Cowboy Basketball Headed West Seeking Big 12 Win

Game Center
Opponent: Texas Tech (14-4, 2-3 Big 12)
Date/Tipoff: Jan. 21, 2017 / 1 p.m. Central
Series: OSU leads 41-19 • In Lubbock: TTU leads 12-9
Tickets: texastech.com
TV: ESPNU (Jason Benetti & Reid Gettys)
Webcast: ESPN3.com
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network (Dave Hunziker & John Holcomb)
Satellite Radio: Sirius 134, XM 199 (TTU Radio)
Internet Radio: http://okla.st/osutunein
Live Stats: okstate.statbroadcast.com
OSU Game Notes

The Basics
• According to KenPom, Oklahoma State has faced the nation's third toughest schedule up to this point thanks to a rugged non-conference slate and bouts with five Big 12 squads rated 27th or better in the ratings. The Cowboys have been on the wrong side of five consecutive close losses and find themselves 0-6 in conference play for the first time since 1979-80. The road doesn't get any easier for the Cowboys, as they turn their attention to a Texas Tech squad that is 12-0 at home this season.

On the Air
• Oklahoma State and Texas Tech will face off on ESPNU with Jason Benetti and Reid Gettys on the call. This is the fifth of 13 scheduled appearance on ESPNU for the Cowboys this season. OSU is 2-2 on the network this season, and 31-30 all-time on the network, which hosted its inaugural broadcast at Gallagher-Iba Arena on March 5, 2005. As always, Dave Hunziker and John Holcomb will have the Cowboy Radio Network call.

Oklahoma State Snapshot
• Jeffrey Carroll can become the first player in Oklahoma State history to increase his scoring average from single digits (9.9 ppg or less) in one season to 17 points or more the next. The redshirt junior averaged 8.2 points in 2015-16, and is up to 17.2 points in 2016-17. Carroll is the Big 12's only player ranked inside the league's top seven in scoring (4th, 17.2 ppg), rebounding (7th, 7.1 rpg) and field goal percentage (5th, .584), and he has scored 20 points or more eight times this season, including the last three games.
• The Cowboys have put themselves in possession to win nearly every Big 12 game. Each of OSU's last five outings have been a two possession ballgame or less inside the final five minutes, however those five opponents combined to shoot 66.7 percent from the floor and have shot 48 free throws in those final five minutes.
• At 99-22, Brad Underwood is on the verge of becoming one of the fastest coaches to reach 100 wins in the history of college basketball. With 89 wins in his time at Stephen F. Austin, Underwood tied Brad Stevens of Butler for the most victories by any coach after three seasons. Currently, Underwood's .818 career win percentage is tied for the eighth best ever for a fourth-year head coach.
• Phil Forte, the national leader in free throw percentage (.947), has been on fire since Big 12 play began. In league play, Forte leads all Big 12 players with 3.3 3-pointers per game, and his 50.0 percent clip (20-of-40) from 3-point ranks third. The redshirt senior has connected on at least two 3-pointers in every league game this year. These numbers have helped him move into 10th in the OSU career scoring list with 1,554 points, and he has closed the gap on Keiton Page for the program's all-time 3-point record. Forte now ranks second in career 3-pointers at OSU with 291, and is only eight away from tying Page's mark of 299 makes.
• Oklahoma State fields one of the youngest and most inexperienced lineups in the country. Even with fifth-year senior Phil Forte and his 120 career games, OSU still ranks 279th nationally in experience according to KenPom. The Cowboys entered the 2016-17 with just 15 combined years of collegiate experience, and currently have just 243 collegiate starts on the roster. OSU's average age of 20.2 years is tied with Texas for the youngest in the Big 12.
• OSU ranks second in the Big 12 and eighth nationally in scoring at 88.1 points per game, but their high-pressure defense is the main reason why. The Cowboys rank 11th in the country with 8.9 steals per game and sixth in turnovers forced at 17.56. According to KenPom, OSU is holding opponents to an average possession of just 15.3 seconds - the shortest in the country - and they rank 19th in turnover percentage with a mark of 22.7.
• One of the nation's elite point guards, Jawun Evans ranks second in the Big 12 in scoring at 18.3 points per game and is fourth in steals at 2.1 per game. In league play, the sophomore leads all Big 12 players with 6.7 assists per game. The Naismith Trophy and Cousy Award watch list member has seven 20-point games and three 30-point games this season alone, and he also earned a spot on the Maui Invitational All-Tournament team. Evans also ranks among the league's top 10 in assists (3rd, 5.4 apg) and free throw percentage (6th, 79.8%), and he owns two of the Big 12's top three scoring performances this season - 35 points against UConn, and 34 points against Campbell.
• The Cowboys have cleaned up on the offensive glass this year. OSU is sixth nationally with 15.1 offensive boards per game and seventh in offensive rebound percentage at 39.3 percent. A true team effort, not one player on the team ranks inside the top 100 in the country in offensive boards. The Cowboys have pulled down 15-plus offensive boards in 10 games this year, including seven of the last 11 outings. Mitchell Solomon posted nine offensive boards against TAMU-Corpus Christi.

Texas Tech Connections & Snapshot
• The Red Raiders are under the direction of first-year head coach Chris Beard, who was the architect of Little Rock's magical 30-win season that included a first round NCAA Tournament double-overtime upset over Purdue, 85-83, in 2016. Beard is no stranger to Lubbock, or the state of Texas for that matter. Originally from The Woodlands, and a 1995 graduate of the University of Texas, Beard spent time on the coaching staffs at Texas, Incarnate Word, Abilene Christian and North Texas before joining Bob Knight at Texas Tech in 2001. He remained on staff in Lubbock through 2011 before getting head coaching gigs with the South Carolina Warriors (semi-pro), Angelo State and Little Rock.
• Texas Tech remains a perfect 12-0 at home, and is coming off a 75-69 win over TCU on Wednesday night. Keenan Evans led the Red Raider attack with 20 points, while Zach Smith and Justin Gray weren't far behind with 19 and 18 points respectively. The Horned Frogs overcame a 14-point first half deficit, but couldn't match the Red Raiders in the final minutes.
• The Red Raiders have an experienced lineup that boasts one of the nation's most efficient offenses. According to KenPom, Texas Tech ranks eighth nationally with 2.44 years of experience on the roster, so it's no coincidence that they also rank 19th in raw offensive efficiency. Devon Thomas ranks third nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (4.53), and as a team the Red Raiders rank 21st in the category at 1.41 a/to.
• The Red Raiders have taken the last three meetings with Oklahoma State, but the Cowboys still have a firm grasp on the overall series at 41-19. Dating back to 2011, OSU has won nine of the last 13 games against the Red Raiders. Texas Tech has won the last three meetings in Lubbock dating back to 2013, and owns a 12-9 margin in Lubbock.
• Phil Forte has found success against the Red Raiders over his career. The redshirt senior missed both of last year's meetings due to injury, but has averaged 13.9 points on 48.9 percent (23-of-47) shooting from 3-point in seven career meetings against Texas Tech. Forte has six double-digit scoring games against Texas Tech, including a 20-point performance in Stillwater on Feb. 22, 2014.

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Players Mentioned

Jeffrey Carroll

Jawun Evans

Mitchell Solomon

Oklahoma State University Athletics