Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Face Mountaineers in Morgantown
February 22, 2013 | Cowboy Basketball
Feb. 22, 2013
No. 14 Oklahoma State at West Virginia
1 pm CT (2 pm ET) | Saturday, February 23, 2013
Morgantown, W. Va. | WVU Coliseum (14,000)
Television — ESPN2
Jon Sciambi | play-by-play
Fran Fraschilla | analyst
Cox (OKC) — 28
Cox (Tulsa) — 26
Suddenlink — 32
direcTV — 209
Dish — 144
AT&T U-Verse — 606
Radio
Dave Hunziker | play-by-play
John Holcomb | analyst
Satellite Radio — Sirius 91 • XM 91
Game notes vs West Virginia in PDF format
Game Information
Oklahoma State travels to Morgantown, W. Va., for the first time in school history as the Cowboys face Big 12 newcomer West Virginia on Saturday, Feb. 23, at 1 pm CT (2 pm ET) in the WVU Coliseum. The game will be televised on ESPN2, with Jon Sciambi handling the play-by-play duties and Fran Fraschilla providing expert analysis.
About Oklahoma State
OSU is 19-6 overall and 9-4 in Big 12 action following a 68-67 two-overtime loss to Kansas in Stillwater on Wednesday. The Cowboys are currently in third place in the Big 12 Conference standings, one game behind Kansas and Kansas State. OSU is currently ranked No. 14 in both the Associated Press poll and the USA Today Coaches poll, and No. 12 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index.
Markel Brown leads OSU offensively, averaging 15.9 ppg while shooting 39.1 percent from beyond the arc. Marcus Smart is second with his 15 ppg, while Le'Bryan Nash is chipping in 13.1 ppg. Smart leads the Pokes in assists (109) and steals (72). Philip Jurick is the team leader in rebounds, averaging 6.5 per game. Phil Forte is also averaging double figures in scoring at 11.3 points per contest and shooting 89.1 percent from the free-throw line.
The Cowboy defense is limiting its opponents to just 61.8 points per game and 39.3 percent shooting from the floor. OSU has held 19 opponents under 70 points this year, and is second in league-games only in scoring margin (+7.0 ppg), rebounding margin (+2.1 rpg) and turnover margin (+2.5). Five Cowboys have blocked 18 or more shots this season: Michael Cobbins has 30, Jurick has 26, Brown has 21, Smart has 20 and Kamari Murphy has blocked 18 shots.
About West Virginia
West Virginia is 13-13 overall this season and 6-7 in league play. The Mountaineers are 8-3 at home, with wins over TCU, Texas and Texas Tech. WVU is led by junior center Aaric Murray who is averaging 9.1 ppg and 6.5 rpg. Senior forward Deniz Kilicli is averaging 8.9 ppg and 4.3 rpg, while freshman guard Eron Harris is chipping in 8.8 ppg and 2.0 rpg. As a team, West Virginia has a +2.0 rebounding margin and a +1.6 turnover margin this season and is averaging 7.6 steals per contest. No Mountaineer is averaging more than 29 minutes played per game, but 11 are averaging at least 10 minutes per contest. Bob Huggins is the head coach at WVU and is 133-69 in his sixth season at the school. He is 723-280 in his 31st season overall.
Cowboy Quick Hits
• OSU has defeated two top-10 teams this season, both away from Gallagher-Iba Arena (#6/6 NC State in Puerto Rico, #1/2 Kansas in Lawrence).
• Oklahoma State's next win will be the 100th of head coach Travis Ford's tenure in Stillwater.
• Oklahoma State leads the Big 12 Conference in free-throw percentage at 73.8 percent.
• Oklahoma State leads the Big 12 Conference in turnover margin, averaging 2.8 fewer turnovers per game than its opponents.
• Phil Forte ranks fifth nationally for three-pointers made by a freshman.
• Smart leads the league in steals, is fourth in scoring, sixth in assists, 15th in blocked shots and 16th in rebounding.
• Smart has the most assists by any freshman on a team ranked in the top 25.
• Michael Cobbins has more blocked shots than any other sophomore in the Big 12 and ranks second for rebounds per game by a league sophomore.
• Oklahoma State is the only team in the Big 12 Conference that has three different players ranked among the league's top 12 in scoring.
Series History vs West Virginia
OSU's series history with West Virginia. The Cowboys are 1-1 all-time against the Mountaineers, newcomers to the Big 12 Conference. In the only other meeting before this season, Oklahoma State lost to WVU 67-49 on Dec. 19, 1958, in Lexington, Ky.
Last Time vs the Mountaineers
Oklahoma State led by just three points at intermission, but Cowboys outscored West Virginia, 50-39, in the second half and rolled to an 80-66 victory in Stillwater.
Phil Forte scored a career-high 26 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the floor, including 6-of-11 from beyond the arc. The Cowboy freshman also dished out four assists. His 26 points are tied for the fourth-most off the bench in school history. Markel Brown scored 24 points and dished out five assists for OSU, going 8-of-13 from the field, including 4-of-6 from long range.
