Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Host Sooners in B-Ball Action
January 13, 2004 | Cowboy Basketball
Oklahoma State hosts Oklahoma
in round one of Bedlam Basketball action
Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2004 • 7 p.m.
Gallagher-Iba Arena • Stillwater, Okla.
radio - Cowboy Radio Network • internet - okstate.com • TV - ESPN+
OSU host OU in Bedlam action
Oklahoma State opens the home portion of its conference schedule on Wednesday night as the Cowboys host the Oklahoma Sooners. Tipoff for the game in Gallagher-Iba Arena is set for 7 p.m. OSU is 10-2 overall, 0-1 in Big 12 Conference action after an 83-62 loss at the hands of Texas Tech Saturday afternoon in Lubbock. OU is 10-1 overall after a 86-59 loss to top-ranked UConn in Storrs Sunday afternoon. This will be the Sooners' league opener.
Last time out
Tony Allen recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, but Andre Emmett, the Big 12 Conference preseason Player of the Year, scored 32 points as the Texas Tech Red Raiders routed Oklahoma State, 83-62, in Lubbock on Saturday afternoon. The nation's top shooting squad, the Cowobys shot just 35.4 percent from the floor and missed several point-blank layups. Tech, meanwhile, shot lights out, connecting on 52.8 percent of its shots. Ivan McFarlin led the Cowboys with 13 points, and also had eight rebounds before fouling out. Daniel Bobik was the only other Cowboy to score in double figures with 11. The Pokes were held to several season lows, including points (previous low as 65), shooting percentage (previous low was 47 percent), and field goals (previous low was 25). OSU committed 21 turnovers, one shy of the season high of 22 against Northwestern State. Tech's 83 points were the most by a Cowboy opponent this season, and it was the first time this year that OSU has allowed better than 50 percent shooting from the floor. Oklahoma State did outrebound the Red Raiders, 42-29, the third time in four games that OSU has had a double-figure rebounding margin. After leading by just four at halftime, Tech led by six with 14:28 remaining before going on an 11-0 run, including eight points by Emmett. After the Pokes cut the lead to 13, the Red Raiders went on a 21-10 run over the next seven minutes to take its biggest lead of the game.
About Oklahoma
Oklahoma is 10-1 this season, having rattled off 10 victories to start the season before losing to top-ranked Connecticut on Sunday. The Sooners are led by freshman guard Drew Lavender, the preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year. He is averaging 12.5 points and 4.3 assists per game. Sophomore De'Angelo Alexander is averaging 12.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per contest, while senior Jason Detrick is chipping in 10.9 points per game. As a team, OU is shooting nearly 42 percent from the floor and 31 percent from beyond the arc. The Sooners are outscoring their opponents by an average of 13.6 points per game.
Series history
Oklahoma leads the all-time series with Oklahoma State, 118-84. The Cowboys own a 54-40 mark vs. the Sooners in Stillwater, and a 16-12 mark since Coach Sutton returned to OSU. Since the Big 12 formed in 1996, OSU has an 8-7 record vs. Oklahoma. The series is tied in the last 10 games, 5-5. The Sooners won the last meeting, 64-48, in Norman, and the Cowboys won the last meeting in Stillwater, a 48-46 thriller in Gallagher-Iba Arena.
Offensive dominance
Oklahoma State's offense has been impressive this season. The Cowboys have scored at least 80 points in nine games this season, and are currently averaging 81 points per game, the second-best mark in the Big 12 Conference. The Cowboys have outscored their opponents by 30 or more points in half their games this season, and lead the league with a +20.5 scoring margin. OSU is shooting 53.3 percent as a team, which leads the Big 12. The Pokes' are connecting on 37.9 percent of their shots from beyond the three-point arc, which is third in the league. Oklahoma State has 219 assists on 374 made shots, an average of one assist for every 1.71 shots made. Compare that to last year, when the Cowboys had one assist for every 1.96 shots made. Oklahoma State has finished just four seasons in school history averaging 80 points or more per game, and just once in the Sutton Era of Defense.
Defensive pressure
While Oklahoma State's offense has been quite potent, the defense has also been playing well. The Cowboys are giving up just 60.5 points per game, while allowing 39.3 percent shooting from the floor and 32.5 percent shooting from beyond the three-point arc. The OSU defense has forced 223 turnovers, and scored an average of 21.6 points per game off those miscues. The defense has taken 15 charges as a team, led by Ivan McFarlin's six. Jason Miller has taken four charges, while Joey Graham and John Lucas have taken two each.
Minimizing miscues
Through 12 games of the season, Oklahoma State has improved dramatically in three categories in the Big 12 statistical rankings over last season. Last year, OSU finished the season ranked 11th in the league in assist/turnover ratio, averaging just 0.86 assists for every one turnover. So far this year, the Pokes are leading the league in the same category, averaging 1.26 assists for every turnover. The Cowboys are second in the Big 12 in assists, averaging 18.25 dishouts per game. Oklahoma State was 10th in that category last year, averaging just 12.8 assists per contest. OSU has 174 turnovers in 12 games, an average of 14.5 per game, while forcing an average of 18.6 per contest.
