Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Host Braves in Exhibition Contest
October 31, 2012 | Cowboy Basketball
Oct. 31, 2012
Exhibition vs Ottawa (Kan.) Braves
7 pm | Thursday, November 1, 2012
Stillwater, Okla. | Gallagher-Iba Arena (13,611)
Television — Fox Sports Oklahoma/Cowboy Sports Properties
Cox (OKC) - 37 | Cox (Tulsa) - 27 | Suddenlink - 37 | DirecTV - 679
Mike Wolfe - play-by-play | Bryndon Manzer - analyst
Radio — Cowboy Sports Network
Dave Hunziker - play-by-play | John Holcomb - analyst
Game Notes vs Ottawa in PDF format
Game Information
Oklahoma State unofficially opens the 2012-13 season this Thursday as the Cowboys host the Ottawa Braves in an exhibition contest starting at 7 pm inside Gallagher-Iba Arena. The game will be produced by the Cowboy Sports Network and televised on Fox Sports Oklahoma.
This will be the 104th season of basketball at Oklahoma State, a program which has compiled a 1,517-1,055 record, good for a .590 winning percentage. The Cowboys have made 24 NCAA Tournament appearances, the last being in 2010. OSU is in the fifth season under the direction of head coach Travis Ford, who is 80-55 at Oklahoma State.
About Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State returns three starters from last year's team and has added six newcomers to the roster that features eight returners. Brian Williams, who would have served as the fourth returning starter, suffered a season-ending wrist injury during preseason drills.
Probable starters for the Cowboys include a junior, two sophomores and two freshmen. Le'Bryan Nash, the team's leading returning scorer, averaged 13.3 points per game last season as a rookie and was named to the preseason All-Big 12 team. Junior Markel Brown averaged 10.5 ppg as a sophomore last year and has started 36 games in his two-year career. Also returning for the Cowboys is sophomore Michael Cobbins, one of three players to start all 18 Big 12 games last season and who averaged 7.2 boards per league contest.
Two newcomers will start for OSU. Marcus Smart, a freshman guard from Dallas, Texas, is the Big 12 Conference's Preseason Newcomer of the Year as well as a Freshman All-American according to Sporting News. Kamari Murphy, a freshman originally from Brooklyn via IMG Academy in Florida, will most likely start at the other post position.
About Ottawa
Ottawa returns four starters from a team that finished 12-18 a year ago. The Braves also return five of their top-six scorers from last season, including Corey Smith, the team's leading scorer and a preseason first-team selection to the All-Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference. Smith averaged 15.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game last season while starting all 30 games. The Braves compete in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and are coached by Andy Carrier, in his 23rd season as head coach of Ottawa.
Excelling in Exhibitions
Oklahoma State has been very successful in exhibition contests over the years. The Cowboys are 50-4 (92.6 percent) in 54 exhibition games since 1973, including a 45-1 (97.8 percent) since the 1989-90 season. OSU has won its last 23 exhibition games by an average of nearly 29.2 points per contest. The loss to Athletes First on Nov. 9, 2000, ended a 22-game win streak in exhibition contests. The streak dated back Nov. 22, 1988, when the Cowboys lost 80-63 to an outstanding Soviet team — led by Sharunas Marchulenis, Arvidas Sabonis and Alexandr Volkov. The Cowboys have reached the century mark in points 18 times in 54 exhibition games.
Up Next
Oklahoma State will officially begin the 2012-13 season next Friday, Nov. 9, as the Cowboys host UC Davis in the second game of a doubleheader with the Cowgirls. The women's team will entertain Cal Poly at 5:30 pm in the first contest. The men's game will be televised on Fox Sports Southwest Plus.
