Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Prep for Arkansas State
July 24, 2003 | Cowboy Basketball
Tuesday's Game
Oklahoma State, one of 11 undefeated teams in the country, looks to finish its home non-conference season unbeaten for the 10th straight year when the Cowboys play host to Arkansas State in Tuesday's game. A victory would put OSU's record at 9-0 and equal the fourth-best start in school history. Please note the unusual 6:05 p.m. start time.
OSU-ASU: The Series
Tuesday's game marks the third consecutive year in which OSU and Arkansas State have met on Dec. 23. The Cowboys own a 7-2 series advantage and had won six straight until the Indians upset OSU 56-53 last year in Jonesboro, Ark. The teams have met in Gallagher-Iba Arena six times, with OSU victorious in every Stillwater meeting.
Pos.No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. PPG RPG Notes F 34 Desmond Mason 6-6 207 So. 17.6 8.3 *20 of career-high 25 points in second half vs. Arizona State C 31 Brett Robisch 6-11 255 Sr. 13.9 8.3 *Two straight games with career-high 13 rebounds G 20 Adrian Peterson 6-4 197 Jr. 15.3 7.4 *Current rpg better than his highest one-game total in last 2 years G 35 Joe Adkins 6-2 185 So. 10.6 4.0 *11 points in second half against Washington G 44 Doug Gottlieb 6-1 190 So. 4.9 2.5 *Third in the nation with 8.1 assists per game
Probable Arkansas State Starters
Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. PPG RPG F 21 Jabari Myles 6-6 230 Sr. 10.6 7.8 F 45 Eric Beatty 6-8 225 Jr. 6.2 4.4 G 4 Antonio Harvey 6-4 180 Jr. 16.3 3.9 G 10 Micah Marsh 6-0 170 Sr. 15.9 2.4 G 11 Chico Fletcher 5-6 160 So. 12.4 3.6
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 595-234 (71.8 percent) overall and is 165-70 (70.2 percent) at OSU. Only three coaches - Dean Smith, John Wooden and Bobby Knight - won more games in their first 27 years than Coach Sutton.
About the Indians
Arkansas State is 6-3 and riding a four-game winning streak after Friday's 114-90 victory over Cal Poly-SLO. The Indians got 34 points from Antonio Harvey, who is now their leading scorer at 16.3 points per game. Arkansas State picked up an important road victory on Dec. 14, winning at Hawaii; the Indians have played one other Big 12 team this year, losing 73-68 at Baylor.
Streak continues as Cowboys open season
It's been almost 11 years since Oklahoma State lost a home game to a non-conference opponent, and the Cowboys' streak is now the fifth-longest in Division I history. OSU's 77-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 56 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.
Revenge three times over?
OSU played three regularly scheduled road non-conference games last year and lost all three, falling to Arizona State, Arkansas State and Oral Roberts. This season, the Cowboys have earned a measure of revenge against two of those three teams as OSU defeated ORU and Arizona State earlier this season. Oklahoma State gets its chance at the third team, Arkansas State, in Tuesday's game.
Nice November, tough December
The Cowboys' schedule has turned up a notch in December with a number of tough foes on the slate. The combined record of OSU's November opponents is 7-26 (through Sunday), and their average rank in the Sagarin ratings is 224th. The Cowboys' December foes, though, have a combined 37-18 record, and their average rank is 87th.
Cowboys recover from slow start to top Tigers
OSU was held to its worst field goal percentage since the 1995-96 season, but the Cowboys managed to squeak out a 60-58 victory over Jackson State on Saturday. OSU shot just 33.3 percent from the field - 29.2 percent in the first half - and watched Tiger guard Michael Hall score 25 second-half points to almost single-handedly keep his team in the game. But OSU hit a season-high 24 free throws and out-rebounded JSU 40-30 to earn the win.
