Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Prepare for Baylor
July 24, 2003 | Cowboy Basketball
Saturday's Game
Oklahoma State will try to give head coach Eddie Sutton the 600th victory of his career when the Cowboys visit red-hot Baylor in a crucial Big 12 game Saturday. The 25th-ranked Cowboys, 2-2 in league action after Wednesday's loss at Missouri, will try to avoid falling below the .500 mark in conference play.
OSU-Baylor: The Series
The Cowboys own a 28-10 advantage in the all-time series, winning six of the last eight meetings, but haven't won in Waco since 1975. OSU beat the Bears by double figures in Stillwater and in the Big 12 tournament last season, but Baylor earned a one-point win in Waco thanks to Brian Skinner's 31-point, 10-rebound performance.
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 599-236 (71.7 percent) overall and is 169-72 (70.1 percent) at OSU. Only three coaches - Dean Smith, John Wooden and Bobby Knight - won more games in their first 27 years than Coach Sutton.
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*................L 64-70 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)..............11:30 a.m. March 5-8 Big 12 Championship (Big 12 TV)..TBA * - Big 12 Conference games * - Game played in Oklahoma City
About the Bears
Although Baylor went just 5-5 in non-conference play, including losses to Lamar, Northwestern State and Nevada, the Bears are one of the Big 12's hottest teams. Riding a five-game winning streak, Baylor is one of three league unbeatens, thanks in large part to the play of center Brian Skinner, who is averaging 24.8 points and 8.5 rebounds in conference games. The Bears' five-game string includes road victories over Texas and Texas Tech.
Inside the numbers
Here's a look at how OSU and Baylor compare statistically (number in parentheses represents Big 12 rank):
All Games Big 12 Games OSU BU OSU BU Overall Record 12-2 (2) 9-5 (6) 2-2 (5) 4-0 (1) Scoring Offense 79.4 (5) 76.4 (8) 73.0 (7) 80.8 (2) Scoring Defense 66.1 (2) 73.0 (9) 66.3 (2) 71.3 (7) Scoring Margin +13.3 (3) +3.4 (7) +6.8 (5) +9.5 (3) Field Goal Pct. 48.5 (2) 42.3 (10) 45.4 (5) 44.7 (6) FG Pct. Defense 42.4 (8) 37.9 (1) 43.2 (7) 39.4 (2) Free Throw Pct. 66.9 (5) 59.6 (11) 71.2 (5) 67.5 (9) Rebound Margin +5.5 (4) -1.8 (10) -0.5 (9) +0.8 (5) 3-Point FG Pct. 30.0 (10) 33.5 (7) 34.8 (5) 35.3 (4) 3-Pointers Per Game 4.6 (9) 7.9 (2) 6.0 (4) 7.5 (2) Turnover Margin +2.6 (1) +0.1 (7) +1.5 (4) +0.5 (6)
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), through games of Jan. 11.
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 79.4 points per game and out-scoring its opponents by an average of 13.3 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).
OSU tries to reverse 1997's road blues
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 (50.8 percentoverall, 41.3 from three) than at home (48.2 percent overall, 26.5 percent from three).
Late Missouri free throw barrage dooms OSU comeback
OSU held Missouri without a field goal over the last 5:58, but the Tigers hit 12 of 14 free throws during that stretch to defeat the Cowboys 70-64 on Wednesday. OSU set season lows in free throws made and attempted, going 9 of 13, while the Tigers hit OSU opponent highs with their 25-for-33 performance. The Cowboys committed just three second-half turnovers but shot just 35.1 percent in the final period and were unable to get closer than a one-point deficit.
Peterson gets hot, nears career scoring milestone
Junior guard Adrian Peterson has averaged 15.5 points in OSU's four conference games - and that's just in the second half. Peterson scored 20 points in the second half against Nebraska, 12 against Texas Tech and 16 against Missouri as the Cowboys battled back from deficits in all three games. He tied a career high with 27 points at Missouri, hitting a season-best three three-pointers and draining 8 of 9 free throws. He needs just 12 points to become OSU's 20th 1,000-point scorer, and he would be the 13th OSU player to reach the mark in three seasons.
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 10 boards to go along with his 27 points against Missouri, and he has the first four 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 10th in the Big 12.
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 Jan. 10, 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 eight 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 10.5 rebounds in the last eight contests. Robisch leads OSU in rebounding (8.9 rpg, fourth in the Big 12) and is third on the team in scoring (14.2 ppg, 15th in the Big 12). He is second in the league in offensive rebounds per game (4.2).
Mason's super sophomore season continues
Sophomore forward Desmond Mason, in a mini-slump of late, returned to form in the past two games, posting double-doubles in each 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, 11th in the Big 12) and rebounding (8.1 rpg, sixth 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 of OSU'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 11.8 points and leading the team in three-pointers made (21), 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 atoned for those misses in the Tech 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 103 assists and just 34 turnovers, a 2.78 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 seven games he has hit 9 of 20 (45.0 percent). He has also recorded season scoring highs in two of those seven 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 in three-point percentage (37.6 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 fifth-ranked sophomore scorers in the Big 12, with Mason averaging 15.5 points and Adkins 11.8.
