Oklahoma State University Athletics
Game Notes - Cowboys Host No. 23 West Virginia Saturday
February 20, 2015 | Cowboy Basketball
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Up Next for Oklahoma State Basketball
No. 23/22 West Virginia
Feb. 21, 2015 ► 1 p.m. CT ► Gallagher-Iba Arena (13,611 capacity)
Tickets: okstate.com/tickets or toll-free 877-ALL-4-OSU
TV: ESPNEWS (Allen Bestwick and Bryndon Manzer)
In Stillwater - Suddenlink 502, DirecTV 207, Dish 142, U-verse 604
In OKC - Cox 254/HD 719, DirecTV 207, Dish 142, U-verse 604
In Tulsa - Cox 254/HD 719, DirecTV 207, Dish 142, U-verse 604
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network (Dave Hunziker & John Holcomb)
Satellite Radio: Sirius 91, XM 91
Internet Radio: http://okla.st/osutunein
Live Stats: okstate.com
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The Basics
The No. 22/24 Oklahoma State men's basketball team (17-9 overall; 7-7 Big 12) hosts No. 23/22 West Virginia (20-6 overall; 8-5 Big 12) at 1 p.m. Saturday in Gallagher-Iba Arena.
Ticket Info
Tickets are available for as little as $20 online at okstate.com/tickets, toll-free by calling 877-ALL-4-OSU or in person at the box office.
On the Air
The game will be televised by ESPNEWS with Allen Bestwick and Bryndon Manzer on the call. The game can be heard on the Cowboy Radio Network with Dave Hunziker and John Holcomb on the call.
Oklahoma State Basketball Honors Its Past
As part of Saturday's game, Oklahoma State's 1964-65 team will be recognized in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of that team's Big Eight Conference championship. The Cowboys of 1964-65 went 20-7 overall and were 12-2 in Big Eight Conference play. They did not lose a single home game, compiling a 10-0 record at home that season.
The Cowboys scored three wins over Oklahoma and two wins over Kansas, plus non-conference wins over Arkansas, Texas and Florida State, among others. Members of that team will be treated to social events both Friday and Saturday, will sit behind the OSU bench during the game and will be honored at halftime.
Oklahoma State From a Distance
Looking to bounce back after back-to-back losses at the hands of TCU and Iowa State, Oklahoma State has two wins over teams ranked in the top 10 of the Associated Press poll and five wins over teams ranked in the AP top 25. Using this week's RPI rankings according to the NCAA, OSU has three wins over teams with an RPI in the top 15, six wins over teams with an RPI in the top 50 and eight wins over teams with an RPI in the top 100.
The Cowboys are led in the scoring column by Le'Bryan Nash (17.0 points per game) and Phil Forte (16.5 points per game), but get big contributions from defensive specialist and rim protector Michael Cobbins (second in the Big 12 with 1.96 blocked shots per game), Anthony Hickey (a career 1,000-point scorer who has recorded double-figure scoring totals in four of his last five games) and Jeff Newberry (double-figure scorer in each of the last four games) as well.
While most conversations about OSU start with Forte and Nash, an argument can be made that Hickey is just as important to the Cowboys' fate as those two. In OSU's 17 wins, Hickey averages 9.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.0 steals per game and shoots .454 pct. from the field and .412 pct. from three-point range. In OSU's nine losses, Hickey averages 8.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.2 steals per game and shoots .356 pct. from the field and .261 pct. from deep.
Oklahoma State is a formidable defensive team. The Cowboys rank in the top 50 nationally in many of the prominent defensive statistical categories and are a top-30 team nationally in steals and blocked shots.
West Virginia From a Distance
A 62-61 winner over No. 8 Kansas last time out, West Virginia mirrors many teams in the Big 12 in that it has ridden a wave of ups and downs during conference play. The Mountaineers picked up road wins over TCU, Texas Tech and Kansas State, but have lost their last two Big 12 road games by an average of 19.5 points, with those two defeats coming at the hands of Iowa State and Oklahoma.
