Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Host Longhorns on ESPN
March 01, 2013 | Cowboy Basketball
March 1, 2013
No. 15 Oklahoma State vs Texas
3 pm | Saturday, March 2, 2013
Stillwater, Okla. | Gallagher-Iba Arena (13,611)
Television — ESPN
Jon Sciambi | play-by-play
Fran Fraschilla | analyst
Cox (OKC) — 29
Cox (Tulsa) — 25
Suddenlink — 31
direcTV — 206
Dish — 140
AT&T U-Verse — 602
Radio — Cowboy Radio Network
Dave Hunziker | play-by-play
John Holcomb | analyst
Satellite Radio — Sirius 85 • XM 85
Game Notes vs Texas in PDF format
Game Information
Oklahoma State hosts the Texas Longhorns in its next-to-last home game of the regular season. Tipoff for Saturday's contest is set for 3 pm, and the game will be televised by ESPN, with Jon Sciambi handling the play-by-play duties and Fran Fraschilla providing expert analysis. The radio broadcast will be available on satellite radio (both Sirius and XM, channel 85).
About Oklahoma State
OSU is 21-6 overall and 11-4 in Big 12 action following a 64-47 win at TCU on Wednesday. The Cowboys are in third place in the Big 12 Conference standings, one game behind Kansas and Kansas State. OSU is ranked No. 15 in the Associated Press poll and 18th in the USA Today Coaches poll. The Cowboys are No. 9 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index.
Markel Brown leads OSU offensively, averaging 15.6 ppg while shooting 39.1 percent from beyond the arc. Marcus Smart is second with his 14.7 ppg, while Le'Bryan Nash is chipping in 13.8 ppg. Smart leads the Pokes in assists (118) and steals (78). Michael Cobbins and Philip Jurick are leading the team in rebounding, averaging 6.4 and 6.1 boards per game, respectively. Phil Forte is also averaging double figures in scoring at 10.6 points per contest and shooting 89.4 percent from the free-throw line.
The Cowboy defense is limiting its opponents to just 61.1 points per game and 38.5 percent shooting from the floor. OSU has held 21 opponents under 70 points this year, and is second in league-games only in scoring margin (+8.3 ppg) and turnover margin (+2.5), and is third in rebounding margin (+1.6 rpg). Five Cowboys have blocked 18 or more shots this season: Michael Cobbins has 35, Jurick has 29, Brown has 23, Smart has 21 and Kamari Murphy has blocked 18 shots.
About Texas
Texas is 13-15 overall this season and 5-10 in league play following a 92-86 overtime win against Oklahoma in Austin on Wednesday. The Longhorns have won three of their last five, including two OT contests. They are 1-7 on the road this season, their lone victory at TCU on Feb. 19. UT has three players averaging double figures, including sophomore guard Myck Kabongo, who is averaging 18.6 ppg in five contests after missing the first 23 games of the season. Sophomore guard Sheldon McClellon is averaging 13.8 ppg, while freshman guard Julien Lewis is chipping in 10.3 ppg. Rick Barnes is the head coach at Texas and is 355-152 in his 15th season with the Longhorns.
Cowboy Quick Hits
• OSU has defeated two top-10 teams this season, both away from Gallagher-Iba Arena (#6/6 N.C. State in Puerto Rico, #1/2 Kansas in Lawrence).
• Junior guard Markel Brown needs just 12 points to become the 37th player in school history to score 1,000 career points.
• The Cowboys were 7-1 in the month of February, matching the best mark since 1997-98 (they were also 7-1 in 2003-04).
• Oklahoma State leads the Big 12 Conference in turnover margin, averaging 2.78 fewer turnovers per game than its opponents.
• OSU's defense is allowing just 61.1 points per game this season, the lowest average since 1968-69; the low mark by the Cowboys since the shot clock was introduced in 1985-86 was 62.3 ppg allowed in 1999-2000.
• Marcus Smart leads the league in steals, ranks sixth in assists, seventh in scoring, 15th in blocked shots and is tied for 17th in rebounding.
• Smart is averaging 4.37 assists per game, the highest average by any freshman on a team ranked in the top 25.
• Phil Forte is averaging 2.19 treys per game, the seventh-highest average nationally for a freshman.
• Michael Cobbins is averaging 6.41 rebounds per game this season, higher than any other sophomore in the Big 12 Conference.
• OSU is the only team in the Big 12 Conference that has three different players ranked among the league's top 10 in scoring.
• Oklahoma State has won five-straight conference road games for just the second time since 1953-54.
• This marks just the fourth time since 1964-65 and the 15th time in school history that OSU has won five league away contests.
Series History vs Texas
Texas leads the all-time series with Oklahoma State 45-37, although the Cowboys hold an 18-13 edge in games played in Stillwater. Since the Big 12 formed in 1996-97, OSU is 13-26 against the Longhorns. The Cowboys have not swept Texas in a season series since 2003-04.
