Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Host Zags New Year's Eve
December 28, 2012 | Cowboy Basketball
Dec. 28, 2012
#22 Oklahoma State vs #13 Gonzaga
5 pm | Monday, December 31, 2012
Stillwater, Okla. | Gallagher-Iba Arena (13,611)
Television -- ESPN2
Jon Sciambi | play-by-play
Fran Fraschilla | analyst
Cox (OKC) -- 28
Cox (Tulsa) -- 26
Suddenlink -- 32
direcTV -- 209
Dish -- 144
Radio
Dave Hunziker | play-by-play
John Holcomb | analyst
Satellite Radio -- Sirius 123 • XM 190
Game Notes vs Gonzaga in PDF format
Game Information
Oklahoma State will wrap up the non-conference portion of its schedule on Dec. 31 as the Cowboys host the Gonzaga Bulldogs in a 5 pm tipoff. The game will be televised by ESPN2. OSU is 27-24 all-time on ESPN2 and 55-19 all-time on national television at home. It will be the final of six-consecutive home games for OSU, the first time since the 1997-98 season that the Cowboys played six straight at home.
About Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State is 10-1 this season and ranked No. 22 in both the Associated Press and the USA Today Coaches poll, and 18th according to RPIRatings.com.
Le'Bryan Nash leads the Cowboys in scoring, averaging 14.9 ppg and ranking fifth in the Big 12 Conference. Markel Brown is second on the squad at 14 ppg and Marcus Smart is averaging 12.5 points and a team-high 5.1 assists per contest. Phil Forte is averaging 10.9 ppg off the bench and has made a team-high 27 three pointers. Philip Jurick is first and Kamari Murphy third on the team in rebounding, averaging 6.9 and 6.2 boards per game, respectively.
The Cowboy defense is limiting its opponents to just 55.5 points per game and 35.8 percent shooting from the floor. OSU has held five opponents under the half-century mark this year, a feat which has not been accomplished since the 2000-01 season.
About Gonzaga
Gonzaga is 11-1 this season and plays Baylor Friday night at home. The Bulldogs are ranked 13th in both the AP and Coaches polls, and currently sit in 22nd place on the RPIRatings.com rankings. GU is led by senior forward Elias Harris who is averaging 15.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, both team highs. Junior forward Kelly Olynyk is averaging 14.6 points and 6.6 boards per contest. The Zags have already defeated West Virginia (84-50), Oklahoma (72-47) and Kansas State (68-52), and Monday's game against OSU will be the fifth of the season against a Big 12 foe. Gonzaga won the Old Spice Classic with an 81-67 victory over Davidson. Two sophomores make up the Bulldog starting backcourt, with Gary Bell averaging 10.5 points while Kevin Pangos chips in 9.9 points while dishing out 3.8 assists per contest.
Cowboy Quick Hits
• Oklahoma State has defeated at least one ranked opponent inside Gallagher-Iba Arena in each of the past 14 seasons, dating back to 1998-99.
• Oklahoma State has given up 55.5 points per game thus far. The last time the Cowboys gave up fewer points in the first 11 games of the season? That would be 1962-63, when OSU allowed 53.4 points through the first 11 contests.
• OSU ranks 12th nationally in both scoring defense and FG pct defense.
• Oklahoma State leads the Big 12 Conference and ranks 10th nationally in free-throw shooting at 76.8 percent.
• OSU is the only school in the Big 12 that has three different players ranked among the top 15 in rebounding.
• Oklahoma State is one of three teams in the Big 12 Conference that has three different players ranked among the league's top 16 in scoring.
• Since 1994-95, OSU has had three-consecutive games with 40 or more rebounds on only four occasions, including twice this season.
• Oklahoma State is one of six schools that are currently ranked in both the men's and women's Associated Press polls.
• OSU has won 180 of its last 184 non-conference home games, dating back to 1987, good for a .978 winning percentage.
Ranked Non-Conference Foes in Gallagher-Iba Arena
As the No. 13-ranked team in the country this week, Gonzaga comes into Gallagher-Iba Arena as the highest-ranked non-conference opponent to step on the white-maple floor since Dec. 6, 1980, when eighth-ranked Louisville came through the doors of Gallagher Hall. The Cowboys defeated the Cardinals, 72-71.
The last time a ranked non-league foe came to Stillwater was on Dec. 5, 1989, when the Memphis Tigers entered Gallagher Hall as the No. 16 team in the country and left after a 93-66 defeat at the hands of the Cowboys. In fact, Oklahoma State is 7-5 all-time against ranked non-conference teams inside Gallagher-Iba Arena since the polls began in 1949.
Against Ranked Opponents in GIA
Oklahoma State has defeated at least one ranked opponent inside Gallagher-Iba Arena in each of the past 14 seasons, dating back to 1998-99. The Cowboys are 25-14 (64.1 percent) during that span against ranked foes at home.
