Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Defend National Ranking Against Huskers
February 20, 2004 | Cowboy Basketball
Oklahoma State (20-2, 10-1) defends No. 7
national ranking against Nebraska (14-8, 4-7)
Saturday, Feb. 21, 2004 • 7:05 p.m.
Gallagher-Iba Arena • Stillwater, Okla.
radio - Cowboy Radio Network • internet - okstate.com • TV - none
Cowboys host Huskers
Oklahoma State hosts the Nebraska Huskers on Saturday, Feb. 21, at 7:05 p.m. inside Gallagher-Iba Arena. The Cowboys are 20-2 overall and 10-1 in Big 12 Conference action following a 65-52 win over Oklahoma in Norman Monday night. Nebraska is 14-8 overall, 4-7 in league play and coming off a 63-58 loss to Kansas State in Lincoln Wednesday night. The Cowboys are ranked seventh in both the Associated Press and the USA Today/ESPN Coaches polls.
Allen, Lucas named All-District
Senior Tony Allen and junior John Lucas were both named first-team All-District 12 by the National Association of Basketball Coaches, it was announced Wednesday afternoon. Both players are now listed as candidates for the NABC's All-America teams.
Last time out
Ivan McFarlin tied his season high with 21 points on 10-of-12 shooting, and the Cowboys shot 55.3 percent as a team as OSU defeated Oklahoma, 65-52, and swept the Sooners for the first time since 1998. John Lucas added 18 points for the Pokes, while Joey Graham scored 13 and grabbed six rebounds. Meanwhile, OSU limited OU to just 30.9 percent shooting for the game, including 20 percent (6-of-30) in the second period. Despite 10 turnovers in the first half, Oklahoma State trailed by just one at 27-26 entering the lockerroom. Johnnie Gilbert scored a quick basket for the Sooners, but it would be the only shot from the field for OU over the next 9-1/2 minutes. Meanwhile, the Cowboys rattled off a 13-6 run that included six free throws by Oklahoma. Tony Allen, OSU's leading scorer, had just six points for Oklahoma State, but the star guard had six assists and five rebounds in the game. The Cowboys outrebounded the Sooners, 36-28, but committed nearly twice as many turnovers with 16, compared to just nine for OU. OSU was 9-of-12 from the free throw line, while sending Oklahoma to the charity stripe 19 times, where the Sooners made 14 shots.
Top-10 ranking becomes the norm
Although Oklahoma State may not be considered one of the the “elite” basketball schools, the past few seasons have shown that the Cowboys can rank right up there with the best. With a current No. 7 national ranking, OSU has made it into the top 10 of the Associated Press poll in four of the last five seasons. In 1999-2000, OSU was ranked as high as eighth nationally in mid-February. in 2001-02, the Cowboys broke into the top 10 in early December, reached as high as No. 5 in late December, and was in the top 10 for a total of 11 games that year. Last season, OSU was No. 9 for a pair of games against Iowa State and Texas before dropping out of the top 10.
20 win seasons not quite so rare in Stillwater
While many programs thrive to win 20 games in a single season, since Coach Sutton's return to Stillwater, Cowboy Basketball has become synonomous with 20-win seasons. Before Coach Sutton's tenure, Oklahoma State had a total of 15 20-victory seasons in school history, with all but one of those coming prior to 1966. Since Sutton's return in 1990, the Cowboys have rattled off 12 20-win seasons, including the last seven consecutive, the longest streak in OSU history.
About Nebraska
Nebraska is 14-8 overall and 4-7 in Big 12 Conference action. The Huskers defeated Kansas, 74-55, last weekend, but fell to the K-State Wildcats, 63-58, Wednesday night. NU is led by senior guard Nate Johnson, who is averaging 12.7 points per game. Forward Andrew Drevo is averaging 11.1 points per contest. As a team, the Huskers are averaging 69.5 points per game, and lead the league in scoring defense, allowing just 59.5 points per contest. They are shooting 46.7 percent from the floor and 40.3 percent from long range, both second in the conference to Oklahoma State.
