Cowboy Basketball Has Its Shine Back

Saturday, December 19

Sunrise, FL

7 p.m.

Oklahoma State University

Florida

December 18, 2015 | Cowboy Basketball

SUNRISE, Fla. - Cowboy basketball has its Shine back. Sophomore wing man Tavarius Shine has returned from a shoulder injury and brings another dimension to the OSU attack as they head into a matchup against Florida on Saturday night.

At 6-5 with a generous wingspan, Shine has the ability to clog passing lanes and pick up deflections for the Cowboy defense, but it's his basketball IQ that has head coach Travis Ford excited.

"We're excited he's back. His presence means a lot, his experience means a lot. He's a guy that we really believe can be a special player for us. He's going to continue to get better for us."

Shine injured his shoulder after just two minutes of play in the season opener, but returned after a seven-game absence and has played a key part in OSU's two-game win streak. He's averaging 5.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game since his return.

Watch the above video to get a feel for what Shine brings to the table for the Cowboys.

Game Center
Oklahoma State (7-3, 0-0 Big 12) vs. Florida (6-3, 0-0 SEC)
• Saturday, Dec. 18, 2015 • 7 p.m. Central
• Sunrise, Fla. • BB&T Center (20,737)
• Fox Sports 1 (Bob Wenzel, Justin Kutcher & Jessica Blaylock)
• Cowboy Radio Network
• Cowboy Game Notes

The Basics
• Oklahoma State (7-3 overall; 0-0 Big 12) literally shot the lights out in Gallagher-Iba Arena in Tuesday's victory over Longwood, and now travels to the Sunshine State to take on the Florida Gators (6-3, 0-0 SEC) on Saturday at 7 p.m. Central. This will be OSU's first appearance at the MetroPCS Orange Bowl Classic.

On the Air
• Saturday will mark OSU basketball's first appearance on Fox Sports 1. Bob Wenzel, Justin Kutcher and Jessica Blaylock have the TV call. As always, the game can be heard on the Cowboy Radio Network with Dave Hunziker and John Holcomb.

Oklahoma State From a Distance
• A power outage at Gallagher-Iba Arena delayed Tuesday's game against Longwood for 43 minutes in the second half, but the Cowboys surged for a 73-55 win over the Lancers - the 1,600th win in program history and the 150th for Travis Ford at OSU.
• The Cowboys made the key plays down the stretch to take down Minnesota, 62-60. Jawun Evans posted eight points and eight assists, none bigger than his no-look dish to Mitchell Solomon for a baseline dunk with 1:32 remaining. Evans also hit a pair of free throws with 12 seconds left that gave OSU a five-point lead.
• The Cowboys field a solid defensive unit that ranks 48th nationally in field goal percentage defense (39.1 percent) and 52nd in the country in scoring defense at 64.7 points allowed per game. OSU's interior defense ranks 38th in the country with 5.4 blocked shots per game.
• OSU has a knack for getting to the free throw line, and making opponents pay from the charity stripe. The Cowboys lead the Big 12 in total free throws made (178) and lead the league and rank 11th nationally with a free throw mark of 76.7 percent. Jeff Newberry, who has made 17 straight free throws, leads OSU's efforts from the stripe with a mark of 87.8 percent, which ranks fifth in the Big 12.
• Senior Phil Forte injured his elbow in the first half of 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 up to that point. 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.
• Head coach Travis Ford enters his eighth season with the Cowboys, and ranks third in school history in both total wins (150) and win percentage (61.5 percent). Ford ranks behind only Eddie Sutton and Mr. Henry Iba in both categories.

Florida From A Distance
• After a stellar run as the head coach at Louisiana Tech, Mike White was handed the reigns to the Florida program in May. The 2014-15 Conference USA Coach of the Year, White went 101-40 (.716) over the last four seasons and brought home three straight conference titles to Ruston, La. White was a four-year starter at 'Ole Miss and later spent seven seasons as an assistant coach for the Rebels. He also spent time at Jacksonville State as both an assistant and associate head coach.
• The Gators enter Saturday's matchup against the Cowboys on a two-game losing streak after dropping tough road games at No. 15 Miami (66-55) and No. 1 Michigan State (58-52).
• Florida held the Hurricanes to 39.2 percent from the floor, but struggled with 1-of-12 shooting from 3-point in the loss at Miami. John Egbunu scored 14 points to lead three Gators in double-figures, but Miami held a 42-31 edge on the boards. Sheldon McClellan led Miami's scoring efforts with 24 points.
• In East Lansing, Mich., Florida went toe-to-toe with the top team in the country, but couldn't hold off a late Spartan run. The Gators led, 47-46, with 7:16 remaining, but was out-scored 12-5 for the remainder of the game. Florida got 13 points each from Dorian Finney-Smith and Kasey Hill, and Michigan State countered with 17 points from All-American Denzel Valentine.
• Florida fields the nation's No. 14 ranked scoring defense. The Gators are holding opponents to 59.4 points and a 37.0 shooting percentage, which ranks 17th in the country.
• Much like Oklahoma State, Florida relies on a group scoring effort. Dorian Finney-Smith leads the Gator attack with 13.9 points per game, but seven Florida players average at least 4.3 points per game. John Egbunu and Devin Robinson also average double figures with 11.4 and 11.0 points per game, respectively.
• The Gators create much of their offense from crashing the offensive glass. Florida is shooting 41.3 percent from the floor (270th nationally), but are averaging 14.9 offensive rebounds per game - 15th in the country. John Egbunu (3.0), Dorian Finney-Smith (2.67) and Devin Robinson (2.44) are known for their prowess on the offensive boards.

Inside the Matchup With The Gators
• The Gators hold a 2-0 edge in the all-time series with OSU, although the programs haven't met since the 2000 NCAA Tournament. Florida edged the Cowboys, 77-65, in the Elite Eight at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y. (see the breakdown to the left). The only other meeting took place in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1993, when an unranked Gators squad upset the No. 20 Cowboys, 74-69, at the Rainbow Classic.
• Two of the most successful programs in the nation, the Cowboys and Gators have combined for four national titles and 11 trips to the Final Four. The Gators advanced to the Final Four in 1994, 2000, 2006, 2007 and 2014, while the Cowboys went in 1945, 1946, 1949, 1951, 1995 and 2004.
• The relationship between OSU head coach Travis Ford and former Florida head coach Billy Donovan goes back to Ford's playing days at Kentucky. Donovan was an assistant coach under Rick Pitino when Ford and the Wildcats advanced to the Final Four in 1993. Now the head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Donovan plays his home games only an hour from the OSU campus in Stillwater.