OSU's game against Gonzaga will mark the 33rd consecutive season that Oklahoma State has played at least one ranked team inside Gallagher-Iba Arena.
Since 1988-89, OSU has defeated at least one ranked foe in 23 of the last 24 home slates (the Cowboys lost their only game against a ranked opponent at home to fourth-ranked Kansas during the 1997-98 season). The Cowboys are 40-21 (65.6 percent) against ranked foes during that span in Stillwater.
That timeframe includes a 79-72 win over No. 2 Missouri on Jan. 25 of last season. It also includes a win over top-ranked Kansas in 2009-10, defeating the fourth-ranked Jayhawks in 2007-08, a win over No. 6 Texas in 2005-06, beating the third-ranked Longhorns in 2002-03, a victory over No. 5 Oklahoma in 2002-03, and defeating the fourth-ranked Sooners in 2001-02.
Series History With Gonzaga
Oklahoma State has played Gonzaga four times in the past eight seasons and has yet to defeat the Bulldogs. The first meeting was on Dec. 28, 2004, when the Cowboys and Zags played in the All-College Classic in Oklahoma City. The 12th-ranked Bulldogs defeated the No. 3 Cowboys 78-75 as Gonzaga shot 57.4 percent from the floor. OSU fell to the ninth-ranked Zags on Dec. 10, 2005, when Adam Morrison's prayer from just inside midcourt banked off the backboard and in, giving Gonzaga a 64-62 victory. The two teams met again in the 2008 Old Spice Classic, with the Cowboys falling to the ninth-ranked Bulldogs 83-71. In the last meeting on Dec. 31, 2010, Gonzaga defeated Oklahoma State 73-52 in the first of this home-and-home series.
Last Time vs the Zags
Oklahoma State led by as many as six points midway through the first half, but Gonzaga took a 40-26 halftime lead and never looked back as the Bulldogs defeated the Cowboys 73-52 on New Year's Eve of 2010 in Spokane, Wash. Marshall Moses scored 17 points for OSU and Jean-Paul Olukemi added 11 off the bench, but Gonzaga's Elias Harris scored a game-high 22 and Robert Sacre added 16 points to go along with 15 rebounds as the Zags outrebounded the Pokes 44-32. OSU committed just 10 turnovers in the game, but shot just 36.2 percent from the floor and a dismal 5 of 14 from the free-throw line. Markel Brown, the only active Cowboy who played in that game, scored seven points while grabbing six rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench.
Against the West Coast Conference
Oklahoma State is 18-9 all-time against current members of the West Coast Conference. The Cowboys are undefeated against Loyola Marymount (4-0), Saint Mary's (2-0), Portland (1-0), San Diego (1-0), San Francisco (1-0) and Santa Clara (1-0). OSU is 5-1 all-time against Pepperdine and 3-4 vs BYU.
National Rankings
For the sixth-consecutive week, the Cowboys are ranked in both the national polls. Oklahoma State is currently 22nd in both the Associated Press poll and the USA Today Coaches poll. It is OSU's first mention in the polls since the 2006-07 season. Oklahoma State is one of five schools that are currently ranked in both the men's and women's Associated Press polls. The others are: Duke, Kansas, Louisville and Notre Dame.
There are only six schools nationally that, when combining their men's and women's team, have two or fewer losses between them. Duke's squads are a combined 21-0 (men 11-0, women 10-0), and the Cowboys are 10-1 and the Cowgirls are 9-0 for a 19-1 mark between the two teams. Michigan is a combined 22-2, Notre Dame and Syracuse are both a combined 21-2, and Colorado is a combined 19-2.
Keeping it Close
Even though Oklahoma State has trailed by as many as 11 points in a game this season, the Cowboys have kept a close eye on their opponents. Through 11 games, OSU has trailed by more than one possession for just 17 minutes and 44 seconds, and nearly 10 minutes of that came in the last 13 minutes of the Virginia Tech game. Oklahoma State has either led or trailed by no more than three points for 96 percent of the 445 minutes of court time. The Pokes trailed Akron by four points for a little over two minutes of overtime in Puerto Rico, and trailed Central Arkansas by as many as 11 points for nearly six minutes. In the eight remaining games, OSU has not fallen behind by more than one possession.
Stifling Defense
The Cowboys are priding themselves on defense. Through 11 games this season, Oklahoma State has held its opponent under the half-century mark five times, matching the most since the 1964-65 season when the Cowboys held six opponents under 50 points. OSU has allowed more than 65 points only once this season, and has held its opponents to under 50 points in four of the last five games. The Pokes limited South Florida and Missouri State to fewer than 50 points in back-to-back games, and accomplished that same feat against UT Arlington and Tennessee Tech. Three times since 2001-02 has OSU held consecutive opponents to under 50 points, and all three have occurred in the last two seasons.
Equally stifling is the opponents' field-goal percentage. OSU ranks third in the Big 12 in FG percentage defense at 35.8 percent (Texas has a 33.8 FG percentage defense to lead the league). The Cowboys have held nine of their last 10 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. Entering the holiday season, OSU ranks 12th nationally in both scoring defense and field-goal percentage defense.
