Oklahoma State University Athletics
Done with Finals, OSU Hosts Central Arkansas
December 14, 2012 | Cowboy Basketball
Dec. 14, 2012
#24 Oklahoma State vs Central Arkansas
3 pm | Sunday, December 16, 2012
Stillwater, Okla. | Gallagher-Iba Arena (13,611)
Television -- Fox Sports Oklahoma
Mike Wolfe | play-by-play
Bryndon Manzer | analyst
Cox (OKC) -- 37
Cox (Tulsa) -- 27
Suddenlink -- 37
direcTV -- 679
Dish -- 416
Radio -- Cowboy Radio Network
Dave Hunziker | play-by-play
John Holcomb | analyst
Satellite Radio -- Sirius 132 • XM 190
Notes vs Central Arkansas in PDF format
Game Information
Oklahoma State will host its third of six-straight home games, entertaining the Central Arkansas Bears on Sunday, Dec. 16 at 3 pm. The game will be televised on Fox Sports Oklahoma, with Mike Wolfe handling the play-by-play duties and Bryndon Manzer providing expert analysis. The last time OSU played six straight at home was to start the 1997-98 season.
About Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State is 7-1 this season and ranked in both the national polls. Despite a pair of wins last week, the Cowboys dropped to No. 24 in the Associated Press poll and 23rd in the USA Today Coaches poll.
Le'Bryan Nash leads the Cowboys in scoring, averaging 16.3 ppg and ranking second in the Big 12 Conference. He is also fourth on the squad in rebounding at 5.1 boards per contest. Markel Brown is second on the squad at 14 ppg and is shooting 35.5 percent (11 of 31) from beyond the arc. Marcus Smart is averaging 13.4 points and a team-high 7.4 rebounds per game while also dishing out five assists per contest. Phil Forte is averaging 9.1 ppg off the bench and has made a team-high 16 treys. Kamari Murphy is second on the team at 6.9 rebounds per game, while Philip Jurick is third on the team at 6.6 rpg.
The Cowboy defense is limiting its opponents to just 57.6 points per game and 35.4 percent shooting from the floor. OSU has held five of its last six opponents under 60 points, including three under 50 (Tennessee scored 45, USF 49 and Missouri State 42).
About Central Arkansas
Central Arkansas is 4-3 this season with wins over Hendrix College, Eastern Illinois, Tennessee-Martin and Southeast Missouri State. The Bears have lost to Arizona State, Arkansas State and Sacramento State. UCA is led by senior guard Robert Crawford who is averaging 15.2 ppg while shooting 54.3 percent (19 of 35) from beyond the arc. Junior guard LaQuentin Miles is chipping in 13.9 points per game, and senior forward Jarvis Garner is averaging 13.7 points and a team-high 6.9 rebounds per contest. As a team, Central Arkansas is shooting 40.7 percent from beyond the arc, connecting on 60 of 147 shots. The Bears are coached by Corliss Williamson, in his third season at the helm of UCA.
Cowboy Quick Hits
• Oklahoma State is the only school in the Big 12 Conference that has three different players ranked among the league's top 10 in scoring.
• State is also the only school in the Big 12 that has three players ranked among the top 15 in rebounding.
• The Cowboys are currently shooting 77.9 percent from the charity stripe, leading the Big 12 Conference and ranking ninth nationally.
• OSU ranks second in the Big 12 and 12th nationally in field-goal percentage defense.
• Oklahoma State is one of seven schools that are currently ranked in both the men's and women's Associated Press polls.
• Oklahoma State has won 177 of its last 181 non-conference games, dating back to 1987, good for a .978 winning percentage.
Last Time vs Central Arkansas
Oklahoma State and Central Arkansas have played only once on the hardwood. That game took place on Dec. 1, 2010, when the Cowboys handed the Bears a 69-57 loss. Keiton Page scored a game-high 17 points in the game, including a perfect 10-of-10 from the free-throw line. Jean-Paul Olukemi added 15 points and seven rebounds, while Marshall Moses recorded a double-double with 14 points and 11 boards. The Cowboys outrebounded the Bears by 22 (48-26), but made just 1 of 12 shots from long range, leading to a 12-point game. OSU outscored UCA 38-14 in the paint, and scored 14 fastbreak points in the win. Markel Brown, the only currently active Cowboy to play in that game, scored two points in 12 minutes off the bench. Ryan Williams, the only current Bear to play in that contest, scored nine points in 24 minutes of play off the bench.
OSU-UCA Ties
Central Arkansas has two players from the state of Oklahoma listed on its roster. Senior guard Robert Crawford is originally from Broken Arrow via Connors State. Center Sean Young is a freshman from Bixby.
Against the Southland Conference
Oklahoma State is 48-9 (.842) all-time against current members of the Southland Conference. That mark includes a 15-5 (.750) record against the league's newest member, Oral Roberts. Here is a look at the Cowboys' records against the rest of the team in the Southland: Northwestern State -- 9-1 (.900), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 9-0 (1.000), Lamar --6-1 (.857), Stephen F. Austin --2-2 (.500), Southeastern Louisiana --3-0 (1.000), Sam Houston State 2-- 2-0 (1.000), Nicholls --1-0 (1.000), and Central Arkansas --1-0 (1.000). Oklahoma State has never played the McNeese State Cowboys on the hardwood.
