Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Host Longhorns For Big 12 Title
March 01, 2004 | Cowboy Basketball
Oklahoma State (22-3, 12-2) hosts Texas
(21-4, 12-2) for the top spot in the Big 12
Monday, March 1, 2004 • 8:05 p.m.
Gallagher-Iba Arena • Stillwater, Okla.
radio - Cowboy Radio Network • internet - okstate.com • TV - ESPN
Cowboys host Longhorns
Oklahoma State will stay home for its final two regular-season contests, hosting the Texas Longhorns Monday night in Gallagher-Iba Arena for what appears to be the Big 12 championship. The winner of Monday night's game will garner at worst a share of the league title, with one game remaining for each team. Both squads are 12-2 in conference action, with OSU losing at Texas Tech and at Missouri, while Texas lost at Iowa State and at home to OSU. Should Oklahoma State win, the Cowboys would still receive the No. 1 seed at the Big 12 Tournament, based on OSU's sweep of the Longhorns. If Texas wins Monday night, the ‘Horns would be the No. 1 seed based on record vs. the South Division.
Records/Rankings
Oklahoma State is 22-3 overall this season and 12-2 in Big 12 Conference action. The Cowboys are ranked sixth in both the latest Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN Coaches polls. Texas is 21-4 overall, 12-2 in league play and ranked 10th in both the Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN Coaches polls. OSU won the earlier meeting between these two schools, 72-67, in Austin on Jan. 24. The Longhorns lead the all-time series between the two schools, 31-30.
On television/radio
Monday's game between Oklahoma State and Texas will be televised live on ESPN as part of its Big Monday package. Ron Franklin will handle the play-by-play duties, while Jon Sundvold will provide expert analysis. The game will also be broadcast nationwide on CBS/Westwood One radio, with David Sims handling the play-by-play duties and Kevin Grevey providing color commentary.
Last time out
Ivan McFarlin scored 24 points and Tony Allen added 22 as the Cowboys squeaked past Baylor, 72-65, Saturday afternoon in Waco. OSU led for nearly 19 minutes in the first period, up by as many as seven before the Bears tied it going into the lockerroom at 29 each. The Cowboys extended the lead to as many as 12 with 4-1/2 minutes remaining, but a 12-2 run by BU cut the OSU lead to 67-65 with one minute left. McFarlin hit a layup with 23 seconds on the clock, and Baylor missed three treys in the final 10 seconds. Allen hit a 60-footer at the buzzer for the final score. John Lucas scored just seven points, but also dished out seven assists. Oklahoma State shot 50 percent for the 15th time this season, and took 16 more shots than the Bears. OSU had just 10 turnovers.
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 on Feb. 18. That gave the Cowboys two players on the first team of their respective all-district team, one of 10 teams in the country to share that distinction. Both players are now listed as candidates for the NABC's All-America teams.
About Texas
Texas is 21-4 overall this season and 12-2 in Big 12 Conference action. The Longhorns' lone loss at home is to Oklahoma State, while two of their other three losses were at a neutral site. UT is led by senior guard Brandon Mouton, who is averaging 13.9 points per game. Freshman P.J. Tucker leads the team with seven rebounds per contest, and is second on the squad in scoring, chipping in 11.4 points a game. Senior guard Royal Ivey is averaging 9.7 points per contest and leads the team with 104 assists on the year. Kenny Taylor is the team's biggest three-point threat, connecting on 51 treys this season for 38.9 percent. However, six players have made at least 10 three pointers this season for UT, including Mouton (38 treys, 35.5 percent), Brian Boddicker (36 threes, 48 percent), Sydmill Harris (22 treys, 34.4 percent), Kenton Paulino (17 threes, 36.2 percent) and Ivey (10 threes, 38.5 percent). The Longhorns lead the league in scoring, averaging 80.8 points per outing, and are second to the Cowboys in scoring margin, outscoring their opponents by an average of 14 points per game.
Series history
Texas leads the all-time series with OSU by the narrowest of margins. The Longhorns have won 31 of the 61 games in the series,with the Cowboys taking the other 30. Oklahoma State has won the last two meetings, including a 72-67 win earlier this season in Austin and an 82-77 decision in Stillwater last year. UT has won six of the last nine meetings, and is 12-6 against the Cowboys since the Big 12 formed in 1996-97. Coach Sutton is 27-18 all-time vs. Texas, including a 20-6 mark at Arkansas and a 1-0 record while at Creighton. He is 6-12 vs. UT while at OSU.
