Cowboy Basketball Hosting In-State Rival Tulsa Wednesday Night

Wednesday, December 2

Stillwater, OK

7 p.m.

Oklahoma State University

Tulsa

Cowboy Basketball Hosting In-State Rival Tulsa Wednesday Night

November 30, 2015 | Cowboy Basketball

Game Center

• Oklahoma State (5-1) vs. Tulsa (4-2)
• Date: Dec. 2, 2015, 7:00 p.m.
• Tickets: okstate.com/tickets or toll-free 877-ALL-4-OSU
• TV: Fox Sports Oklahoma (Mike Wolfe, Bryndon Manzer & Allison Gappa)
• Radio: Cowboy Radio Network (Dave Hunziker & John Holcomb)
• Satellite Radio: SiriusXM 132
• Internet Radio: http://okla.st/osutunein
• Live Stats: okstate.com
• Cowboy Basketball Game Notes

The Basics

• The Oklahoma State men's basketball team (5-1 overall; 0-0 Big 12) picked up back-to-back wins over Long Beach State, and now turns its attention to in-state rival Tulsa (4-2, 0-0 AAC). These two programs are meeting for the 109th time, with the Cowboys holding a 71-37 edge in the series.

On the Air

• Friday's game will be televised by the Cowboy TV Network, and will be available on Fox Sports Oklahoma with Bryndon Manzer and Mike Wolfe calling the action. Allison Gappa will provide sideline reports. The game can be heard on the Cowboy Radio Network with Dave Hunziker and John Holcomb on the call. SiriusXM will carry the Cowboy Radio Network call on channel 132.

Oklahoma State From A Distance

• The Cowboys have won at least five of their first six games for the fourth straight season. This is the 20th year of the Big 12 era, and OSU has started with a 5-1 record or better in 15 of those seasons.
• OSU leads the nation in total blocked shots (44) and blocks per game (7.3) thanks in large part to Chris Olivier, Anthony Allen. Allen (15 blocks) and Olivier (14 blocks) rank 21st and 33rd in the country, respectively. OSU has rejected at least four shots in each game this year, and blocked 29 shots in three games at the Charleston Classic. The team's 11 blocks against George Mason tied for the 11th most ever by the Cowboys.
• The Cowboys lead the Big 12 and rank 22nd nationally in free throw percentage with a mark of 76.6 percent. Seven OSU players are currently shooting 80 percent or better from the charity stripe, including Jawun Evans and Jeff Newberry who are tied for ninth in the conference with a free throw percentage of 85.7.
• Senior Phil Forte injured his elbow in the win over Towson, which snapped his streak of consecutive games played at 102. The senior hadn't missed a single game in his career until the injury forced him to miss the team's last three games. Forte was a Preseason All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honoree, and needs just 55 three-pointers to tie Keiton Page (2008-12) for the school record.
• Oklahoma State is one of just 22 school nationwide to play in the NCAA Tournament in each of the last three seasons, and will look to keep that streak alive in 2015-16.
• The Cowboys were picked to finish seventh in the Big 12 in a poll of the league's head coaches after finishing the 2014-15 season with an 18-14 record. Last year, the Cowboys were tabbed to finish eighth but finished the 2014-15 season in sixth place.
• Head coach Travis Ford enters his eighth season with the Cowboys, and ranks third in school history in both total wins (148) and win percentage (61.7 percent). Ford ranks behind only Eddie Sutton and Mr. Henry Iba in both categories.

Tulsa From A Distance

• Tulsa features a veteran lineup with nine seniors that finished second in the American Athletic Conference and advanced to the second round of the NIT last season. TU was tabbed to finish fourth in the AAC in 2015-16 by a preseason poll of the league's head coaches, while senior guards James Woodard (first) and Shaquille Harrison (second) were named Preseason All-AAC.
• Shaquille Harrison leads a TU attack that knows how to get to the free throw line. Harrison, ranks44th in the country with 20.2 points per game, ranks second in the country in free throws attempted at 72 overall. As a team, TU ranks 21st in free throws attempted (176), and 32nd in free throws made (119).
• Tulsa is coming off a 64-60 loss to Little Rock on Saturday afternoon. The Trojans overcame a nine-point halftime deficit thanks to 17 points and 10 assists from Josh Hagins, and 63.6 percent shooting as a team. Shaquille Harrison entered the game with a scoring average of 23.4 per game, but was held to just four points from the free throw line. James Woodard led four Tulsa players in double figures with 16 points.
• Tulsa advanced to the finals of the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, but fell to South Carolina, 83-75, on Nov. 24. TU faced a second-half deficit for a third straight game, but couldn't complete the comeback against the Gamecocks despite cutting the lead to just four points on two occasions. Shaquille Harrison scored 20 points for the Golden Hurricane, and was named to the All-Tournament team after averaging 25 points per game during the week.
• The Golden Hurricane got off to a blistering 4-0 start that included a 77-67 win over No. 9 Wichita State in Tulsa. It was the program's first win against a ranked opponent since taking down No. 22 Dayton in the opening round of the 2003 NCAA Tournament, and the first win against a top 10 team since they took down No. 7 Cincinnati in the second round of the 2000 NCAA Tourney. Shaquille Harrison paved the way against the Shockers with 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor.