Series history
Nebraska leads the all-time series with Oklahoma State, 59-48, but OSU is 30-14 vs. the Huskers in Stillwater. Since Eddie Sutton's return to Stillwater, the Cowboys are 14-7 vs. NU, but in Big 12 Conference contests, that mark narrows to a 4-3 OSU margin. The last time Nebraska won in Stillwater was Jan. 7, 1998, when the Huskers handed Oklahoma State a 67-62 beating. The Cowboys have won 19 of the last 27 games in the series.
Taking advantage of the home court
The Cowboys have been very successful at home so far this season, sporting a perfect 12-0 record. OSU has used its up-tempo offense and stifling defense to be successful. The Pokes are averaging 82 points per game in the friendly confines of Gallagher-Iba Arena this season, and are outscoring their opponents by an average of 23 points per game. Oklahoma State is shooting 53.6 percent from the field, including 40.6 percent from long range in the historic building. OSU is outrebounding its opponents by an average of 8.2 boards per contest, and the Cowboys have a 1.26 assist/turnover ratio in GIA. The one glaring statistic that has not improved in home games is free-throw percentage. OSU is shooting 67.4 percent from the charity stripe overall this season, but just 66.7 percent in Gallagher-Iba Arena.
Doing well against the North Division
Oklahoma State is 4-0 so far against teams from the Big 12's North Division, including a 2-0 mark at home. OSU defeated Kansas State, 57-56, in Manhattan, won against Colorado, 71-62, in Stillwater, defeated Iowa State, 88-67, in Ames, and beat Kansas, 80-60, in Stillwater. As a team, the Cowboys are averaging 74 points per game, but allowing just 61.2 points by their North foes. The Pokes are shooting 47.5 percent from the floor and 42.1 percent from long range in those types of games. John Lucas has been outstanding, scoring 19.3 points per game, including a 15-of-28 shooting effort from beyond the arc. He also has 16 assists, six steals and just seven turnovers. Tony Allen has played well, too, scoring 16.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per contest. Ivan McFarlin is averaging 12 points and 6.3 boards per game vs. North Division opponents.
Shooting lights out
Oklahoma State is shooting 52.6 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 67.4 percent over the last seven games, thanks to a 122-of-165 shooting performance (73.9 percent) from the charity stripe in the last seven contests. Of OSU's 10 games shooting better than 70 percent this season from the line, six of them have come in the last seven games.
10 game streak promising
During OSU's current 10-game winning streak, several trends appear promising. The Cowboys are shooting 71.4 percent from the free throw line, and shooting 45 percent from long range. More specifically, the Cowboys' two most consistent three-point shooters, John Lucas and Daniel Bobik, are shooting 58 and 48.6 percent, respectively, from beyond the arc. OSU's five primary post players are shooting 57.2 percent. Six of the Cowboys' 10 regulars have an assist/turnover ratio of 1:1 or better. The five OSU starters are scoring 85.2 percent of the team's total points during that 10-game streak, and yet each player of the bench has played a vital role on the court.
Miscellaneous Notes
OSU has held its opponent to 25 percent shooting or less from three-point range eight times this season ... The Pokes have connected on 31-of-57 shots from long range over the last five games, or 54.4 percent ... that's also an average of 6.2 treys per game ... the Cowboys shot over 70 percent from the free throw line for just the ninth time this season against Oklahoma ... the Pokes were outrebounded by their opponent for just the fifth time this season against Texas A&M.
All kinds of records
Oklahoma State's 20 wins in its first 22 games is the fastest to 20 victories since the Elite Eight team of 1999-2000 that was also 20-2 through its first 22 games ... OSU's 10-1 mark in conference play is the best since the 1951-52 squad was 10-1 through 11 league games ... that was also the last time OSU (the Oklahoma A&M) won 10-consecutive conference contests ... 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 18-0 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.
Coming up
Oklahoma State will travel to Columbia, Mo., next Tuesday for a game with the Missouri Tigers (12-10, 6-5). Tipoff for the game is set for 7 p.m., and it will be televised by ESPN Regional. OSU will then go on its final road trip of the regular season as the Pokes face Baylor (7-17, 2-9) in Waco on Saturday, Feb. 28. The game will begin at 3 p.m., and will be televised by ESPN Regional.