Lucas dishing the rock
Junior John Lucas leads the Big 12 Conference in assist/turnover ratio and is second in the league in assists per game. The 5-10 guard has 64 assists and just 20 turnovers in 12 games this season, an average of 5.33 assists per game and 3.2 assists for every turnover. He dished out a career-high 13 assists vs. SMU, recording his second double-double as a Poke. He also had 10 points against the Ponies. Against Southeastern State, he recorded his first double-double with 11 assists and 10 points. He has had double-figure scoring in eight games this season. In the last five games, he has 30 assists and just six turnovers. He leads the team in free-throw shooting at 91.3 percent. John made ESPN Sportscenter's top plays of the week for his midcourt heave against Arkansas just before halftime.
Ivan ranks among school's best
McFarlin, who grabbed double-figure rebounds in back-to-back games against Southeastern State and Arkansas, ranks among the best rebounders of all-time in OSU history. He currently has 584 caroms in his three-year career, ranking 12th all-time. He needs just 17 boards to move into 11th place on the school career list and become the 12th player in school history to grab 600 career rebounds.
I-Mac moving up other career lists
With 13 points vs. SMU, McFarlin became the 40th player in school history to record 800 points in an OSU career. He now has 830 points in his career, ranking 37th on the all-time list. Ivan recorded his fourth double-double of the season and the 18th of his career with 13 points and 10 rebounds vs. the Mustangs. He has 92 career blocked shots, tying Desmond Mason for sixth all-time in school history. Ivan recorded a career-best six blocks against Southeastern State, and needs one block to take over sole possession of sixth place. Leroy Combs sits in fifth place with 167 career blocked shots. Ivan needs 75 more deflections before catching the top five.
Bobik coming up big time
Junior transfer Daniel Bobik has been a pleasant surprise this season. The 6-4 guard from Newbury Park, Calif., was named the MVP of the Touchtone Energy All-College Classic. He is averaging 9.3 points per game this season, and is shooting 59.1 percent from the field. His long-range accuracy is just as impressive. He has made 21-of-42 shots from beyond the arc this season, good for 50 percent. That includes a 5-of-7 effort against Southeastern State and a 4-of-5 outing against SMU. He is third in the Big 12 Conference in three-point field-goal percentage, and eighth in three-point field goals made. Daniel has 42 assists in 12 games this season, surpassing his single-season best (34) while at BYU. In two seasons with the Cougars, Bobik averaged 5.2 points and 1.8 rebounds per game.
It's Tony time
Senior guard Tony Allen is one of the best players in the Big 12 Conference. The 6-4 Chicago, Ill., native is currently ranks sixth in the league in scoring, averaging 15.6 points per game. He's also averaging 4.7 rebounds per contest and three assists per game. Tony has made more shots than anybody else on the team at 69, and is shooting just under 52 percent from the field. He scored a season-high 24 points against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, and also tied career bests in assists with seven and steals with five in that game.
Joey stepping up
Junior Joey Graham has stepped in impressively for the Cowboys this season. The 6-7 guard/forward has scored in double figures in all but three games this season, and has started the last five contests. He's averaging 10.8 points per game this season, and is shooting 54 percent from the field. That includes a 19-of-31 effort in his last four games, or 61.3 percent. Joey's also averaging 4.4 rebounds per game.
OSU vs. non-conference opponents
Oklahoma State's Cowboys have enjoyed another successful season vs. non-conference opponents. Since the 1997-98 season, Oklahoma State has a 73-10 (88 percent) record in regular-season non-Big 12 contests. That includes a 10-0 record in 1997-98, a 9-3 mark in 1998-99, an 11-1 record in 1999-2000, a 9-2 mark in 2000-01, a 13-1 record in 2001-02 and an 11-2 finish last year. The Cowboys finished 10-1 in non-league regular-season games this season.
Miscellaneous Notes
Oklahoma State is 4-3 in Big 12 home openers since the conference formed ... all seven of those games have been decided by nine points or less ... four have been decided by fewer than six points or in overtime ... OSU is 7-6 in league home openers in the Eddie Sutton era ... in that span of 13 games, 11 have been by fewer than 10 points, and four have been decided in overtime ... the Cowboys are 3-1 in those OT games ... seven of the last eight Big 12 home openers have involved at least one top-25 team ... Oklahoma State has hosted the Sooners twice since Sutton's arrival in conference home openers, and the Pokes have won both (72-64 in 1995 and 48-46 last season) ... OSU has won at least 10 conference games in each of the past six seasons. The only Big 12 season the Pokes have not won 10 games was the inaugural year in 1996-97, when OSU went 7-9.
On television
Wednesday's game against Oklahoma will be televised by ESPN Regional as part of the Big 12 Conference's television package. Dave Armstrong will handle the play-by-play duties, while Jon Sundvold will provide color commentary. Saturday's game at Kansas State will feature Brad Sham handling the play-by-play duties and Paul Splittorff providing expert analysis.
Coming up
Oklahoma State travels to Manhattan, Kan., this weekend to play the Kansas State Wildcats (8-3). Tipoff is set for 6 p.m., and the game will be televised by ESPN Regional. Next Wednesday, the Cowboys will host the Colorado Buffaloes (8-4, 0-1). Tipoff is set for 7:05 p.m., and the game will not be televised.
