Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma St-Oklahoma Preview,
January 24, 2005 | Cowboy Football
Oklahoma sent a strong message to the Big 12 on Saturday.
The 18th-ranked Sooners will try to deliver another when they host No. 5 Oklahoma State on Monday in a matchup of conference heavyweights.
Oklahoma (15-2, 4-0) ended a five-game losing streak against Texas with a 64-60 victory over the 15th-ranked Longhorns on Saturday. The Sooners, who have never started 5-0 in Big 12 play, remained one of two unbeaten teams in the conference along with No. 2 Kansas.
The next obstacle for Oklahoma is ``Bedlam'' rival Oklahoma State (14-2, 4-1), the defending Big 12 champions. The Sooners were swept by the Cowboys last season for the first time in six years.
Oklahoma State used tremendous defense in last season's meetings, holding Oklahoma to 33 percent shooting. Sooners point guard Drew Lavender made just 7-of-22 shots over the two games.
Oklahoma will be buoyed by the presence of Kevin Bookout, who missed last year's meeting in Norman with a shoulder injury. Bookout had 18 points and 13 rebounds to lead Oklahoma on Saturday.
The Sooners fell into a 32-27 deficit at halftime and Bookout believes a quicker start is necessary Monday.
``We need to do the little things to make up for some areas of our game that were lacking,'' Bookout said. ``We played tentative at the beginning of the game, but once we got into the flow of the second half we came together and played better.''
Leading scorer Taj Gray, who is averaging 14.3 points and 8.3 rebounds, got into foul trouble for the second straight game and finished with 12 points and six boards. Gray was held scoreless last Wednesday at Texas A&M.
``Taj struggled tonight and has to figure some things out, but Bookout stepped up tonight, Oklahoma coach Kelvin Sampson said. ``Good things always happen to those with great character like Bookout.''
Gray has four double-doubles in his last six home games.
Oklahoma State point guard John Lucas hopes to continue his success against Lavender. Lucas got the best of his counterpart last season, averaging 20.0 points and five assists.
The Cowboys bounced back from last Monday's loss at Texas with an 82-53 win over Baylor on Saturday. Leading scorer Joey Graham, who is averaging 21.6 points and shooting 61 percent in Big 12 play, scored 24 points on 9-of-11 shooting.
``Our objective today was to bring a presence to the Big 12,'' Graham said. ``We wanted to let everyone know that we are here.''
Starting shooting guard Daniel Bobik has had trouble getting untracked recently. Bobik is shooting just below 35 percent through five conference games.
Oklahoma State, which has been vulnerable to zone defenses, might need Bobik and Lucas to make some perimeter shots. The Cowboys are shooting just 35 percent on 3-pointers in Big 12 action.
