Oklahoma State University Athletics
Pregame Release for Arizona State Game
July 24, 2003 | Cowboy Basketball
Oklahoma State plays its first game away from the friendly confines of Gallagher-Iba Arena on Wednesday when the Cowboys travel down I-35 to face Arizona State at the Myriad in Oklahoma City. OSU is 6-0 for the first time since 1991-92 and for just the second time since 1970.
OSU-ASU: The Series
The Cowboys will look for a measure of revenge in Wednesday's game, since the Sun Devils defeated OSU 68-67 in Tempe last year. Arizona State blocked 12 OSU shots in the game, and guard Eddie House scored 16 points to help ASU to the victory. OSU leads the series 4-3, having won all four of its home and neutral-site games; all three of Arizona State's wins came in Tempe.
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 593-234 (71.7 percent) overall and is 163-70 (70.0 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 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 7:05 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 20 Jackson State 2:05 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 23 Arkansas State 6:05 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 30 at TCU (Fox) 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 3 at Texas A&M* 2 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 7 Nebraska* 7:05 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 10 Texas Tech* (ESPN) 8:30 p.m. 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* 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. Thur.-Sun., March 5-8 Big 12 Championship (Big 12 TV) TBA * Ð Big 12 Conference games Ð Game to be played in Oklahoma City
About the Sun Devils
Picked by some prognosticators to finish near the bottom of the Pac-10, Arizona State has been one of the surprising teams in the country early in 1997-98. ASU was 10-20 in 1996-97 but has rebounded this season to reach the semifinals of the Preseason NIT, defeating Cincinnati on the road and taking Kansas to overtime. Jeremy Veal (21.3 ppg) leads four Sun Devils who average double figures in scoring.
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 76-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 55 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.
Nice November, tough December
The Cowboys' schedule turns up a notch in December with a number of tough foes on the slate. The combined record of OSU's November opponents is 4-20, and their average rank in the Sagarin ratings is 222nd. The Cowboys' December foes, though, have a combined 27-12 record, and their averge rank is 97th.
First-half effort carries Cowboys to victory
OSU held Washington under 30 percent in field goal percentage in the first half and coasted in the second to earn an 81-66 victory over the visiting Huskies on Saturday. The Cowboys opened up a 15-point halftime lead by forcing Washington into 15 first-half turnovers, and a balanced OSU scoring attack - three players led OSU with 14 points each - helped the Cowboys shoot 56.1 percent from the field in the game.
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 had 54 assists and just 14 turnovers in the first six games of the year, a 3.86 assist/turnover ratio, 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. Wednesday's game, in fact, features the nation's two best point guards in terms of assist average. According to STATS, Inc., Arizona State's Ahlon Lewis leads the nation with a 9.4 apg average; Gottlieb is second in the country at 9.0 apg.
Cowboys rally for emotional win
OSU went on a 23-5 run over the last 8:03 on Dec. 2 to come from behind for a thrilling 73-66 victory over Oral Roberts. The Cowboys trailed by as much as 13 points and saw ORU hit 11 of 20 three-point attempts, but OSU shot 50 percent from the field in the second half and hit a season-high 81.3 percent from the free throw line to earn a hard-fought win.
Mason continues brilliant sophomore season
In his sophomore season, Desmond Mason is living up to the billing that earned him Preseason Big 12 Freshman-of-the-Year honors in 1996-97. Mason leads OSU in scoring (17.7 ppg) and rebounding (8.7 rpg), and he recorded his second double-double of the season with a 21-point, 11-rebound performance against ORU. Mason's career scoring high was 11 points prior to this season, but he has topped that number in all six games so far, including a career-best 22-point outing against North Texas.
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. In addition to shooting 54.1 percent from the field, Robisch currently leads the Cowboys in free throw percentage (81.3).
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 10 boards against North Texas and, with 14 points, recorded the first double-double of his career. Averaging 3.2 rebounds coming into this season, Peterson has averaged 6.3 boards in OSU's first six games this year.
Big win gives reserves a chance to shine
OSU's 38-point victory over North Texas on Nov. 29 gave some Cowboys a chance for career-best performances. Sophomore forward Brian Montonati hit 4 of 5 fi eld goals and all four of his free throw attempts to score a career-best 12 points. In addition, redshirt freshman guard Estell Laster hit all five of his field goal attempts and scored a career-high 10 points. Sophomore forward Alex Webber also had his best performance of the year, scoring seven points and pulling down four rebounds.
Adkins continues to shine at home
Sophomore guard Joe Adkins set career scoring highs in each of OSU's last two home games a year ago, and he has continued that improvement into his second year. Adkins led OSU with 17 points against Southern Utah, and he scored 16 - 12 in the second half - in the 86-70 win against Creighton. He also collected a career-best six steals against Southern Utah, becoming the ninth player in school history to do so. Six steals ties for the fifth-best single-game mark on the OSU charts. Adkins hit 5 of 6 three-pointers and scored 24 points in the 97-83 exhibition win over the California All-Stars. In his last eight Gallagher-Iba Arena games, Adkins has averaged 13.4 points, well above his overall career average of 5.1 points per game.
Inside the numbers
Here's a look at how OSU and Arizona State compare statistically (number in parentheses represents OSU's Big 12 rank):
OSU ASU Record 6-0 (1) 6-2 Scoring Offense 86.7 (3) 91.6 Scoring Defense 65.2 (6) 82.1 Scoring Margin +21.5 (2) +9.5 Field Goal Pct. 53.3 (1) 51.9 Field Goal Pct. Defense 39.9 (7) 45.2 Free Throw Pct. 65.4 (7) 74.2 Rebound Margin +8.5 (5) -4.6 Three-Point FG Pct. 29.6 (10) 38.5 Three-Pointers Per Game 4.0 5.0 Turnover Margin +4.0 (2) +4.4
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 28th 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 (15.5 ppg), Peterson would become OSU's 20th 1,000-point scorer in OSU's Jan. 24 game against Texas A&M.