Cowboy Streaks & Trends Entering Friday's Game

• The Cowboys have blocked at least four shots in every game this season, and lead the nation with 7.3 blocks per game.
• Point guard Jawun Evans and Tyree Griffin combine to average 10.8 assists per game, and have combined for at least five assists in every game this year.
• Tyree Griffin has hit all 11 of his free throw attempts this season, and Jeff Newberry has also made 11 straight from the line.
• OSU is 5-0 this year and 122-22 in the Travis Ford era when leading at the half.
• The Cowboys rank 58th in the country with a team shooting percentage of 48.2 percent, and are 5-0 this year and 125-18 in the Travis Ford era when outshooting their opponents.
• Oklahoma State is 59-3 in its last 60 games when holding its opponent under 60 points.
• OSU has made at least one three-pointer in 490 consecutive games dating back to Jan. 13, 2001.
• The Cowboys are 196-5 (.975%) in home games vs non-league foes since 1987. All-time, Oklahoma State is 409-50 (.891%) in non-conference games inside Gallagher-Iba Arena.
• The Cowboys are 52-3 (.945) in non-conference home games and 97-18 (.843) overall in GIA under Travis Ford. As a program, OSU is 1,598-1,111 (.589) all-time overall (107th season).

The Oklahoma State vs. Tulsa Series

• The Cowboys are 71-37 all-time against their in-state rival, Tulsa, including wins in the last three meetings. Travis Ford is 4-1 against the Golden Hurricane, with an average scoring margin of +6.4.
• OSU is 121-59 (.672) against current members of the American Atheltic Conference. Here's the breakdown; Cincinnatti (3-2), East Carolina (Never Met), Houston (12-7), Memphis (5-3), SMU (20-6), Temple (5-3), Tulane (2-1), Tulsa (71-37), Central Florida (Never Met), UConn (1-0), South Florida (2-0).
• Two of the best shooting nights in school history happened against the Golden Hurricane. On Dec. 9, 1992; Bryant Reeves went 10-of-10 from the floor to help the Cowboy shoot 73.7 percent overall (28-of-32), which still ranks as the second-best shooting performance by an OSU team. OSU had 25 assists on 28 field goals in the 85-67 victory. On Dec. 8, 2010; Marshall Moses went for 31 points on a school-record 12-of-12 shooting night to lead the Cowboys to a 71-54 win at the BOK Center in downtown Tulsa.

Cowboy Quick Hitters - Team Notes

• Paint touches and team basketball are the goals for OSU, and so far they've been able to accomplish both. The Cowboys are averaging 37.3 points in the paint per game (while holding their opponents to 25.0) and have nine players on the roster averaging at least 5.2 points per game. They Cowboys have had five players in double figures in two games this season.
• OSU has topped the 50 percent shooting mark three times this season, including the last two games. The Cowboys hit 55.9 percent from the floor against UT Martin, which is the team's best outing since shooting 56.9 percent against Texas Tech in 2014. They also topped that plateau twice against Long Beach (55.1 and 52.7 percent).
• The Cowboys rank 24th in the nation in turnovers per game at 10.0. OSU turned the ball over just five times against UT Martin, and committed just seven turnovers against both Towson and George Mason. LBSU forced 16 and 14 uncharacteristic turnovers in the two games against OSU.
• The Cowboys are one of only 22 programs to play in the NCAA Tournament in each of the last three seasons. Only 33 teams have played in the NCAA Tournament in at least five of the last seven years. The Cowboys reached the Big Dance in 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2015.
• Scoring depth is a key for the Cowboys. Under Travis Ford, OSU has averaged more than 70 points per game in four of his seven seasons. In those four seasons of more than 70 points per game, the third and fourth leading scorers on the team averaged a combined 24.4 points per game. In Ford's three seasons scoring under 70 points per game the third and fourth scorers averaged 18.3 points per game - a difference of 6.1 points each game.
• Dating back to 1987, Oklahoma State is 146-5 in non-conference home games. During that span, the Pokes won 80 straight over non-conference opponents in Gallagher-Iba Arena from 1987-98, which is the fifth-longest streak in NCAA history. All-time, the Cowboys are 409-50 in non-conference play in GIA.

Cowboy Quick Hitters - Player Notes

• Jeff Newberry is Oklahoma State's Swiss Army Knife, meaning he can do-it-all. The senior is the only player in the Big 12 to rank among the league's top 20 players in scoring (15th, 13.5 PPG) while also being in the top 15 in rebounding (7th, 7.3 RPG), blocks (9th, 1.0 BPG) and steals (12th, 1.5 SPG).
• With a depleted roster, OSU needed veterans to step up in Charleston and Anthony Allen, Joe Burton and Jeffrey Carroll did just that. All three of them established new career-high scoring performances at the Charleston Classic. Allen blocked 13 shots in Charleston and tallied a career-high 13 points against LBSU. Burton scored a career best 15 points against George Mason, including the 3-pointer that sent the game into overtime. Carroll piled up a career-high 17 points in the win over Towson.
• Phil Forte is coming off the best season of his career, and was named Preseason All-Big 12 Honorable Mention heading into his senior season. Forte was a Third-Team All-Big 12 selection in 2014-15 after racking up 15.0 points per game, which ranked fourth in the Big 12. Known for his relentless work ethic, Forte enters his senior year with a 38.9 percent 3-point mark for his career.