Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Have Rich History at the Big 12 Championship
March 09, 2015 | Cowboy Basketball
By Harry Endicott
STILLWATER - With two Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Championship titles, three championship game appearances, two tournament MVPs and seven all-tournament team members in its history, Oklahoma State knows what it is to enjoy success at the conference tournament.
The Cowboys won back-to-back Big 12 Tournament titles in 2004 and 2005, slotted as the tournament's top seed in 2004 and the third seed in 2005.
The 2004 team's postseason run to an eventual Final Four appearance began at that year's Big 12 tournament in Dallas. After taking home the regular season Big 12 Conference title, the top-seeded Cowboys rattled off three wins in the conference tournament to clinch the program's first Big 12 postseason title.
The Cowboys started that run with an 83-75 win over eighth-seeded Iowa State in the second round to advance to the semifinals for a matchup with five-seed Texas Tech the following day. It was three-point shooting that lifted the Cowboys over the Red Raiders in an 82-77 victory. Oklahoma State shot 9-of-17 from beyond the arc (.529 pct.) Point guard John Lucas led the charge with four three-pointers, which is good for seventh all-time at OSU in a Big 12 tournament game.
In the championship game, the Cowboys ousted No. 2 seed Texas, 65-49. Eventual tournament MVP Tony Allen led the Cowboys with 21 points. Oklahoma State ran away with the game late, holding the Longhorns without a field goal for 14 of the final 15 minutes to clinch the program's first conference title since its Big Eight tournament championship in 1995. Allen, Lucas and junior Joey Graham were named to the all-tournament team.
The third-seeded Cowboys repeated in 2005 with wins over Colorado, Kansas and Texas Tech to seal their second-straight tournament title, this time in Kansas City. In the Cowboys' 87-85 second-round win over Colorado, Ivan McFarlin notched a double-double with 16 points and 15 rebounds. Joey Graham led the Cowboys with 24 points, while John Lucas poured in 18.
Graham scored 25 points, including four clutch free throws in the final 41 seconds of the game to knock off second-seeded Kansas in the Big 12 semifinal game and send the squad to the Big 12 Championship for the second consecutive season.
In the championship, Lucas scored six of his 19 points in the final 90 seconds to seal a 72-68 triumph over Texas Tech and second-straight tournament title for the Pokes. Joey Graham was voted the tournament's MVP after averaging 21.7 points in the three games, good for third in the Oklahoma State record book for scoring average in a single Big 12 tournament. Lucas was named to the all-tournament team.
In 1999, Glendon Alexander and Adrian Peterson led the fifth-seeded Cowboys to their first Big 12 championship game appearance. Oklahoma State knocked off Baylor, Oklahoma and top-seeded Texas to earn an opportunity to play for a conference title.
That year, Alexander averaged 16.5 points over the four tournament games with 44 percent shooting from behind the three-point line. Peterson scored 11.5 points per contest in his four starts, hitting 10 three-point field goals over the course of the championship on a 56 percent shooting from beyond the arc and 90 percent from the free-throw line. Both Alexander and Peterson earned All-Tournament honors.
Maurice Baker still holds the program record for points scored in a Big 12 tournament game with 31 against Texas Tech in 2001. Baker hit five of six three-point attempts in the game, which remains tied for the best three-point percentage in a Big 12 tournament game in school history. Baker's outburst led the Cowboys to a 71-59 victory over the Red Raiders that helped push the team into the NCAA Tournament.
Current Cowboys have found success in the Big 12 tournament as well. Senior Le'Bryan Nash has averaged 13.5 points per game in four career Big 12 Tournament contests, good for 10th on the program career tournament scoring average list. Nash also sits in ninth in Oklahoma State history in career free throw percentage at 81 percent.
Junior Phil Forte's name litters the individual Big 12 championship career record book as well. Forte is sixth in program history for three-point field goal percentage at the Big 12 championship, shooting almost 38 percent from behind the arc. Forte is the only player in program history to never miss a free-throw shot at the tournament, sinking all 10 of his free-throw attempts at the event to this point.
With seven total blocked shots in four Big 12 tournament games, senior Michael Cobbins is averaging a program-best 1.75 blocks per game at the tournament. His seven blocks put him tied with Marcus Dove for third in Oklahoma State history for total blocks at the Big 12 tournament.
Nash, Forte, Cobbins and the rest of the Cowboys will look to make more Big 12 championship memories for the Cowboys this week. OSU will compete as the tournament's six seed and face third-seeded Oklahoma in a Bedlam matchup on Thursday at 8 p.m.
