in his small amount of action last year, scoring eight points in his one full regular-season effort and 10 in an exhibition.
#34 * Desmond Mason 6-6 * 207 * So. * F Career-high 25 points (20 in second half) against Arizona State ... 22 points, nine rebounds, three blocked shots and three steals vs. North Texas ... 21 points, including OSU's first 11 of the second half, at Texas A&M ... 14 points, eight rebounds, three blocked shots and a career-high four steals against Washington ... 16 points and career-high 14 rebounds against Creighton for the first double-double of his career (he now has three) ... 24 of his 78 field goals (30.8 percent) have come on dunks, including six dunks vs. UTPA ... second among Big 12 sophomores in scoring (15.5).
#30 * Brian Montonati 6-9 * 220 * So. * F Scored career-high 12 points, hitting 4 of 5 field goals and all four of his free throw attempts, against North Texas in just eight minutes of action ... 12 points and seven rebounds against Buducnost in 21 minutes of action ... hit 4 of 9 from the field and made all four of his free throw attempts ... scored four points in just five minutes of action against Texas-Pan American ... the Grand Rapids Free Press Player of the Year as a high school senior ... transferred to OSU from Fullerton (Calif.) College.
#20 * Adrian Peterson 6-4 * 197 * Jr. * G Began the season with his 10th career 20-point game, tallying 24 against Texas-Pan American ... picked up the 11th with 25 points at Texas A&M and the 12th with 20 (all in the second half) against Nebraska ... career-high 11 rebounds vs. Arizona State ... fourth in the Big 12 in free throw percentage (81.1) ... has three double-doubles this season after having none in his first two years ... has more than doubled his rebounding output, now averaging 7.3 boards per game after his previous career average had been 3.2 rpg ... 12 points, seven rebounds, three assists, five steals, no turnovers against Arkansas State ... 22nd in career scoring (967) and fourth in career three-pointers (113) despite being only midway through his junior year.
#4 * Joe Phears 6-1 * 209 * Jr. * G Joined the program last week after completing the season with the OSU football team ... number three quarterback who saw action in four games in 1997 for the Cowboys ... completed three of three passes for 55 yards, including a 50-yard pass to Tony Lindsay in the Missouri game ... lettered three years in basketball at Pomona (Calif.) HS.
#31 * Brett Robisch 6-11 * 255 * Sr. * F/C Five double-doubles in last seven games ... 23-point, 10-rebound effort vs. TCU ... 12 rebounds, team-high 17 points against Texas Tech ... 16 points, career-high 13 rebounds against Arizona State and again vs. Jackson State ... third in the Big 12 in rebounding (9.1 rpg) and first in offensive rebounds (4.4) ... after pulling down 10 offensive boards vs. Arizona State and eight vs. Jackson State ... has started 40 straight games - every contest since he officially joined the Cowboys in December 1996.
#40 * Scott Robisch 6-10 * 196 * Fr.-RS * F/C Career-high eight points in Texas-Pan American game ... out until February with a stress fracture in his right femur ... career-high six rebounds vs. North Texas ... 11 points (hitting all five of his FTs) and seven rebounds vs. Buducnost ... along with Brett, makes up first brother tandem at OSU since Dickey and Houston Nutt, who played in 1980 ... he and Brett are sons of former All-American Dave Robisch, who played at Kansas ... medical redshirt in 1996-97 with tendinitis and a broken hand.
#32 * B.J. Tiger 6-3 * 195 * Fr. * G Joined the program last week after redshirting his freshman season with the OSU football team ... played on both sides of the football at Booker T. Washington HS in Tulsa, passing for 1,785 yards and 18 touchdowns while throwing just nine interceptions as a quarterback ... all-state and all-district QB for Booker T.
#22 * Tommy Warner 6-0 * 162 * Sr. * G On scholarship for the first time in his career ... expects to graduate in May and is a hot prospect in area accounting firms ... has played in five games (also had a first-half exhibition stint against Buducnost), scoring two points against Texas-Pan American and one against Texas A&M.
#45 * Alex Webber 6-10 * 257 * So. * F Eight points (4 for 4 shooting), four rebounds and two steals vs. Arizona State ... seven points, all in the first half, against Texas A&M ... seven points and four rebounds against North Texas ... scoring total vs. the Sun Devils was his best since his 22-point outing against Mississippi Valley State last year ... one of OSU's most promising freshmen last season when a ruptured disk ended his season in mid-January ... had become one of only four OSU freshmen (including Peterson the year before) to start their debuts.