The Cowboys shot 48 percent from the floor as a team, including 10 of 19 (52.6%) from three-point range. OSU also made 20 of 25 free throws.
Eron Harris had a team-high 17 points for the Mountaineers, including 5-of-8 shots from beyond the arc. Aaric Murray had a double-double with 11 points and 10 boards off the bench, and Deniz Kilicli scored 12.
Moving up in the Polls
Oklahoma State is currently ranked No. 14 in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches polls, the highest ranking for the Cowboys this season. In fact, it's the highest ranking for an OSU squad since Jan. 29, 2007, when the Pokes were ranked No. 12 in the AP poll and No. 14 in the Coaches poll. Oklahoma State has been ranked in 10 of the 16 weekly rankings this season, including seven-straight weeks from Nov. 19-Dec. 31 and the current three-week string.
Balanced Scoring
Oklahoma State is the only team in the Big 12 Conference that has three different players ranked among the league's top 12 in scoring and one of two teams with four players ranked among the top 20. Markel Brown ranks third (15.9 ppg), Marcus Smart ranks fourth (15.0 ppg), Le'Bryan Nash ranks 12th (13.1 ppg) and Phil Forte is tied for 17th (11.3 ppg) in the Big 12 scoring ranks. Baylor and Kansas each have two scorers ranked among the top 12, and Iowa State has four players ranked in the top 20. Not surprisingly, all three of the Cowboys who rank among the league's best scorers are also among the Big 12's top-10 free-throw shooters (Smart ranks seventh, Nash 10th and Brown 11th in free-throw percentage).
Free-Throw Shooting
Oklahoma State leads the Big 12 Conference in free-throw percentage at 73.8 percent. Five different Cowboys are shooting better than 72 percent from the line: Phil Forte (89.1%), Marcus Smart (77.7%), Le'Bryan Nash (74.8%), Michael Cobbins (73.3%) and Markel Brown (72.5%). Oklahoma State has shot better than 73 percent as a team just 11 previous times in a single season, and just four times since 1978.
Turnover Margin
Oklahoma State leads the Big 12 Conference in turnover margin, averaging 2.8 fewer turnovers per game than its opponents. The Cowboys are forcing an average of 15.1 turnovers by their opponents, also tops in the league. Their 12.3 turnovers committed per contest ranks third in the Big 12. The current turnover margin for OSU would rank fourth in school history. Oklahoma State has had a positive turnover margin greater than 2.0 just seven times in school history, including the school record +3.5 turnover margin created during the 1997-98 season.
Scoring Margin
Oklahoma State ranks second in the Big 12 Conference with a +10.9 scoring margin, trailing only the Kansas Jayhawks' +12.9 scoring margin. OSU's average ranks 24th nationally. The Cowboys have had a scoring margin greater than 10.0 just seven times since 1989-90, and not since 2004-05 has OSU averaged 6.3 points per game more than its opponent. The great scoring margin has as much to do with Oklahoma State's offense as it does its defense. The Cowboys rank fourth in the Big 12 in both scoring offense (72.7 ppg) and scoring defense (61.8 ppg). Those numbers rank 56th and 62nd, respectively in the NCAA.
FG Percentage Defense
OSU's defense is limiting its opponents to success on just 39.3% of their shots from the floor. That percentage ranks third in the Big 12 Conference and is the lowest FG% defense by a Cowboy squad since 1999-2000. The current percentage is the third-lowest allowed by an OSU team since 1964-65 (OSU's FG% allowed in 1994-95 was also 39.3%). The only other time OSU has maintained a FG% allowed under 40% since 1964-65 was in 2002-03 (39.4%).
Defensive Pride
Statistically, Oklahoma State is one of the top defensive teams in the Big 12 Conference. The Cowboys rank second in steals, third in FG percentage defense, third in blocked shots, third in defensive rebound percentage, fourth in scoring defense, and fourth in defensive rebounds. The only defensive statistical category OSU doesn't excel in is three-point FG percentage defense, where the Pokes rank seventh.
Although there are still five regular-season games remaining, this Cowboy defense ranks among the school's best. Not since 1968-69 has an OSU squad allowed fewer than 62 points per game in a full season. This year's team is allowing just 61.8 ppg through 25 contests. OSU has held 12 teams below 60 points this season in regulation, including five conference teams. Baylor (59) and Kansas (57) were both held below 60 in regulation, but the games went into overtime.
Big-Time Turnaround
Last season was difficult for the Cowboy Basketball team. It was the first time OSU had finished sub-.500 since the 1987-88 squad finished 14-16. However, the turnaround this season has been extraordinary. OSU was 12-13 through 25 games last season, and is currently 19-6, a seven-game improvement. The difference in winning percentage is even more amazing. Oklahoma State had a .455 winning percentage last season, but has improved to .760 this year through 25 games. That leads to a +30.55% difference, which ranks as the fourth-best improvement over last season by any team in the NCAA among leagues ranked in the top-10 of the RPI. Arizona State of the Pac-12 went from 10-21 last year to 20-7 so far this season, an improvment of 41.82%. Santa Clara of the West Coast Conference went from 8-22 last season to 17-9 so far, a 38.72% improvement. Bradley of the Missouri Valley conference has gone from 7-25 last year to 15-13 so far this season, an improvement of 31.70%.