Oklahoma State has won the last two meetings with UT, just the fourth time in Big 12 history that the Cowboys have won back-to-back games against the 'Horns. Texas has won 11 of the last 14 meetings and 14 of the last 19 matchups since OSU rattled off four-straight wins over UT.
As a member of the Southwest Conference in 1917-18 and from 1921-25, Oklahoma State played Texas 10 times, with the Longhorns recording a 7-3 mark.
During the next seven decades, OSU played UT 33 times in non-conference play, with the Pokes holding a 21-12 advantage.
Oklahoma State is 12-7 all-time against the Longhorns as a nationally ranked team, and 2-3 in overtime, including the triple-overtime thriller on Jan 16, 2007.
Last Time vs the Longhorns
Marcus Smart scored a game-high 23 points in the same building in which he won two high school state championships along with teammate Phil Forte, and the Cowboys defeated the Texas Longhorns 72-59 in Austin.
Smart also recorded seven rebounds, five steals, three assists and two blocked shots. Markel Brown added 17 points for the Pokes, while Le'Bryan Nash nearly recorded a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds.
Despite shooting just 37.5 percent as a team, the OSU defense limited UT to 39 percent, including 1 of 18 from beyond the arc, tying a Cowboy opponent school record for futility from long range. Oklahoma State outrebounded Texas, 46-34, and went to the free-throw line 39 times.
Ioannis Papapetrou had a team-high 15 points for the Longhorns while Demarcus Holland added 13 off the bench. Papapetrou also had seven boards, four assists, four steals and two blocked shots for Texas.
Veteran Cowboys vs Texas
• Markel Brown has played five games and started four vs Texas. He is averaging 11.6 ppg and 6.0 rpg. He has recorded 10 assists, seven blocks and three steals. He blocked three shots against the Longhorns on Feb. 16, 2011, and had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds against UT on Feb. 22, 2012. Markel scored a series high 17 vs Texas earlier this season.
• Michael Cobbins has played and started three games against UT. He is averaging 8.3 ppg and 6.7 rpg. He has nine blocked shots against the Longhorns, including a career-high five to go along with 10 rebounds and nine points on Jan. 7, 2012. He scored a series-high 12 points against Texas on Feb. 18, 2012 and blocked four shots in that contest.
• Philip Jurick has played three games and started two against Texas. He has nine rebounds and three blocked shots in 39 total minutes.
• Le'Bryan Nash has played and started three games vs the Longhorns. He is averaging 14.7 ppg and 5.7 rpg. He scored a series-high 18 points against Texas on Feb. 18, 2012. Earlier this season, he nearly recorded a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds to go along with three assists.
• Marek Soucek played five minutes in one game last season vs Texas, but was productive, recording two assists and a rebound.
• Brian Williams has played three games and started both last season against the Longhorns. He is averaging 10 ppg on 52.4% shooting from the floor. He has recorded nine rebounds, seven steals and four blocks. His six steals vs Texas on Feb. 18, 2012, are a career high.
Cowboys in the Polls
Oklahoma State dropped one spot to No. 14 in the Associated Press poll this week after losing a double-overtime game to the now sixth-ranked Kansas Jayhawks and a convincing 16-point win on the road at West Virginia. However, in the USA Today Coaches polls, the drop was much more dramatic, falling four spots to No. 18. Oklahoma State has been ranked in 11 of the 17 weekly rankings this season, including seven-straight weeks from Nov. 19-Dec. 31 and the current four-week string.
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 325-47 record on the white maple court, good for an .874 winning percentage. Of OSU's last 14 losses at home, 11 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 team in the Big 12 Conference that has three different players ranked among the league's top 10 in scoring and the only school that has more than one ranked in the top nine. Markel Brown ranks third (15.6 ppg), Marcus Smart ranks seventh (14.8 ppg), and Le'Bryan Nash ranks ninth (13.8 ppg) in the Big 12 scoring ranks. Baylor has two players ranked in the top 10, and the Cyclones have three 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 ranks second in the Big 12 Conference in free-throw percentage at 74 percent. Five different Cowboys are shooting better than 73 percent from the line: Phil Forte (89.4%), Marcus Smart (78.3%), Michael Cobbins (75.0%), Le'Bryan Nash (74.3%) and Markel Brown (73.0%). Oklahoma State has shot better than 73 percent as a team just seven previous times in a single season, and just twice since 1978.
Scoring Margin
Oklahoma State ranks second in the Big 12 Conference with a +11.3 scoring margin, trailing only the Kansas Jayhawks' +13.4 scoring margin. 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 scoring offense (72.4 ppg) and second in scoring defense (61.1 ppg).
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 second in the Big 12. The current turnover margin for OSU would rank fifth 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.
FG Percentage Defense
OSU's defense is limiting its opponents to success on just 38.5% 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 1964-65. The only other times OSU has maintained a field-goal percentage allowed under 40% since 1964-65 was in 1999-2000 (38.8%), 1994-95 (39.3%) and 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 scoring defense, second in steals, third in blocked shots, third in FG percentage defense, third in defensive rebound percentage, and third 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 three 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 61.1 ppg through 27 contests. OSU has held 14 teams below 60 points this season in regulation, including seven games in conference play. Baylor (59) and Kansas (57) were both held below 60 in regulation at home, but the games went into overtime.