Robisch leads Cowboy scoring attack vs. ORU
Senior center Brett Robisch hit 10 of 17 field goal attempts to score a season-high 22 points in the victory over Oral Roberts. Robisch also pulled down eight rebounds in the game, which marked the second 20-point contest of his career. Robisch pulled down a career-high 13 rebounds in addition to scoring 16 points in the victories over Arizona State and Jackson State. He currently ranks 15th in the Big 12 in scoring (13.9 ppg) and ninth in rebounding (8.3 rpg).
Peterson adds rebounding to familiar scoring touch
Junior guard Adrian 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. Peterson pulled down a career-high 11 rebounds against Arizona State, and he had 10 against Jackson State to record the second double-double of his season and career. Peterson's career rebounding high (seven) prior to this year is below his current average (7.4), which ranks 14th in the Big 12.
Cowboys run away from ASU in second half
Down 17 points with 3:09 remaining in the first half, OSU scored the last eight points of the period and went on a 22-5 run to open the second half as the Cowboys defeated Arizona State 79-68 in Oklahoma City on Dec. 10. OSU shot 37.9 percent from the floor in the first half while ASU hit 56.7 percent, but the Cowboys shot 51.4 percent in the second half and held the Sun Devils to 36.4 percent. OSU out-scored Arizona State 60-32 over the game's final 23 minutes.
Mason's super sophomore season continues
Sophomore forward Desmond Mason, already having an outstanding start to his second season, turned in his top scoring performance of the year in the victory over Arizona State. Mason scored 20 of his career-high 25 points in the second half to lead the Cowboys' comeback. Mason's career scoring high after his freshman year was 11 points, but this year, he has topped that number in all but one game. Twenty-one of his 56 field goals (37.5 percent) have been dunks, and Mason has recorded two double-doubles this season. He currently leads the Cowboys in scoring (17.6 ppg, fifth in the Big 12) and rebounding (8.3 rpg, ninth in the league) and has scored 20 or more points in three of the past five games.
Gottlieb passes his way into the record books
Sophomore transfer Doug Gottlieb, who joined OSU this season after spending his freshman year at Notre Dame two seasons ago, has shown early in the season that he will provide the element the Cowboys missed last year - a true point guard. Gottlieb has 65 assists and just 20 turnovers, a 3.25 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. He had 10 assists against Oral Roberts and 11 against Washington, becoming the first OSU player to record double-figure assist totals in three consecutive games. Gottlieb is now third in the nation with an 8.1 assists-per-game average.
Inside the numbers
Here's a look at how OSU and Arkansas State compare statistically (number in parentheses represents OSU's Big 12 rank):
OSU ASU
Record 8-0 (1) 6-3
Scoring Offense 82.4 (5) 71.7
Scoring Defense 64.6 (4) 69.1
Scoring Margin +17.8 (2) +2.6
Field Goal Pct. 50.2 (2) 42.7
Field Goal Pct. Defense 40.9 (6) 42.1
Free Throw Pct. 65.9 (6) 68.4
Rebound Margin +9.4 (3) -3.9
Three-Point FG Pct. 26.8 (12) 42.2
Three-Pointers Per Game 3.8 (12) 8.4
Turnover Margin +2.9 (2) +1.7
Peterson moves up OSU scoring charts
Peterson was OSU's leading scorer a year ago, and he is currently second on the team this season. "Pete," an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection a year ago, already ranks 27th in career scoring at OSU and is tied with Sean Sutton for fourth in school history in three-pointers made. At his current scoring pace (15.4 ppg), Peterson would become OSU's 20th 1,000-point scorer in OSU's Jan. 26 game at Oklahoma.
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. But if the first eight games of this season are any indication, that trend is changing drastically, with OSU averaging 82.4 points per game despite a season-low 60 on Saturday. In defeating Texas-Pan American 103-71 in the season opener, the Cowboys topped 100 points for the first time since the 1995 squad defeated Alaska-Anchorage 112-72 on Jan. 2, 1995. The Cowboys have already had as many 80-point games this season (four) as they had in all 32 games last year.
