Oklahoma State University Athletics
Game Notes - Cowboys Travel To Face South Carolina
December 04, 2014 | Cowboy Basketball
Complete Release in PDF Format 
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OKLAHOMA STATE (7-0 OVERALL) AT SOUTH CAROLINA (4-3 OVERALL)
Dec. 6, 2014 ► 11 a.m. CT ► Columbia, S.C./Colonial Life Arena (18.000)
SEC/BIG 12 CHALLENGE
TV: ESPNU (Mike Morgan & Jon Sundvold)
In Stillwater - Suddenlink 503, DirecTV 208, Dish 141, U-verse 605
In OKC - Cox 253/718, DirecTV 208, Dish 141, U-verse 605/1605
In Tulsa - Cox 253/HD 718, DirecTV 208, Dish 141, U-verse 605
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network (Tony Castricone & Bryndon Manzer)
Internet Radio: http://okla.st/osutunein
Live Stats: okstate.com
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The Basics
The Oklahoma State men's basketball team (7-0 overall) plays its first true road game when it travels to Columbia, S.C. to clash with South Carolina (4-3 overall) at 11 a.m. CT Saturday in Colonial Life Arena. The game is part of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
On the Air
The game will be televised by ESPNU with Mike Morgan and Jon Sundvold calling the action. The game can be heard on the Cowboy Radio Network with Tony Castricone and Bryndon Manzer on the call.
Oklahoma State From a Distance
Sitting at 7-0 for the second consecutive season, Oklahoma State is fresh off an 87-61 pounding of North Texas in Stillwater Wednesday. The Cowboys have won their first seven games by an average margin of 23.4 points per game, with their closest margin a 66-53 win over Oregon State. The Cowboys are receiving votes in both the Associated Press poll and the USA Today Coaches Poll this week.
Through seven games, coach Travis Ford has fielded five different starting lineups and has gone deep into his bench, with 11 different Cowboys averaging 12.3 minutes played per game or more.
Coming off a career-best 32-point outburst against North Texas last game, 5-foot-11 guard Phil Forte leads the team with 19.3 points per game and ranks among the national leaders with 24 steals. Junior Le'Bryan Nash, a 6-foot-7 forward, factors prominently into the OSU attack as well by averaging 18.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.
South Carolina From a Distance
Sitting at 4-3 with wins over North Florida, Cornell, UNC Asheville and Marshall and losses to Baylor, Charlotte and Akron, South Carolina is one of the better teams in the Southeastern Conference when it comes to forcing steals, blocking shots and rebounding.
Coached by former Kansas State head man Frank Martin, the Gamecocks feature a balanced offensive attack led by 6-foot-5 guard Sindarius Thornwell (13.0 points and 5.6 rebounds per game), 6-foot-2 guard Duane Notice (10.6 points and 3.3 assists per game), 6-foot-11 forward Laimonas Chatkevicius (10.0 points and 6.6 rebounds per game) and 6-foot-3 guard Tyrone Johnson (8.6 points and 3.3 assists per game).
South Carolina was a 77-59 winner at Marshall in its last contest, with Notice exploding for 27 points, five rebounds and four assists in the win.
An Oklahoma State Win Would...
► Improve the Cowboys to 8-0, which would mark their best start to a season under seventh-year coach Travis Ford. OSU's last 8-0 start came in 2006-07, when the Pokes won their first 11 games. The Cowboys have three 8-0 starts since the turn of the century (2001-02, 2004-05 and 2006-07).
► Improve the Cowboys to 2-0 in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. The Pokes topped the Gamecocks, 79-52 in last year's SEC/Big 12 Challenge debut.
► Improve the Cowboys to 2-1 all-time against South Carolina.
► Mark Oklahoma State's first win in Columbia (they've only played there once before - a 70-61 loss in 1975).
► Improve the Cowboys to 51-30 against SEC opposition. That total does not include games played against Missouri and Texas A&M when they were part of the Big Eight and Big 12 Conferences.
► Improve the Cowboys to 5-1 against SEC opponents during Travis Ford's tenure as OSU head coach. That total does not include games played against Missouri and Texas A&M when they were in the Big Eight and Big 12.
Notable Streaks Entering the South Carolina Game
► Oklahoma State has won seven straight games.
► Oklahoma State has won two straight games over SEC opponents, topping Tennessee in 2012-13 and South Carolina last year.
► Oklahoma State has made at least one three-pointer in 459 consecutive games, dating back to Jan. 13, 2001.
► Le'Bryan Nash has started in his last 61 games - the 19th-longest streak in school history.
► Phil Forte has scored in double figures in 12 straight games and 16 of his last 17.
► Phil Forte has made at least one three-pointer in 12 straight games and 19 of his last 20 contests.
► Le'Bryan Nash has scored in double figures in six straight games (all of his games this season).
The Series
Oklahoma State and South Carolina are deadlocked a one win apiece in the all-time series between the two schools, with each team winning on its home floor. The Gamecocks were 70-61 winners in Columbia in 1975 and the Cowboys returned the favor with a 79-52 decision in Stillwater last season.
The SEC/Big 12 Challenge
The second annual SEC/Big 12 Challenge takes place this week from December 3-6.
Last season, the Big 12 won the Challenge by capturing wins in seven of the 10 meetings. The Big 12 has posted a 35-23 (.603) record in the last two challenge series it has played (vs. Pac-10, SEC) dating back to 2007.
Since the start of the 2012-13 campaign, Big 12 teams are 19-9 (.679) against SEC foes (through December 3).
Last Time Out - Oklahoma State 87, North Texas 61
Oklahoma State steamrolled to an 87-61 win over North Texas in Gallagher-Iba Arena Wednesday in its most recent game. Some notes from that game:
► Oklahoma State faced North Texas without the services of leading scorer and leading rebounder Le'Bryan Nash (disciplinary reasons), Leyton Hammonds (injury) and Marek Soucek (injury).
► Oklahoma State ended the first half on a 20-5 run and turned a 23-20 deficit with 8:59 remaining into a 42-30 halftime advantage. The lead swelled to as many as 30 points in the second half.
► Oklahoma State guard Phil Forte scored 20 points before halftime and finished with a career-high 32 points in the contest. His 20-point first half marked the first time since March 1 of last year that a Cowboy scored 20 points in a half, as Marcus Smart went for 20 in the second half against Kansas. It marked the first time that an OSU player scored 20 points before halftime since Smart scored 24 before intermission against Purdue on Nov. 28 of last year. Forte's 32 points were the most for a Cowboy since Marcus Smart scored 39 points against Memphis on Nov. 19 of last season.
► North Texas entered the game by limiting its opponents to 36.3 percent shooting from the field. The Cowboys converted on 52.9 percent of their shots from the field and 58.3 percent of their shots in the second half.
Executing the Offense
Oklahoma State has found its stroke from the field, converting on 50 percent or better from the field in four of its last five games, with the lone exception a very respectable 48.8 percent shooting night against Oregon State on Nov. 24.