Block Party
As a team, Oklahoma State is averaging 5.5 blocked shots per game, good for third in the Big 12 and 22nd nationally. That average currently ranks as the second-highest average in school history, behind the 1988-89 squad that averaged 6.3 blocks per game. Oklahoma State is one of four teams nationally that has three different players ranked among the top 250 shot blockers in the NCAA. Marcus Smart and Philip Jurick are both tied for 200th nationally, while Kamari Murphy ranks 226th. Cincinnati, Minnesota and Syracuse are the other three schools.
Balanced Scoring
Oklahoma State is one of three teams in the Big 12 Conference that has three different players ranked among the league's top 16 in scoring. Le'Bryan Nash is fifth in the Big 12, Markel Brown ranks seventh and Marcus Smart is is currently 16th. Baylor (Pierre Jackson is first, Isaiah Austin is eighth and Cory Jefferson is 12th) and Kansas (Ben McLemore is second, Jeff Withey is sixth and Travis Releford is 13th) both also have three players ranked among the top scorers.
Team Rebounding
Oklahoma State is the only school in the Big 12 that has three players ranked among the top 15 in rebounding. Philip Jurick is tied for 10th at 6.9 rebounds per game, while Marcus Smart ranks 14th (6.4 rpg) and Kamari Murphy ranks 15th (6.2 rpg). Iowa State, Baylor and Kansas each have two players among the top 15.
Six Cowboys are currently averaging at least 4.6 rebounds a game. Along with the aforementioned trio, Michael Cobbins has grabbed eight rebounds in three of his last four games and is averaging 5.2 boards per game. Le'Bryan Nash is grabbing 4.7 rebounds per contest, and Markel Brown is averaging 4.6 rpg.
Since 1994-95, Oklahoma State has had three-consecutive games with 40 or more rebounds on only four occasions, including twice this season. The others were in 1996-97 and 1997-98. OSU has grabbed at least 40 rebounds in six of 11 games. Last season, the Cowboys record 40 or more rebounds in a single game just five times.
Free-Throw Shooting
Oklahoma State leads the Big 12 Conference and ranks 10th nationally in free-throw percentage at 76.8 percent. The next-closest team in the league is Kansas at 73.7 percent, 30 percentage points lower than OSU. Five different Cowboys are shooting better than 75 percent from the line and three are shooting better than 80 percent. Le'Bryan Nash and Marcus Smart have been frequent visitors to the charity stripe. Nash ranks second and Smart is fourth in the Big 12 Conference in free-throw attempts per game. Only Texas' Sheldon McClellan has made more trips to the line than Nash in the league.
Stop, Thief!
Marcus Smart has 30 steals through 11 games this season, an average of 2.7 thefts per game. That average ranks as the second-highest in school history, behind only Brooks Thompson's 2.9 steal-per-game average in 1993-94. Smart's total already ranks fifth among all-time freshmen in school history. He's on pace to challenge the Big 12 freshman record of 89, set by Kansas' Mario Chalmers in 2005-06 in 33 games. Cookie Belcher of Nebraska had 87 steals in 33 games in 1996-97.
Top Shot-Blocking Guard
With two blocked shots against UT Arlington, Markel Brown tied James Anderson for the most career blocks ever by a Cowboy guard. Brown now has 61, surpassing Anderson's three-year mark. Anderson accomplished the mark in 101 games, while Brown reached that mark in 77 contests. The current Cowboy also has the most blocked shots ever by a Cowboy under 6-5.
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-16 statistically in all five major categories (points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocked shots). He leads the league in steals, is fourth in assists, is tied for eighth in blocked shots, ranks 14th in rebounding and is 16th in scoring. He is also sixth in minutes played, ninth in defensive rebounds, fifth in free-throw percentage and eighth in assist-to-turnover ratio. That's seven different statistical categories in which he ranks among the Big 12's top 10.
Sharing the Wealth
Marcus Smart has scored 138 points so far this season. However, Smart's assists have led to nearly as many points by his teammates. Smart has handed out 56 assists this season, leading to a total of 136 points by his teammates, just two fewer than he's scored. His 56 assists have led to eight jumpers, eight layups, 16 dunks and 24 three pointers. Smart has been involved in 274 of OSU's 793 points, or 34.6 percent.
Of Smart's 56 assists, 16 have gone to Phil Forte, leading to 46 points, including 14 three-pointers. Markel Brown has been on the receiving end of 16 Smart assists as well, leading to 37 points, while Le'Bryan Nash has scored 20 points off nine Smart assists. Kamari Murphy has scored 15 points off seven assists by Smart, and Michael Cobbins has scored eight points off four Smart assists.
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 320-45 record on the white maple court, good for a .877 winning percentage. In fact, Oklahoma State has won 180 of its last 184 non-conference home 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).
