Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys face Sooners in Bedlam 2
February 15, 2004 | Cowboy Basketball
Oklahoma State (19-2, 9-1) faces Oklahoma (16-5, 6-4) in Rd. 2 of Bedlam Basketball
Monday, Feb. 16, 2004 • 8:05 p.m.
Lloyd Noble Center • Norman, Okla.
radio - Cowboy Radio Network • internet - okstate.com • TV - ESPN
Cowboys face Sooners
Oklahoma State travels to Norman, Okla., for a Monday night game with the Oklahoma Sooners in the annual Bedlam Series, co-sponsored by the Bank of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Ford Dealers. Tipoff for the Big Monday game is set for 8:05 p.m. OSU is 19-2 overall and 9-1 in Big 12 Conference play after a 91-58 win over Baylor Saturday afternoon in Stillwater. OU is 16-5 overall, 6-4 in league play and coming off a 78-72 win over Texas A&M in College Station Saturday afternoon. Prior to the release of both major polls Monday afternoon, the Cowboys are ranked 10th in both the Associated Press and the USA Today/ESPN Coaches polls.
On television
Monday’s game will be televised by ESPN as part of its Big Monday package. Ron Franklin will handle the play-by-play duties, while Jon Sundvold will provide expert analysis. It is OSU’s second-consecutive Big Monday showcase, and the Cowboys second of three appearances on Big Monday in four weeks. OSU’s game at home against Texas on March 1 will also be on ESPN’s Big Monday.
Last time out
Oklahoma State shot 60 percent from the floor for the fifth time this season, and five Cowboys scored in double figures as OSU defeated Baylor, 91-58, Saturday afternoon inside Gallagher-Iba Arena. Tony Allen scored 14 points, dished out seven assists and grabbed five rebounds, while Ivan McFarlin scored 14 points and had six boards. The Pokes were 18-of-26 from the floor in the second half and shot 61.1 percent for the game. OSU also outrebounded the Bears, 40-27, and limited BU to just 33.9 percent shooting from the floor. It was a team game for the Cowboys, as they had 22 assists on 33 made baskets. John Lucas had 13 points, while Joey Graham scored 12 on 5-of-6 shooting and Jason Miller scored 10 points off the bench. Oklahoma State outscored Baylor, 50-20, in the paint and shot 57.1 percent from long range.
About Oklahoma
Oklahoma is 16-5 overall this season and 6-4 in Big 12 Conference action. The Sooners are 11-1 at home this season with their lone loss coming at the hands of Missouri. OU is led by freshman sensation Drew Lavender, who is averaging 11.4 points per game and four assists per contest. Jason Detrick is second on the squad in scoring, averaging 10.5 points per game, while sophomore De’Angelo Alexander is chipping in 10.2 points per contest. As a team, the Sooners are averaging 67.5 points per game and allowing just 60.4 points per game by the opponent. Oklahoma’s staple is its defense, having forced nearly 19 turnovers per game.
Series history
Oklahoma leads the all-time hardwood Bedlam series, 118-85, including a 54-40 mark in Norman. OSU is 17-12 vs. the Sooners since Coach Sutton’s return to Stillwater during the 1990-91 season, and 9-7 vs. OU since the Big 12 formed in 1996-97. The Cowboys are 3-2 in the last five and 6-4 in the last 10.
On the road
Monday’s game at Norman will be Oklahoma State’s seventh true road game of the season and the sixth in Big 12 play. OSU is 5-1 in away contests so far this season, including a 15-point victory at Arkansas, a one-point win at Kansas State, a 72-67 upset over Texas in Austin, a 12-point win over Texas A&M and a 21-point win at Iowa State. On the road, OSU has three players averaging in double figures and two more that’s very close to it. John Lucas leads the Cowboys on the road, averaging 17 points per game. Tony Allen is scoring 16 points and grabbing 6.8 boards per road contest. Ivan McFarlin is scoring 12.5 points per game, while Daniel Bobik and Joey Graham are each averaging 9.8 points per contest. As a team, OSU is outscoring its opponents on the road by an average of 5.5 points per contest, and limiting its opponents to just 28.3 percent shooting from long range.
Offensive dominance
Oklahoma State’s offense has been impressive this season. The Cowboys have scored at least 80 points in 13 games this season, and are currently averaging 79.5 points per game, the second-best mark in the Big 12 Conference and the highest by a Cowboy squad since the 1993-94 season (80.5 ppg). The Cowboys have outscored their opponents by 30 or more points in seven games this season, and lead the league with a +17.7 scoring margin. OSU is shooting 52.5 percent as a team, which leads not only the Big 12 but the country. The Pokes’ are connecting on 41.1 percent of their shots from beyond the three-point arc, also leading the league. Oklahoma State has 361 assists on 624 made shots, an average of one assist for every 1.73 shots made. Compare that to last year, when the Cowboys had one assist for every 1.96 shots made.
