Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Enter Big 12 Tournament As No. 1 Seed
March 10, 2004 | Cowboy Basketball
Oklahoma State (24-3, 14-2) enters the Big 12 Tournament
as the regular-season champion and the No. 1 Seed
Cowboys will play the winner of Kansas State-Iowa State
game on Friday, March 12, 2004 at 12:07 p.m. at the
American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas
radio - Cowboy Radio Network • internet - okstate.com • TV - ESPN+
Pokes compete in Big 12 Tourney
Oklahoma State will enter the Big 12 Tournament this week as the No. 1 seed after winning the regular-season championship with a 14-2 conference record. The Cowboys will play the winner of the Kansas State-Iowa State game on Friday afternoon at 12:07 p.m. in the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. OSU is 24-3 overall, and ranked seventh in both the latest Associated Press poll and the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll.
Conference Champions
Oklahoma State won the conference championship for the first time since 1990-91, when the Cowboys were co-champs with Kansas that year with a 10-4 record. The last time OSU won an outright league title was 1964-65. It is Oklahoma State's 17th regular-season conference title, and the second under Coach Eddie Sutton.
Something Special
This season has been quite a year for the Cowboy Basketball team. The 24 wins in the regular season are the most by an OSU squad since the 1991-92 team went 24-4. The 24-3 record is the best mark by percentage since the 1947-48 season, when the then Oklahoma A&M Aggies went 27-3 in the regular season. The Cowboys' 14 conference victories are the most in a single season in school history, and the 15-0 record at home in Gallagher-Iba Arena is the best perfect record all-time for OSU. It is only the 12th time that the Cowboys have gone undefeated at home, and the third time OSU has won 15 games in a single season at home. The Pokes two losses on the road are the fewest since the 1953-54 squad that went 11-2, the last time OSU finished four games over .500 in league road games.
On television
Friday's quarterfinal game between Oklahoma State and either Kansas State or Iowa State will be televised by ESPN Regional. Fred White will handle the play-by-play duties, while Jon Sundvold will provide expert analysis. Saturday's first semifinal game will see Dave Armstrong handling the play-by-play duties and Sundvold provide color commentary.
Sutton honored
Before last Saturday's game with Texas A&M, Coach Eddie Sutton was named a recipient of the Naismith Good Sportsmanship Award. The award, the most prestigious presented by the Naismith Foundation, has been given to only 31 people, including Michael Jordan, Red Auerbach, John Wooden, Oscar Robertson and Pat Summit. The Naismith award weighs 80 pounds and is 3-1/2 feet tall. An eight-inch bronze sculpture of James Naismith in a gym with replica peach baskets is featured on the upper tier. On the base, six plaques contain the original rules of basketball.
Lucas a Wooden Award finalist
John Lucas is one of 20 players nationally that has been named to the official voting ballot for the 2004 Wooden Award All-America team and Player of the Year, presented annually to the nation's top collegiate basketball player. The All-America team will be announced on March 30, and the top-five candidates will be invited to Los Angeles for the awards ceremony. The winner will be announced on Saturday, April 10, and each finalist will receive a contribution from the John R. Wooden Award Scholarship fund in their name to their university's general scholarship fund. Lucas is one of three Big 12 student-athletes on the list, joining Andre Emmett of Texas Tech and Kansas' Wayne Simien. A pair of Lucas' former teammates (Emeka Okafor at Bellaire HS and Lawrence Roberts at Baylor) are also on the finalist list.
Cowboys earn All-Big 12 accolades
While a complete list of postseason honors can be found elsewhere in this release, it is safe to say that the Oklahoma State Cowboys have earned a multitude of accolades this season. Several publications have released their All-Big 12 teams, as well as individual honors, and several Cowboys are listed. The Associated Press released its All-Big 12 team on Monday, and both Tony Allen and John Lucas were named to the first team. Juniors Ivan McFarlin and Joey Graham were named honorable mention All-Big 12. Allen has been named Big 12 Player of the Year in both the Kansas City Star and the Austin American-Statesman, while Lucas has been named the conference Player of the Year by the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram and the Daily Oklahoman. Graham has been named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year by the Statesman and the Star-Telegram. Coach Eddie Sutton has been a unanimous Coach of the Year mention throughout the region.
Big 12 Specialty teams
Oklahoma State had several players named to the Big 12 All-Specialty teams, selected by sportswriters who regularly cover the league. Joey Graham was named to the all-newcomer team, while John Lucas was named to the all-improved squad. Both Tony Allen and Ivan McFarlin were named to the all-defense team.
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.
Cowboys garner honors in the classroom
Three Oklahoma State Cowboys earned Academic All-Big 12 honors, it was announced last week by the league office. Stephen Graham, a junior majoring in aviation sciences, was named first-team Academic All-Big 12. Stephen's twin brother, Joey, who is also majoring in aviation sciences, was named second-team Academic All-Big 12, as was junior Terrence Crawford, who is majoring in marketing.
Last time out
John Lucas scored 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting, including 4-of-9 from long range, and the Cowboys shot 54.3 percent as a team and earned their first outright conference championship in 39 years with a 70-41 victory over Texas A&M last Saturday in Gallagher-Iba Arena. Joey Graham added 14 points for the Pokes, while Tony Allen scored 10 points and grabbed six rebounds. OSU shot 58.3 percent in the second half, outscoring the Aggies, 40-25, while limiting A&M to the fewest points by a Cowboy opponent since Jackson State scored 41 on OSU on Dec. 8, 2001. The Pokes outrebounded the Aggies by nine boards, and forced 11 turnovers while committing just eight of their own.