Home, sweet home, sweet home, sweet home...
Oklahoma State recently concluded a six-game homestand, the longest in Gallagher-Iba Arena history. OSU played seven consecutive home games during the 1920-21 season, 18 years before moving into its current building. The Cowboys will have played nine games this season before competing in a road contest, the longest such streak since the 1938-39 season began with 11 non-road games (five neutral, six home).
Looking ahead
OSU hits the road for the first time Dec. 30 to face Billy Tubbs' talented and 25th-ranked TCU club. The Cowboys will then begin Big 12 play with a game at Texas A&M on Jan. 3. OSU's next home game will be Jan. 7, when the Cowboys play host to Nebraska.
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.
Head Coach Eddie Sutton
Eddie Sutton (Oklahoma State, 1958) has coached for seven-plus years at his alma mater with a 165-70 record at the school as well as a 595-234 overall mark in his 28th year of collegiate coaching. Sutton finished the 1996-97 season ranked ninth in total victories and 18th in winning percentage among active Division I coaches with at least 10 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 their first 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) 165-70 .702 59-39 10-5
Totals 28th year (829 games) 595-234 .718 246-98 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 8-0 6th-best start in OSU history
Postgame procedure
The Oklahoma State locker room is closed to the media. However, selected OSU players and head coach Eddie Sutton will be brought to the sports information office for postgame interviews. If you have any questions, please contact OSU coordinator of media relations Will Hancock.
On the Air
Tuesday'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. Due to a conflict with the Alamo Bowl, the Cowboys' Dec. 30 game at TCU will not be broadcast on the Cowboy Radio Network. Instead, Dallas Cowboys play-by-play voice David Garrett will provide frequent extensive updates during Dirato and Teegins' football broadcast.
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 (RPI rankings have not yet been released):
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
Here's how some of OSU's opponents stack up in the current rankings:
Team AP USAT Sag. RPI Arkansas State --- --- 121 201 Baylor --- --- 148 125 Colorado --- --- 201 156 Iowa State --- --- 159 218 Kansas 2 3 3 8 Kansas State (42)--- 75 132 Missouri --- --- 114 82 Nebraska --- --- 48 28 Oklahoma --- --- 138 182 TCU 25 25 16 144 Texas --- --- 101 123 Texas A&M --- --- 135 164 Texas Tech --- --- 112 91 Big 12* 8 9 * - Ranked among the nation's 31 conferences.
The Record Books
Career Scoring
1. Byron Houston, 1989-92 2,379
25. Clayton Carter, 1954-56 939
26. James King, 1963-65 888
27. Adrian Peterson, 1996-Present 875
Career Three-Pointers Made
1. Randy Rutherford, 1993-4-5 279
4. Adrian Peterson, 1996-7-Pres. 108
Sean Sutton, 1991-2 108
8. John Potter, 1990-91 91
9. Chad Alexander, 1995-6-7-Pres. 69
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
5. Matt Clark, 1979-81-2-3 3
Doug Gottlieb, Present 3
Current Big 12 Standings
through Dec. 21 Big 12 All Games
W L Pct. W L Pct.