Defensive pressure
While Oklahoma State’s offense has been quite potent, the defense has also been playing well. The Cowboys are giving up just 61.8 points per game, the third-best mark in the league, while allowing 40.3 percent shooting from the floor and 32.6 percent shooting from beyond the three-point arc. The OSU defense has forced 364 turnovers, an average of 17.3 per contest (second-best mark in the Big 12) and scored an average of 20.4 points per game off those miscues. The defense has taken 22 charges as a team, led by Ivan McFarlin’s eight. The Cowboys lead the league in rebounds allowed, giving up just 30.7 boards per contest. OSU is also second in the league in steals, averaging 8.8 thefts per game.
Minimizing miscues
The Cowboys have made some dramatic improvements in their ball-handling skills this year as opposed to last season. In 2002-03, OSU had a +1.97 turnover margin when the season was complete. This year, the Pokes have a +3.14 turnover margin. Last season, Oklahoma State ranked 11th in the league in assist/turnover ratio at 0.86. This year, OSU is averaging 1.21 assists for every turnover. The Pokes are second in the Big 12 in assists, averaging 17.2 dishouts per game. OSU was 10th in that category last year, averaging just 12.8 assists per contest. The Cowboys have 298 turnovers this season, an average of 14.2 per game, while forcing an average of 17.3 per contest.
Shooting lights out
Oklahoma State is shooting 52.5 percent from the floor this season, one of the best all-time marks in school history. The best shooting season OSU has ever had occurred in 1982-83, when the Cowboys shot a school-record 53.1 percent from the floor. That year, the Pokes were 931-of-1,753 from the field. The second-best mark in school history is 51.4 percent, shot by the 1992-93 squad. Oklahoma State has shot better than 50 percent for an entire season only four times in school history (53.1 percent in 1982-83, 51.4 in 1992-93, 50.4 in 1983-84, and 50.2 in 1994-95), with two of those occuring in the Eddie Sutton era.
Free throw improvement
Oklahoma State’s free-throw shooting has improved dramatically recently. After the Colorado game, OSU was shooting 63.9 percent from the free-throw line for the season. That average has improved to 67.2 percent over the last six games, thanks to a 113-of-153 shooting performance (73.9 percent) from the charity stripe in the last six contests. Of OSU’s nine games shooting better than 70 percent this season from the line, five of them have come in the last six games.
Nine-game streak promising
During OSU’s current nine-game winning streak, several trends appear promising. The Cowboys are shooting 71.2 percent from the free throw line, and shooting 45.5 percent from long range. More specifically, the Cowboys’ two most consistent three-point shooters, John Lucas and Daniel Bobik, are shooting 56.5 and 50 percent, respectively, from beyond the arc. OSU’s five primary post players are shooting 54.8 percent. Five of the Cowboys’ 10 regulars have an assist/turnover ratio of 1:1 or better. The five OSU starters are scoring 84 percent of the team’s total points during that nine-game streak, and yet each player of the bench has played a vital role on the court.
All kinds of records
Oklahoma State is 19-2 through 21 games for the first time since the Elite Eight team of 1999-2000 ... OSU’s 9-1 mark in conference play is the best since the 1999-2000 squad was also 9-1 ... The Cowboys have won their first 12 home games, the second time in five seasons that OSU is undefeated through its first 12 contests in Gallagher-Iba Arena ... Oklahoma State is ranked in the top 10 of the Associated Press poll for the third-consecutive year and the fourth time in five seasons ... Oklahoma State is now 14-0 this season when making more free throws than its opponent, and 17-0 when allowing fewer than 70 points ... the Cowboys are 4-0 this year against teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 poll at game time ... OSU is currently 12-0 this season in Gallagher-Iba Arena, and has won 10 or more games at home for the 16th-consecutive season ... the Cowboys are now 177-20 at home under Sutton, an 89.8 winning percentage ... Oklahoma State has won eight-consecutive home games over teams ranked in the AP Top 25. That dates back to a 79-61 loss to fourth-ranked Kansas on Jan. 15, 2002 ... OSU’s next win will give the Cowboys 20 for the season, the seventh-consecutive season for Oklahoma State to reach the 20-victory mark and the 12th in Coach Sutton’s 14 seasons as head coach at OSU.
Miscellaneous Notes
OSU has held its opponent to 25 percent shooting or less from three-point range seven times this season ... The Pokes have connected on 27-of-47 shots from long range over the last four games, or 57.4 percent ... that’s also an average of nearly 6.8 treys per game ... the Cowboys shot over 70 percent from the free throw line for just the eighth time this season against Baylor ... the Pokes were outrebounded by their opponent for just the fifth time this season against Texas A&M.
Coming up
Oklahoma State will host Nebraska (13-7, 3-6 Big 12) in a non-televised game on Saturday night, Feb. 21, at 7 p.m. inside Gallagher-Iba Arena. The Cowboys then travel to Columbia, Mo., next Tuesday for a game with the Missouri Tigers (10-10, 5-5). Tipoff for the game is set for 7 p.m., and it will be televised by ESPN Regional.
