Ranked Mountaineer Squad Set For Saturday GIA Showdown

Saturday, February 27

Stillwater, OK

5 p.m.

Oklahoma State University

West Virginia

February 26, 2016 | Cowboy Basketball

Game Center
Opponent: West Virginia (21-7, 10-5 Big 12)
Date/Tipoff: Feb. 27, 2016 / 5 p.m. Central
Tickets: okstate.com/tickets or call 888-ALL-4-OSU
TV: ESPNU (Jason Benetti & Reid Gettys)
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network (Dave Hunziker & John Holcomb)
Satellite Radio: Sirius 81 & XM 81 (OSU Broadcast)
Internet Radio: http://okla.st/osutunein
Live Stats: okstate.statbroadcast.com
Oklahoma State Game Notes

The Basics
• A banged-up Oklahoma State (12-16, 3-12 Big 12) squad returns home to Gallagher-Iba Arena to face the "Press Virginia" attack of No. 14/12 West Virginia (21-7, 10-5 Big 12). The Cowboys, who lost at No. 3/4 Oklahoma on Wednesday night, are the only team in the country slated to face four ranked opponents to close out the 2015-16 regular season.

On the Air
• ESPNU will carry the matchup between the Cowboys and Mountaineers with Jason Benetti and Reid Gettys on the call. As always, the game can be heard on the Cowboy Radio Network with Dave Hunziker and John Holcomb. Sirius channel 81 and XM channel 81 will carry the Oklahoma State radio call.

Oklahoma State Snapshot
• Despite an ankle injury, point guard Tyree Griffin has been off the charts of late. The sophomore has posted 24 assists to just five turnovers over the last three games, including a 12-assist performance against Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse that was just one dime shy of the KU opponent record set by Texas' D.J. Augustin. He followed that up with eight assists and zero turnovers against Texas Tech. Griffin is now averaging 4.31 assists per game in league play, which ranks fourth in the Big 12.
• Jeff Newberry can affect the game in many ways, and is at his best when he's filling up the stat sheet. With two double-doubles, the senior is the first OSU player under 6-foot-2 with multiple points/rebounds double-doubles since Maurice Baker in 2001. The defensive glue guy for the Cowboys, Newberry is averaging 1.93 steals per Big 12 game, which leads the league.
• Travis Ford has jokingly said he is coaching his third or fourth different Cowboy team this season, but there's a lot of truth to that. After losing three starters from last year's team, Ford and the staff spent the offseason molding the squad around senior captain Phil Forte. OSU lost Forte to a left elbow injury in the third game of the season, and OSU spent the next month redefining itself. Point guard Jawun Evans emerged as one of the nation's top freshmen, but an injury to his right shoulder on Feb. 3 had Ford once again going to the drawing board.
• The Cowboys field a solid defensive unit that ranks third the Big 12 in both field goal percentage defense at 40.7 percent and scoring defense at 67.2 points per game allowed. OSU has held three of its last seven opponents under 40 percent shooting, and four of its last seven opponents to 23 points or less in the first half. The Cowboys have held their Big 12 opponents to 70.5 points and 43.3 percent shooting, which ranks third and fourth in the conference, respectively.
• Leyton Hammonds' game has evolved tremendously since his arrival in Stillwater in 2013. Primarily a spot shooter in his first two seasons, the junior has molded himself into a stretch forward with the ability to drive or pull up with a formidable 12-foot jumper. Hammonds has reached double figures 13 times this year, including seven of the last nine games.
• The Cowboys have put themselves in position to win nearly every Big 12 game this season. Five of OSU's 12 league losses have been by five points or less. OSU was tied with both No. 13 Iowa State and No. 17 Baylor inside the final two minutes, and fell to Texas Tech on the last shot of overtime. The potential game-winning 3-pointer rimmed out for the Cowboys against No. 2 Oklahoma, while a furious second half rally whittled Texas' lead to just three points with 14 seconds on the clock. The Feb. 8 loss at TCU was a two-possession ballgame inside the last two minutes.
• Head coach Travis Ford ranks third in school history in both total wins (155) and win percentage (59.2 percent). Ford ranks behind only Eddie Sutton and Mr. Henry Iba in both categories, and recently picked up his 21st win over a ranked opponent with the victory over No. 3 KU on Jan. 19.

West Virginia Snapshot
• The Mountaineers "Press Virginia" defense ranks third in the country steals (9.9 SPG) and second in turnovers forced (18.14) per game. Three WVU players rank among the Big 12's top nine players in steals per contest; Jevon Carter (5th, 1.68), Tarik Phillip (T6th, 1.61) and Daxter Miles Jr. (9th, 1.52). WVU's defensive possessions average only 15.6 seconds each, which ranks behind only The Citadel (15.4 seconds) nationwide.
• Securing the glass will be a key for the Cowboys against the Mountaineers. WVU is second in the country with 16.3 offensive rebounds per game thanks in large part to Jonathan Holton and Devin Williams. Holton is hauling in 4.0 offensive boards per game, which ranks eighth in the NCAA, while Williams ranks 40th with 3.3 per game.
• West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins is currently tied with Lefty Driesell and Cliff Ellis for ninth place all-time on the NCAA Division I winningest coaches list. Huggins' record now stands at 786-319 in his 34th season as a head coach, and has taken his teams to 21 NCAA Tournament appearances and two Final Fours.

Inside the West Virginia Series
• OSU and West Virginia met only once prior to becoming Big 12 Conference mates in the 2012-13 season, and in that game the No. 7 ranked Mountaineers squad took down the Cowboys, 67-49, in Lexington, Ky., in 1958. WVU's Jerry West, then a junior, posted 12 points and 12 rebounds to help the Mountaineers take down the Cowboys that day, and would lead West Virginia to the NCAA Tournament title game where he would be named the Final Four MOP despite losing in the title game to California, 71-70.
• OSU won the first four games against WVU as Big 12 opponents, but the Mountaineers have taken the last three meetings against the Cowboys. Oklahoma State is still 2-1 against WVU in Gallagher-Iba Arena against, although the Mountaineers took last year's matchup in Stillwater, 73-63.
• As a freshman on Jan. 26, 2013, Phil Forte came off the bench to hit six 3-pointers in a 26-point performance in the first meeting between these two programs as Big 12 foes. Forte's 26 points are tied for the fourth best "off the bench" performance in school history in terms of both points and 3-point field goals, and OSU took the game, 80-66.

An Oklahoma State Win Would ...
• Snap the Cowboys' three game losing streak, and their three game losing streak to the Mountaineers. A victory would give OSU a 5-4 edge in the all-time series with the Mountaineers.
• Improve the Cowboys to 9-6 at home and ensure a winning record at Gallagher-Iba Arena this season. The last time OSU didn't post a winning record at home was in 1977-78 (5-6 at GIA).
• Move the Cowboys to 4-12 in Big 12 play and 13-16 overall.

Streaks & Trends
• Jeff Newberry is the only OSU player to start every game this year. The senior has started 30 straight dating back to last season.
• Mitchell Solomon has blocked eight shots in his last six games. Prior to this stretch Solomon had seven blocks in his first 22 games this year.
• Jeffrey Carroll has made 14 straight free throws.
• Leyton Hammonds has reached double-figures scoring in seven of his last nine games.
• Oklahoma State is 63-3 in its last 66 games when holding its opponent under 60 points.
• OSU has made at least one three-pointer in 511 consecutive games dating back to Jan. 13, 2001.
• The Cowboys are 88-7 at home against unranked teams in the Travis Ford era.