Half-Century Ceiling
Oklahoma State has held its opponent under the half-century mark eight times this season, the most since 1962-63 when the Cowboys held 10 opponents under 50 points. 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.
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 13-14 through 27 games last season, and is currently 21-6, an eight-game improvement. The difference in winning percentage is even more amazing. Oklahoma State had a .455 winning percentage last season, but has improved to .778 this year through 27 games. That leads to a +32.32% difference, which ranks as the third-best improvement over last season by any team in the NCAA among leagues ranked in the top-10 of the RPI. Santa Clara of the West Coast Conference went from 8-22 last season to 18-9 so far, a 40.00% improvement. Arizona State of the Pac-12 went from 10-21 last year to 20-9 so far this season, an improvement of 36.71%. Bradley of the Missouri Valley conference has gone from 7-25 last year to 16-13 so far this season, an improvement of 31.46%.
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 15.6 ppg overall and 16.7 ppg in league play.
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 44.6% from the floor and 39.1% from long range. His numbers even improve within the course of the season, evidenced by his improved numbers in league-games only.
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 seventh in scoring, sixth in assists, 15th in blocked shots and is tied for 17th in rebounding. He is also sixth in minutes played, seventh in free-throw percentage, eighth in assist-turnover ratio, 10th in defensive rebounds. That's nine different statistical categories in which he ranks among the Big 12's best.
Stop, Thief!
Marcus Smart has 78 steals through 27 games this season, establishing a school record by a freshman. The previous record was 67 by Byron Eaton. Smart is currently in fourth place on the OSU single-season steals list, and already owns the school record for most steals in league play with 47 (the previous record was 35 by Tony Allen).
Smart averages 2.89 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 eighth in the Big 12 Conference in steals, averaging 1.33 per contest. Between the two of them, Smart and Forte have 114 steals, an average of 4.22 per game. The Baylor duo of A.J. Walton and Pierre Jackson have combined for 92 steals, while Josh Gray and Jaye Crockett of Texas Tech have totaled 89 steals.
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 22 players who have started at least 50 percent of their teams' games. He's actually averaging more minutes per game than 11 of 12 players who have started for West Virginia and nine fo the 10 players who have started for Texas Tech. Forte is averaging more minutes per game than 56 of the 88 players who have started for any Big 12 team this season, including four on the Cowboys' squad.
Block Party
As a team, Oklahoma State is averaging 4.93 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 a deflection at TCU, Michael Cobbins now has 84 career blocks, good for 10th place on the school list. He is averaging 1.53 blocks per game in his career, which ranks fifth in school history. With three blocks at TCU, Philip Jurick has 76 in his career and ranks 11th on the career blocks list. With two deflections against West Virginia, Markel Brown had 75 career blocks, good for 12th place on the career list and the most ever by a Cowboy guard.
Cobbins ranks fifth, Jurick is nineth, Brown is tied for 11th and Marcus Smart (21 blocks) ranks 15th in the Big 12 for blocked shots this season.
Team Rebounding
Six Cowboys are currently averaging at least 4.1 rebounds a game. Michael Cobbins leads the team with 6.4 rpg, while Philip Jurick is grabbing 6.1 rpg. Marcus Smart is averaging 5.6 rpg and Markel Brown is averaging 4.5 rpg. Le'Bryan Nash is grabbing 4.2 boards per game and Kamari Murphy is averaging 4.1 rpg.
OSU has grabbed at least 40 rebounds in 12 of 27 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.
Potential Postseason Accolades
Oklahoma State has several candidates for the Big 12 postseason awards, with the league coaches awards announced on Sunday, March 10. OSU has two viable candidates for Player of the Year in junior Markel Brown and freshman Marcus Smart. The Cowboy duo rank third and fifth, respectively, in scoring during Big 12 Conference action, with Brown averaging 16.7 ppg and Smart chipping in 15.8 ppg. They both rank among the top-15 players in the league in assists (Smart fifth, Brown ninth), field-goal percentage (Brown 10th, Smart 13th), free-throw percentage (Smart fifth, Brown 12th), and assist-to-turnover ratio (Brown fifth, Smart eighth).
Smart is also a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year (leads the Big 12 Conference in steals and ranks 15th in blocks), the All-Big 12 Team, the Big 12 All-Defensive Team, the Big 12 All-Rookie Team and Freshman of the Year.
Freshman guard Phil Forte is a nominee for the Big 12 All-Rookie Team as well as the Big 12's Sixth Man of the Year.
Brown, sophomore forward Michael Cobbins and sophomore guard/forward Le'Bryan Nash are also candidates for the All-Big 12 Team. Cobbins, who ranks fourth in the Big 12 in blocked shots, is a nominee for the Big 12 All-Defensive squad.