Tough at Home
Gallagher-Iba Arena is a very formidable place to play for opposing teams. Since the beginning of the 1988-89 season, the Cowboys have a 317-45 record on the white maple court, good for a .876 winning percentage. In fact, Oklahoma State has won 177 of its last 181 non-conference games, dating back to 1987, good for a .978 winning percentage.
Of OSU's last 12 losses at home, nine have been to ranked opponents. Since the beginning of the 2007-08 season, the Cowboys have eight wins over ranked opponents inside Gallagher-Iba Arena, including three victories over top-five teams (defeated fourth-ranked Kansas 61-60 on Feb. 23, 2008; defeated the top-ranked Jayhawks 85-77 on Feb. 27, 2010; and defeated No. 2 Missouri 79-72 on Jan. 25, 2012).
Balanced Scoring
Oklahoma State is the only school in the Big 12 Conference that has three different players ranked among the league's top 11 in scoring. Le'Bryan Nash ranks second, Markel Brown is tied for seventh and Marcus Smart is 11th. Baylor (Pierre Jackson is first and Isaiah Austin is sixth), Kansas (Ben McLemore is third and Jeff Withey is ninth) and Iowa State (Will Clyburn is tied for seventh, Tyrus McGee is 10th) have two players ranked in the top 10, while Texas and Texas Tech each have one player each among the top 11.
Team Rebounding
Oklahoma State is also the only school in the Big 12 that has three players ranked among the top 15 in rebounding. Marcus Smart ranks eighth, Kamari Murphy is tied for 11th and Philip Jurick ranks 14th. Iowa State, Baylor, Kansas and Oklahoma each have two players ranked among the top 15.
Four Cowboys are currently averaging at least five rebounds a game. Smart leads the squad with his 7.4 rebounds per game. Murphy is grabbing 6.9 boards per contest, while Jurick is averaging 6.6 boards per game. Le'Bryan Nash is averaging 5.1 rpg and Markel Brown is fifth at 4.9 rebounds.
As a team, Oklahoma State has grabbed at least 40 rebounds in five games this season. Last year, the Cowboys record 40 or more rebounds in a single game just five times all season.
Stifling Defense
While Oklahoma State has added some serious firepower to the offensive end of the court, it's on defense where the Cowboys have been flourishing. OSU has allowed more than 65 points only once this season, and has held its opponents to under 60 points in five of the last six games. In fact, the Pokes have held their last two opponents under 50 points, the second-consecutive season OSU has done that under Ford, and just the second time since the 2001-02 season. The last time the Cowboys' defense held three-consecutive opponents under 50 points? That was 1963 (OSU defeated Nebraska 51-41, lost at Colorado 40-49, and lost at Nebraska 48-49).
Equally stifling is the opponents' field-goal percentage. The Cowboys have held six of their last seven opponents to less than 40 percent shooting from the floor, and only Virginia Tech has shot better than 42 percent so far this season against the Pokes. OSU is second in the Big 12 and ranks 12th nationally in field-goal percentage defense.
Team Free-Throw Shooting
Oklahoma State has proven that as a team, it has the ability to make free throws. The Cowboys are currently shooting 77.9 percent from the charity stripe, leading the Big 12 Conference and ranking ninth nationally. In fact, the next-closest team in the league is Kansas at 75.1 percent, nearly 30 percentage points lower than OSU. The school record for a season is 79.1 percent during the 1957-58 season. Le'Bryan Nash made 13-of-13 free throws against N.C. State, tying for the fifth-most FTs made without a miss by a Cowboy in a single game.
National Rankings
For the fourth-consecutive week, the Cowboys are ranked in both the national polls. Oklahoma State is currently 24th in the Associated Press poll and 23rd in the USA Today Coaches polls. It is OSU's first mention in the polls since the 2006-07 season.
Oklahoma State is one of seven schools that are currently ranked in both the men's and women's Associated Press polls. The others are: Duke, Kansas, Louisville, North Carolina, Notre Dame and Ohio State.
The Stat Sheet Stuffer
Marcus Smart fills the stat sheet better than anyone else in the league. He is the only player in the Big 12 Conference who ranks among the top-15 statistically in all five major categories (points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocked shots). He is second in steals, fourth in assists, eighth in rebounding, 11th in scoring and 13th in blocked shots. He is third in minutes played, fifth in defensive rebounds, eighth in assist-to-turnover ratio and ninth in free-throw percentage. That's nine different statistical categories in which he ranks among the Big 12's top 10.
Equal Distribution
Marcus Smart scored 100 points in the first seven games of his career, the second-fastest Cowboy ever to 100 points (James Anderson reach 100 in his sixth game). However, Smart's assists have led to nearly as many points by his teammates. Smart has handed out 40 assists this season, leading to a total of 98 points by his teammates, just nine fewer than he's scored. His 40 assists have led to five jumpers, five layups, 12 dunks and 18 three pointers.
The expectation would be that most of Smart's assists have gone to Phil Forte, his teammate since the third grade. That assumption would be inaccurate. Of Smart's 40 assists, 12 have gone to Markel Brown, while 11 have ended up in the hands of Forte. Although, Forte has scored more points (32) than Brown (28) off of Smart's assists, due to the fact that all but one of Forte's baskets off a Smart pass have been three pointers.
Le'Bryan Nash has scored 14 points off six Smart assists, while Kamari Murphy and Michael Cobbins have each scored eight points off four assists by Smart.