What Can (Markel) Brown Do For You?
Junior guard Markel Brown has steadily improved over his first three seasons at Oklahoma State. During the offseason, he worked hard on improving his shooting percentages, and it has shown. As a freshman, he averaged 6.4 ppg, and that improved to 10.5 ppg as a sophomore. This season, he is averaging nearly 16 ppg.
Markel shot 39.4% as a freshman (26.2% from three-point range) and as a sophomore, his numbers improved to 42.6% FG and 31.9% 3pt-FG. This season, he's shooting 44.5% from the floor and 39.1% from long range. His numbers even improve during the course of the season, evidenced by his improved numbers overall and in league-games only.
Top Sixth Man?
Phil Forte has been an instrumental part of the Cowboys' successful play this season. Despite starting just one game this season, he sees a lot of court time. In fact, in the Big 12 Conference, he averages more minutes per game than 26 players who have started at least 50 percent of their teams' games. He's actually averaging more minutes per game than any player who has started for Oklahoma or Texas Tech this season, and has more minutes averaged than 11 of 12 players who have started for West Virginia. Forte is averaging more minutes per game than 62 of the 86 players who have started for any Big 12 team this season, including four on the Cowboys' squad.
Forte ranks among the league's best players off the bench. He ranks 17th in the league in scoring and seventh in steals. Iowa State's Tyrus McGee (two starts) ranks 11th in scoring and eighth in steals, while Texas Tech's Jaye Crockett (three starts) ranks 13th in scoring and ninth in steals.
Stop, Thief!
Marcus Smart has 72 steals through 25 games this season, establishing a school record by a freshman. The previous record was 67 by Byron Eaton. Smart is currently in fifth place on the OSU single-season steals list, and already owns the school record for most steals in league play with 41 (the previous record was 35 by Tony Allen).
Smart averages 2.88 thefts per game, which leads the Big 12 Conference and ranks fifth nationally. That average would be the second highest in school history, trailing only Brooks Thompson's 2.91 steal-per-game average as a senior in 1993-94, the current school record. Smart is on pace to challenge the Big 12 freshman record of 89, set by Kansas' Mario Chalmers in 2005-06 in 33 games (2.70 spg).
Thieving Brothers
With his friend since third grade leading the league in steals, it's only appropriate that Phil Forte has decided to join the mix. The Cowboy freshman ranks seventh in the Big 12 Conference in steals, averaging 1.44 per contest. Between the two of them, Smart and Forte have 108 steals, an average of 4.32 per game. The Baylor duo of A.J. Walton and Pierre Jackson rank third and fourth, respectively, in the Big 12, and have combined for 88 steals.
Team Rebounding
Six Cowboys are currently averaging at least 4.2 rebounds a game. Philip Jurick leads the team with 6.5 rpg, while Michael Cobbins is grabbing 6.3 rpg. Marcus Smart is averaging 5.9 rpg and Markel Brown is averaging 4.5 rpg. Kamari Murphy is averaging 4.3 rebounds per contest and Le'Bryan Nash is grabbing 4.2 per game.
OSU has grabbed at least 40 rebounds in 12 of 25 games this year. Last season, the Cowboys recorded 40 or more rebounds in a game just five times. The last time OSU had at least 40 rebounds in 12 games was 2003-04 when the Pokes grabbed 40 or more boards in 13 contests. Since 1994-95, Oklahoma State has had three-consecutive games with 40 or more rebounds on only five occasions, including three times this season.
Block Party
As a team, Oklahoma State is averaging 4.88 blocked shots per game, good for third in the Big 12. That average currently ranks as the fourth-highest average in school history.
Three current players also rank among the top-15 shot blockers in school history. With three deflections against Kansas, Michael Cobbins now has 79 career deflections, good for 10th place on the school list. He is averaging 1.49 blocks per game in his career, which ranks fifth in school history. With 26 on the season, Philip Jurick has 73 in his career and is tied for 11th place on the career blocks list, matching his teammate Markel Brown, who has 21 this season, and Andrew Jones, who had 73 from 1976-78.
Cobbins ranks sixth, Jurick is ninth, Brown ranks 14th and Marcus Smart 15th in the Big 12 for blocked shots this season.
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 league's leaders statistically in all five major categories (points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks). Smart leads the league in steals, is fourth in scoring, sixth in assists, 15th in blocked shots and 16th in rebounding. He is also fifth in minutes played, seventh in free-throw percentage, eighth in assist-turnover ratio and 12th in defensive rebounds. That's nine different statistical categories in which he ranks among the Big 12's top 16.
Up Next
Oklahoma State will face back-to-back Big 12 newcomers on the road this week. The Cowboys head to Fort Worth, Texas, to take on Wednesday as OSU faces TCU (10-16, 1-11), at 6 pm on Feb. 27. The game will be televised by ESPNU. Oklahoma State will then host the Texas Longhorns (12-14, 4-9) on Saturday, March 2, at 3 pm inside Gallagher-Iba Arena. That game will be televised on ESPN.