Individual Analysis: Cowboys vs. Bears
Here's a look at how OSU's current players have fared in past games against Baylor:
Name G-GS FG-A Pct. 3G-A Pct. FT-A Pct. RPG PPG Hi Pts. Adkins 3-0 3-9 .333 2-6 .333 2-2 1.000 1.3 3.3 5 Alexander 3-2 4-10 .400 4-8 .500 1-2 .500 2.3 4.3 12 Mason 3-1 8-21 .381 1-4 .250 3-3 1.000 2.7 6.7 10 Peterson 3-3 15-32 .469 6-12 .500 7-10 .700 4.3 14.3 26 B. Robisch 3-3 17-23 .739 0-0 --- 6-13 .462 6.3 13.3 15 Warner 2-0 1-1 1.000 1-1 1.000 0-0 --- 0.0 1.5 3
Looking ahead
The Cowboys are in the midst of a stretch that sees them play four of five games on the road. The only home appearance during that string comes Saturday, Jan. 24, when OSU plays host to Texas A&M. The Cowboys will then hit the road again to face Oklahoma on Jan. 26 on ESPN and Texas on Jan. 31.
Head Coach Eddie Sutton
Eddie Sutton (Oklahoma State, 1958) has coached for seven-plus years at his alma mater with a 169-72 record at the school as well as a 599-236 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 .701 62-42 10-5 Totals 28th year (835 games) 599-236 .717 249-101 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 12-2 3rd-best start in OSU history (11-0)
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.
Cowboy Radio Network
Saturday'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 two games away from the 600th broadcast of his OSU career.
Dirato and Teegins were unable to make the Cowboys' trip to Columbia on Wednesday due to icy weather in central Missouri. However, they were able to perform their game duties from Stillwater by watching the game on satellite TV in OSU's Educational Television Services building. Engineer Joe Riddle, on site in Columbia, combined the on-air commentary with the actual sounds of the game in Hearnes Center, and the broadcast proceeded without a hitch.
Television coverage
Saturday's game will be telecast on the Big 12 TV Network with Bill Doleman and Paul Splittorff providing commentary. The Big 12 TV Network, produced by ESPN Regional, includes channel four in Oklahoma City and channel two in Tulsa.
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 18. Royce Jeffries, 1987-8-9-90 1,032 19. K.C. Kincaide, 1973-4-5 1,021 20. Brooks Thompson, 1993-4 996 21. Adrian Peterson, 1996-7-Pres. 988 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. 116 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. 16 Big 12 All Games W L Pct. W L Pct. Kansas 4 0 1.000 20 2 .909 Oklahoma 4 0 1.000 13 4 .765 Baylor 4 0 1.000 9 5 .643 Nebraska 2 1 .667 11 5 .688 Oklahoma St. 2 2 .500 12 2 .857 Kansas St. 2 2 .500 11 3 .786 Missouri 2 2 .500 9 6 .600 Texas Tech 1 2 .333 7 6 .538 Iowa State 1 2 .333 8 8 .500 Colorado 0 3 .000 6 7 .462 Texas A&M 0 4 .000 6 8 .429 Texas 0 4 .000 6 9 .400 Around the Big 12 Wednesday, January 14 *Kansas 83, at Texas A&M 65 *at Missouri 70, Oklahoma State 64 *at Kansas State 77, Iowa State 59 Saturday, January 17 *Texas Tech at Texas, 12 p.m. *Texas A&M at Iowa State, 12:45 p.m. *Kansas State at Kansas, 1:05 p.m. *Oklahoma State at Baylor, 3 p.m. *Missouri at Colorado, 3 p.m. Sunday, January 18 *Oklahoma at Nebraska, 12 p.m. Monday, January 19 *Kansas at Missouri, 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, January 21 *Kansas State at Texas Tech, 7 p.m. *Iowa State at Oklahoma, 8 p.m. *Nebraska at Texas, 8 p.m. *Baylor at Colorado, 8 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-PresentStatistical Leaders
Here's a look at where the Cowboys rank among the Big 12's and NCAA's statistical leaders: Big 12 (All Games) Scoring 6. Adrian Peterson 16.8 11. Desmond Mason 15.5 15. Brett Robisch 14.2 26. Joe Adkins 11.8 Rebounding 4. Brett Robisch 8.9 6. Desmond Mason 8.1 10. Adrian Peterson 7.3 Field Goal Pct. 3. Desmond Mason .568 4. Brett Robisch .539 9. Adrian Peterson .450 Free Throw Pct. 4. Adrian Peterson .819 Assists 1. Doug Gottlieb 7.4 Steals 5. Desmond Mason 2.0 8. Joe Adkins 1.9 10. Doug Gottlieb 1.7 Adrian Peterson 1.7 Three-Point FG Pct. 15. Joe Adkins .304 Assist/Turnover Ratio 2. Doug Gottlieb 2.78 Offensive Rebounds 2. Brett Robisch 4.2 15. Adrian Peterson 2.6 Defensive Rebounds 5. Desmond Mason 5.5 9. Brett Robisch 4.6 Adrian Peterson 4.6 NCAA Individuals (through Jan. 14; provided by STATS, Inc.) Assists 5. Doug Gottlieb 7.4 NCAA Teams (through Jan. 12) 7. Winning Percentage .923 19. Field Goal Percentage 49.3#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 20 (45.0 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
Fifth in the nation with 7.4 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 2.78 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 seven 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 excellent 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 four) ... 25 of his 84 field goals (29.8 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 ... now has 13 20-point games, including a career-high-tying 27 against Missouri ... career-high 11 rebounds vs. Arizona State ... fourth in the Big 12 in free throw percentage (81.9) ... has four 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 ... 21st in career scoring (988) and fourth in career three-pointers (116) despite being only midway through his junior year.
#4 * Joe Phears
6-1 * 209 * Jr. * G
Joined the program Jan. 2 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 eight 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 ... fourth in the Big 12 in rebounding (8.9 rpg) and second in offensive rebounds (4.2) ... had 10 offensive boards vs. Arizona State and eight vs. Jackson State ... has started 41 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 Jan. 2 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.
