Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Face Volunteers in First Round of NCAA Tournament
March 17, 2009 | Cowboy Basketball
NCAA Tournament Info
1st & 2nd Round • East Regional
Date — Friday & Sunday, March 20 & 22
Tipoff — 11:25 a.m. (CT)
Location — Dayton, Ohio
Venue — UD Arena (13,455)
Series History with Tennessee — tied at 1-1
Last Meeting — Dec. 18, 2006 in Nashville
Outcome — UT won 79-77
Series History with Pittsburgh — tied at 4-4
Last Meeting — Dec. 15, 2007 in Pittsburgh
Outcome — PITT won 85-68
Series History with ETSU — OSU leads, 1-0
Last Meeting — Dec. 8, 2007
Outcome — OSU won 78-65
Television — CBS
Play-by-Play • Verne Lundquist
Analyst • Bill Raftery
Stillwater — KWTV-TV 9
Oklahoma City — KWTV-TV 9
Tulsa — KOTV-TV 6
Radio — Cowboy Sports Network
Play-by-Play • Dave Hunziker
Analyst • John Holcomb
Reporter • Bryndon Manzer
Flagship Station • KSPI (93.7 FM)
XM Satellite Radio • Channel 231
About Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State is 22-11 overall this season and finished fourth in the Big 12 Conference with a 9-7 record. The Cowboys currently rank No. 19 in the RPI rankings according to RPIRatings.com along with the fourth-toughest schedule in the country. OSU advanced to the 2009 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship semifinals before falling to Missouri. Oklahoma State leads the Big 12 Conference with its 81.1 points per game average. The Pokes also lead the Big 12 in three-point field-goals made, three-point percentage and free-throw percentage.
Quick Notes
Oklahoma State returns to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2004-05 season when the Cowboys advanced to the Sweet 16 ... OSU’s 37 NCAA Tournament wins are second only to Kansas in the Big 12 ... Coach Travis Ford is the second coach in OSU history to lead his team to the Big Dance in his first year at the helm ... seniors Byron Eaton and Terrel Harris are the only two Cowboys to have played Tennessee in the two games three and four years ago ... junior Obi Muonelo had broken his leg just days before the last meeting with UT ... OSU is 15-6 this season in games decided by 10 or more points ... the Cowboys are 16-0 this season when shooting a better percentage from the floor than their opponents.
Oklahoma State in the NCAA Tournament
Oklahoma State is making its 23rd appearance in the NCAA Tournament. That total ranks 26th among all NCAA Tournament appearances nationally. The Cowboys have 37 NCAA Tournament wins, the 19th-most victories by any team nationally. Oklahoma State’s most recent NCAA Tournament appearance came in 2005 when the Cowboys advanced to the Sweet 16. Since the seeding process began in 1979, Oklahoma State’s highest seed was a No. 2 on three occasions — 1992, 2004 and 2005. The Cowboys’ lowest seeding was a No. 11 in 2001. Since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985, Oklahoma State is 11-2 in first-round contests. The Pokes are 6-5 in second-round games. Oklahoma State has played just three teams more than once in the NCAA Tournament. The Cowboys are 2-0 against Arkansas, 1-1 vs. Syracuse and 0-2 against Kansas State. Should OSU advance to the second round and play Pittsburgh, the Panthers would join the short list of teams Oklahoma State has played twice.
Series History with Tennessee
Oklahoma State and Tennessee split a pair of games in December of 2005 and 2006. The Cowboys defeated the Volunteers 89-73 in the All-College Classic played in the Ford Center in Oklahoma City in 2005. Byron Eaton had 16 points and four steals in that game. A year later, UT defeated OSU 79-77 in Nashville on a last-second tip-in by Dane Bradshaw. Terrel Harris had 17 points and seven rebounds in that contest.
Series History with Pittsburgh
Overall, the series between OSU and Pittsburgh is tied at four wins each. Oklahoma State and Pittsburgh split a pair of games played in December of 2006 and 2007. Oklahoma State defeated the Panthers in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in 2004 en route to the Final Four. Seniors Byron Eaton and Terrel Harris have both started the last two games against Pittsburgh.
Series History with East Tennessee State
Oklahoma State won the only meeting with ETSU. Last season, the Cowboys picked up a 78-65 victory in Stillwater. James Anderson had 26 points for the Pokes while Terrel Harris added 15 and Byron Eaton chipped in 14.
Up Next
The winner of Friday’s first-round matchup will play the winner of the Pittsburgh-East Tennessee State game on Sunday, March 22. Game time will be either 2:50 or 5:20 p.m. ET (1:50 or 4:20 p.m. CT).