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 five games of this season are any indication, that trend is changing drastically, with OSU averaging 86.7 points per game. 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 has just 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 play 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
Following the game with the Sun Devils, OSU takes a 10-day break for finals before playing host to Jackson State on Saturday, Dec. 20, in a 2:05 p.m. game. OSU plays host to Arkansas State on Dec. 23 in an early, 6:05 p.m. start before hitting the road for the first time when the Cowboys visit TCU on Dec. 30.
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 163-70 record at the school as well as a 593-234 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) 163-70 .700 59-39 10-5 Totals 28th year (827 games) 593-234 .717 246-98 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 6-0
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 interview room for postgame interviews. If you have any questions, please contact OSU coordinator of media relations Will Hancock.
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.
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 Here's how some of OSU's opponents stack up in the current rankings: Team AP USAT Sag. RPI Arizona State (43) (45) 34 Baylor --- --- 159 Colorado --- --- 117 Iowa State --- (32) 96 Kansas 2 3 4 Kansas State (57) --- 87 Missouri --- --- 67 Nebraska --- (40) 41 Oklahoma (28) (27) 114 Oral Roberts (63) --- 90 Texas (48) --- 65 Texas A&M --- --- 115 Texas Tech --- --- 148 Washington (52) --- 51 Big 12* 9 * Ð 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. Joe Smith, 1967-69 853 28. Adrian Peterson, 1996-Present 846 Career Three-Point Percentage
1. Sean Sutton, 1991-92 .445 7. Marlon Dorsey, 1996-97 .394 8. Adrian Peterson, 1996-Present.387 9. John Starks, 1988 .380 10. Chad Alexander, 1995-Present .370
Career Three-Pointers Made 1. Randy Rutherford, 1993-95 279 4. Sean Sutton, 1991-92 108 Adrian Peterson, 1996-Present 108 5. Adrian Peterson, 1996-Present 107 6. Darwyn Alexander, 1989-92 102 -- Chad Alexander, 1995-Present 67
Current Big 12 Standings
through Dec. 8 Big 12 All Games W L Pct. W L Pct. Oklahoma St. 0 0 ---- 6 0 1.000 Kansas St. 0 0 ---- 5 0 1.000 Kansas 0 0 ---- 8 1 .889 Nebraska 0 0 ---- 7 1 .875 Iowa State 0 0 ---- 4 1 .800 Texas A&M 0 0 ---- 4 1 .800 Colorado 0 0 ---- 4 2 .667 Oklahoma 0 0 ---- 5 3 .625 Baylor 0 0 ---- 3 2 .600 Texas 0 0 ---- 3 4 .429 Texas Tech 0 0 ---- 2 3 .400 Missouri 0 0 ---- 2 4 .333 Around the Big 12 Monday, December 8
Kansas vs. Pennsylvania, 5 p.m.
Arizona at Baylor, 6 p.m.
Sam Houston State at Texas A&M, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, December 9
Florida at Texas, 7 p.m.
Texas Tech at Southwest Mo. St., 7:05 p.m.
Wednesday, December 10
Oral Roberts at Missouri, 7 p.m.
Colorado State at Texas A&M, 7 p.m.
Iowa State at Drake, 7:05 p.m.
Creighton at Nebraska, 7:05 p.m.
Oklahoma St. vs. Arizona St., 7:05 p.m.
Kansas State at Wichita State, 7:30 p.m.
Massachusetts at Kansas, 8:30 p.m.
Georgia at Colorado, 8 p.m.
Friday, December 12
Baylor in TCU Tournament
Home non-league streaks Active streaks School No. Next home game Oklahoma State 76 Oral Roberts 12/2 Maryland 55 Md.-Balt. Co. 12/13 Kentucky 36 Georgia Tech 12/13 Washington St. 31 Gonzaga 12/4
All-time streaks School No. Years UCLA 97 1966-77 Duke 95 1983-95 Marquette 81 1967-73 DePaul 81 1942-56 Oklahoma 74 1982-90 Oklahoma State 76 1987-Present
#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 ... 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 ... 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
Second in the nation in assist average (9.4 apg) - career-high 12 assists, the seventh-best mark in school history, against North Texas ... 10 assists against Oral Roberts and 11 (along with a season-high eight points) against Washington ... 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 ... 54 assists and just 14 turnovers so far this year, a 3.86 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
Has had an outstanding start to his sophomore season ... career-high 22 points, as well as 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 ... 17 of his 42 field goals (40.5 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 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 ... 14 points and career-high 10 rebounds against North Texas for his first career double-double ... has nearly doubled his rebounding output, now averaging 6.3 boards per game after his previous career average had been 3.2 rpg ... 14 points, seven rebounds against Washington ... 28th in career scoring (846) and tied for fourth in career three-pointers (106) despite being only six games into his junior year.
#31 - Brett Robisch 6-11 - 255 - Sr. - F/C
14-point, 14-rebound (three above his career high) exhibition performance against the California All-Stars ... 12 points, 10 rebounds in victory over Texas-Pan American ... averaged 12.4 points, 7.5 rebounds over the second half of 1996-97 after joining the Cowboys in mid-December ... has started 33 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
Scored seven points and pulled down four rebounds before fouling out against North Texas ... scoring total vs. UNT 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.