Nobody is better than West Virginia at harassing opposing offenses. The Mountaineers lead the nation with 307 steals and 11.8 steals per game and are No. 1 in the nation with a +8.2 turnover margin. Additionally, WVU is the nation's top offensive rebounding squad with a whopping 17.08 offensive boards per contest. Another area of strength is getting to the free throw line, which the Mountaineers do an average of 25.0 times per game. West Virginia has attempted more three-point field goals than any other Big 12 team.
While the Mountaineers thrive in those areas, their pressing style has made them vulnerable to easy looks from opponents, who shoot 46.3 percent from the field against WVU. Big 12 opponents shoot .481 pct. against the Mountaineers.
Juwan Staten and Devin Williams lead the scoring charge for WVU, with Staten averaging a team-best 14.5 points and 4.6 assists per game and Williams adding 11.0 points and a team-leading 8.1 rebounds per contest. In Big 12 play, Jevon Carter averages 8.6 points and 1.9 steals per game, with Gary Browne adding 8.6 points and 2.3 rebounds per contest.
An Oklahoma State Win Would...
► Extend the Cowboys win streak over the Mountaineers to five games. West Virginia hasn't beaten OSU since it joined the Big 12.
► Mark the Cowboys' sixth over a team ranked in the top 25 of the Associated Press poll, their seventh over a team with an RPI in the top 50 and their 10th over a team with an RPI in the top 100.
► Mark just the third time in school history and the first time since 2003-04 that OSU has beaten at least six teams ranked in the AP top 25 in the same season. The Cowboys beat seven in 1991-92, eight in 1994-95 and nine in 2003-04.
► Snap the Cowboys' two-game losing streak.
► Mark the 21st time that OSU has beaten an opponent ranked in the top 25 of the Associated Press poll since Travis Ford took over as head coach in 2008-09.
► Improve the Cowboys to 12-3 overall and 6-2 against Big 12 opponents in Gallagher-Iba Arena this season.
► Improve OSU to 94-17 in Gallagher-Iba Arena under Travis Ford.
Streaks and Trends Entering the West Virginia Game
► The Cowboys have won four straight over West Virginia, with two of those wins coming in Gallagher-Iba Arena.
► Oklahoma State is 57-3 in its last 60 games when holding its opponent under 60 points.
► Oklahoma State is 10-1 this year and 105-19 under Travis Ford when attempting more free throws than the opponent.
► Le'Bryan Nash has averaged 21.0 points on 24-of-38 shooting from the field (.632 pct.) in his last three outings against West Virginia.
► Le'Bryan Nash has scored in double figures in 25 consecutive games (all of his games this season).
► Jeff Newberry is averaging 12.0 points per game in his last four games. Prior to that, he averaged 5.7 points per game on the year.
► Jeff Newberry has converted on eight of his last 12 field goal attempts (.667 pct.) He is 6-for-13 from three-point range in his last three games (.462 pct.) and is 10-for-10 from the free throw line in his last four games.
► Anthony Hickey has reached double-figure scoring totals in five of his last six games.
► Anthony Hickey has 13 assists against just four turnovers in his last three games.
► In the last five games, Anthony Hickey has converted on 11 of his last 24 from three-point range (.458 pct.), a significant upgrade from the .322 pct. conversion rate he averaged before his current hot streak.
► Phil Forte has made only 10 three-pointers in his last six games, but has made 28 free throws during that same timeframe.
► Michael Cobbins averages 8.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per game against West Virginia. He has converted on .667 pct. of his field goal attempts against the Mountaineers.
► Michael Cobbins has shot 50 percent or better from the field in 10 of his last 11 games.
► Michael Cobbins has blocked at least one shot in 21 of his 23 games this year and in 27 of his last 30 games, dating back to last season.
► OSU has made at least one three-pointer in 478 consecutive games dating back to Jan. 13, 2001.
The Series
Oklahoma State holds a 4-1 all-time series advantage over West Virginia, with all four victories coming since the Mountaineers joined the Big 12 Conference for the 2013-14 season. The Cowboys are 2-0 against West Virginia in games played in Stillwater, scoring an 80-66 win in 2013 and an 81-75 win in 2014.
