Oklahoma State University Athletics
Game Notes - Cowboys Battle Sooners at Big 12 Tournament
March 10, 2015 | Cowboy Basketball
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Up Next for Cowboy Basketball
vs. Oklahoma
March 12, 2015 ► 8 p.m. CT ► Sprint Center (18,972 capacity)
Tickets: okstate.com/tickets or toll-free 877-ALL-4-OSU
TV: ESPNU (Dave Flemming, Miles Simon and Holly Rowe)
In Stillwater - Suddenlink 503, DirecTV 208, Dish 141, U-verse 605
In OKC - Cox 253/HD 718, DirecTV 208, Dish 141, U-verse 605/HD 1605
In Tulsa - Cox 253/HD 718, DirecTV 208, Dish 141, U-verse 605
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network (Dave Hunziker & John Holcomb)
Satellite Radio: Sirius 84, XM 84 (Oklahoma feed)
Internet Radio: http://okla.st/osutunein
Live Stats: okstate.com
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The Basics
The Oklahoma State men's basketball team (18-12 overall; 8-10 Big 12) embarks upon the postseason when it battles Oklahoma (21-9 overall; 12-6 Big 12) in the quarterfinal round of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Championship at the Sprint Center in Kansas City Thursday.
The Cowboys are the tournament's sixth seed and the Sooners are the No. 3 seed. The winner of Thursday's Bedlam battle faces either Iowa State, Texas or Texas Tech in the championship semifinals.
On the Air
Every game at the Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Championship will be televised on the ESPN family of networks. Thursday's clash with the Sooners will be on ESPNU with Dave Flemming, Miles Simon and Holly Rowe calling the action. The game can be heard on the Cowboy Radio Network with Dave Hunziker and John Holcomb on the call.
TEEMCO Bedlam Series
Oklahoma State and Oklahoma compete yearly in the TEEMCO Bedlam Series, an all-sports competition between the two schools, which are separated by only 80 miles along Interstate 35. The TEEMCO Bedlam Series champion is decided by wins and losses in head to head competition. In sports where there is no head to head matchup, the Big 12 Championship final standings are used. Oklahoma State won last year's TEEMCO Bedlam Series, 17-14. The Cowboys lead this year's series, 9-5.
Oklahoma State From a Distance
Oklahoma State has the résumé of an NCAA Tournament team. Using this week's RPI rankings according to the NCAA, OSU has three wins over teams with an RPI in the top 10, six wins over teams with an RPI in the top 50 and eight wins over teams with an RPI in the top 100. Of those eight wins, four were away from Stillwater.
The Cowboys are led by forward Le'Bryan Nash, who ranks second in the Big 12 with 16.8 points per game and was a second-team all-Big 12 honoree. Nash has scored in double figures every game this season and is the Big 12's active leader with 1,794 career points. Third-team all-Big 12 selection Phil Forte is a key component in the Oklahoma State attack. In OSU's 18 wins, Forte averages 17.6 points on .474 pct. shooting from the field. In the Cowboys' 12 losses, Forte averages 12.3 points on .364 pct. shooting from the field.
Other key contributors include Big 12 all-newcomer team and Big 12 all-defensive team selection Anthony Hickey (18.5 points on .609 pct. shooting from the field and .750 pct. shooting from three-point range the last two games), junior guard Jeff Newberry, who has emerged as a solid defensive player as the season has progressed, and two-time Big 12 all-defensive team honoree Michael Cobbins, who has played his best ball of the season down the stretch.
Oklahoma State is at its best when its defense is creating its offense. The Cowboys rank in the top 50 nationally in many of the prominent defensive statistical categories and are a top-40 team nationally in steals and blocked shots.
Conference Tournament History
Oklahoma State won the Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Championship in 2004 and 2005 and owns a 23-16 at the event. It should be noted that the Cowboys won the Big Eight Tournament championship in 1983 and 1995.
The Cowboys have appeared in the quarterfinals 18 times, winning seven. OSU has won in three of its seven semifinal appearances and two of its three championship game appearances.
An Oklahoma State Win Would...
► Improve the Cowboys to 4-0 all-time against Oklahoma at the Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Championship.
► Extend the Cowboys' advantage over the Sooners to 10-5 in the 2014-15 installment of the TEEMCO Bedlam Series.
► Mark the Cowboys' sixth over a team ranked in the top 25 of the Associated Press poll this season, their seventh over a team with an RPI in the top 50 and their ninth 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.
► 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.
Streaks & Trends Entering the Big 12 Tournament
► In the last two games, Oklahoma State is far outpacing its season averages with 77.0 points per game, .510 pct. shooting from the field, .579 pct. shooting from three-point range and .788 pct. shooting from the free throw line. On the year, OSU averages 67.9 points per game on .443 pct. shooting from the field, .357 pct. shooting from three-point range and .731 pct. shooting from the charity stripe.
► Oklahoma State is 7-1 this year when outrebounding its opponent.
► Oklahoma State has been outrebounded or matched in the rebounding column by 11 of its last 12 opponents and has allowed 15.4 offensive rebounds per game over the span of the last five games.
► Oklahoma State's last five opponents have made more free throws (99) as the Cowboys have attempted (95).
► In the last three games, Oklahoma State has averaged 44.0 second-half points per game. In its three games prior to that, OSU averaged 32.3 second-half points.
► Anthony Hickey has converted on 16 of his last 25 from three-point range (.640 pct.), a significant upgrade from the .322 pct. conversion rate he averaged before his current hot streak.
► Antony Hickey averages 12.0 points, 8.0 rebounds per game and 4.0 steals per game against Oklahoma this year.
► Le'Bryan Nash has led the team in scoring in eight of the last nine games.
► Le'Bryan Nash has made 21 of his last 23 free throw attempts (.913 pct.)
► Le'Bryan Nash has scored in double figures in 29 consecutive games (all of his games this season).
► Michael Cobbins has led the team in rebounding in each of the last five games.
► Michael Cobbins has blocked at least one shot in 25 of his 27 games this year and in 31 of his last 34 games, dating back to last season.
► OSU has made at least one three-pointer in 482 consecutive games dating back to Jan. 13, 2001.