Kansas St. 0 0 ---- 8 0 1.000
Oklahoma St. 0 0 ---- 8 0 1.000
Kansas 0 0 ---- 13 1 .929
Nebraska 0 0 ---- 8 2 .800
Texas A&M 0 0 ---- 6 3 .667
Oklahoma 0 0 ---- 6 4 .600
Iowa State 0 0 ---- 5 4 .556
Missouri 0 0 ---- 5 4 .556
Texas 0 0 ---- 5 5 .500
Colorado 0 0 ---- 4 4 .500
Texas Tech 0 0 ---- 4 4 .500
Baylor 0 0 ---- 4 5 .444
Iowa State in Puerto Rico Classic
Home non-league streaks
Active streaks
School No. Next home game
Oklahoma State 77 Arkansas St. 12/23
Maryland 56 N.C.-Asheville 12/22
North Carolina 47 B. Cookman 12/29
Kentucky 38 American 12/23
Washington St. 32 Idaho 12/22
All-time streaks
School No. Years
UCLA 97 1966-77
Duke 95 1983-95
Marquette 81 1967-73
DePaul 81 1942-56
Oklahoma State 77 1987-Present
Best OSU Season Starts
Year Start Finish
1991-92 20-0 28-8
1950-51 16-0 29-6
1914-15 10-0 10-4
1969-70 9-0 14-12
1936-37 9-0 20-3
1997-98 8-0 ---
1937-38 8-0 25-3
Player Notes:
#35 * Joe Adkins
6-2 * 185 * So. * G
Team-high 17 points and career-best six steals vs. Southern Utah ... six steals ties for fifth-best in school history ... tied for fourth in the Big 12 with 2.3 steals per game ... 24 points (5 of 6 from three-point range) in exhibition opener against the California All-Stars ... 16 points, 12 of which came in the second half, against Creighton ... 13 points, five rebounds, five assists, three steals vs. North Texas 14 points, 11 in the second half, against Washington, including a key stretch in which he scored six straight OSU points.
#12 * Chad Alexander
6-3 * 193 * Sr. * G
The only remaining letterwinner from OSU's 1995 Final Four team ... season-high nine points against Jackson State ... hit both his three-point attempts and all three of his foul shots vs. JSU ... scored eight points and pulled down five rebounds after coming off the bench against Texas-Pan American ... seven points and a key second-half three-pointer against Washington one of seven Cowboys in double figures in the exhibition victory over Buducnost, hitting 3 of 7 three-point attempts.
#44 * Doug Gottlieb
6-1 * 190 * So. * G
Third in the nation with 8.1 assists per game 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 sixth to record three 10-assist games in a career ... pulled down a career-high five rebounds against UTPA and again vs. Southern Utah ... second in the Big 12 with a 3.25 assist/turnover ratio.
#33 * Michael Johnson
6-7 * 220 * Fr. * F
OSU's only true freshman in 1997-98 ... has seen action in four 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 rebounds, hitting all five of his field goal attempts, against North Texas ... career highs of three rebounds and seven free throws against Southern Utah ... played 18 minutes vs. UNT and vs. Washington, his most substantial playing time this year ... 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 the basket that gave OSU the lead for good), 11 rebounds against Oral Roberts for his second double-double ... 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 ... 21 of his 56 field goals (37.5 percent) have come on dunks, including six dunks vs. UTPA ... scored 32 points against Buducnost ... has been one of OSU's top defensive players, holding ORU's Rocky Walls to two points and Creighton's Rodney Buford to 6-for-19 shooting.
#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 OSUfrom 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 ... 13 points, career-high 11 rebounds vs. Arizona State ... fifth in the Big 12 in free throw percentage (81.3) ... has three double-doubles this season after having none in his first two years ... has nearly doubled his rebounding output, now averaging 7.4 boards per game after his previous career average had been 3.2 rpg ... 14 points, seven rebounds against Washington ... 27th in career scoring (875) and tied for fourth in career three-pointers (106) despite being only eight games into his junior year.
#31 * Brett Robisch
6-11 * 255 * Sr. * F/C
16 points, career-high 13 rebounds against Arizona State and again vs. Jackson State ... 12 points, 10 rebounds in victory over Texas-Pan American ... ninth in the Big 12 in rebounding (8.3 rpg) and third in offensive rebounds (4.5) after pulling down 10 vs. Arizona State and eight vs. Jackson State ... averaged 12.4 points, 7.5 rebounds over the second half of 1996-97 after joining the Cowboys in mid-December ... has started 35 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 ... 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.
#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 three games (also had a first-half exhibition stint against Buducnost), scoring two points against Texas-Pan American.
#45 * Alex Webber
6-10 * 257 * So. * F
Eight points (4 for 4 shooting), four rebounds and two steals vs. Arizona State ... 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.
