Oklahoma State University Athletics
Defensive Showdown Awaits Cowboy Basketball, Texas Saturday
January 11, 2018 | Cowboy Basketball
Game Center
Opponent: Texas (11-5, 2-2 Big 12)
Date / Tipoff: Jan. 13, 2018 / 4 p.m. Central
Site: Gallagher-Iba Arena (Capacity: 13,611)
Series: Texas leads 49-42 overall / OSU leads 22-14 in Stillwater
Tickets: okstate.com/tickets / 877-ALL-4-OSU
TV: ESPNews (Brett Dolan, Bryndon Manzer)
Webcast: ESPN3.com or ESPN app
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network (Dave Hunziker, John Holcomb)
Satellite Radio: Sirius 132, XM 199 (OSU radio call)
Live Stats: okstate.statbroadcast.com
Oklahoma State Game Notes
The Basics
The 92nd meeting between Oklahoma State (11-5, 1-3 Big 12) and Texas (11-5, 2-2 Big 12) will feature two of the Big 12's most defensive minded squads going head-to-head in a key league showdown. The Cowboys use a high-pressure approach to speed up opponents and force turnovers, and rank eighth nationally in defensive possession length and 38th in turnovers forced. Anchored by 6-11 freshman Mohamed Bamba, the Longhorns rank sixth in the country in defensive efficiency and ninth in blocked shots. Bamba averages 4.6 blocks per game, which is second in the NCAA.
On the Air
The matchup between the Cowboys and Longhorns will air Saturday on ESPNews at 4 p.m. Central. The play-by-play team of Brett Dolan and former Cowboy guard Bryndon Manzer will handle the on-air duties. ESPN3.com and the WatchESPN app will carry the webcast. As always, Dave Hunziker and John Holcomb will have the Cowboy Radio Network call.
Cowboy Quick Hitters
• The loss to K-State on Wednesday night snapped OSU's 19-game win streak over unranked opponents, but their homecourt win streak over unranked opponents remains intact at 14 games. Both streaks date back to Jan. 18, 2017.
• OSU ranks ninth nationally in free throw percentage with a clip of 78.3 percent. Every Cowboy with at least 20 attempts on the year is shooting 74 percent or better from the stripe.
• Tavarius Shine only gets better as the competition level improves. Against OSU's five ranked opponents, Shine has averaged a team-best 14.6 points on 53.1 percent shooting.
• Jeffrey Carroll is racing up the program's career scoring charts. In fact, the senior passed Richard Dumas and John Lucas III for 33rd in school history with 1,120 career points.
• Mitchell Solomon has seven double-digit scoring performances this season, which are already the most by an OSU player listed 6-9 or taller since Marcus Dove had 14 double-digit games in 2007-08.
The 500-100-50 Club
Mitchell Solomon is closing in on an exclusive club - Cowboys with 500 rebounds, 100 blocks and a career shooting percentage of 50.0 or better. The senior needs just eight rebounds and five blocks to become the eighth member of the club. Solomon is already shooting 51.8 percent for his Cowboy career. Mike Boynton calls Mitchell Solomon the team's MVP for his leadership, rebounding and hustle plays. Solomon, who is tied for the Big 12 lead in offensive rebounds at 3.3 per game, is shooting 75.0 percent on 2-point field goal attempts this season, which ranks eighth nationally according to KenPom.
High-Pressure Cowboys
Oklahoma State's high-pressure defense is active in passing lanes and employs half-court traps in an effort to speed up opponents to create turnovers and bad shots. OSU is forcing 16.06 turnovers per game (38th nationally) and a turnover percentage of 21.6 percent (49th nationally), and the Cowboys turn that into 17.8 points off turnovers per game. OSU forced just eight turnovers at Kansas State, which made the Wildcats the first team to commit fewer than 12 turnovers against the Cowboys this season.
Carroll's On Fire
Jeffrey Carroll has rounded into form of late and has four 20-point games in his last seven outings, but the senior has shown an ability to impact the game in more ways than just scoring. In this span, Carroll is averaging 19.3 points on 46.9 percent shooting, including a 37.0 percent clip from 3-point. In Big 12 play, Carroll ranks fifth in the league with a scoring average of 19.0 per game. He is currently the only Big 12 player averaging at least 19 points and 7 rebounds per game in conference play.
The Series With Texas
OSU has won five of the last six matchups in Gallagher-Iba Arena and leads the series in Stillwater, 22-14. The Cowboys snapped a three-game losing streak to the Longhorns with last year's 84-71 victory in GIA, which helped close the gap in the overall series to 49-42 in favor of UT. Texas is 29-13 against Oklahoma State in Austin.
Cleaning The Glass
The Big 12's top offensive rebounders will be on the White Maple floor or Gallagher-Iba Arena on Saturday. Longhorn freshman Mohamed Bamba and Cowboy senior Mitchell Solomon are both tied atop the league with an average of 3.3 offensive rebounds per game.
Defensive Minded
The Longhorns field one of the nation's stingiest defensive units. UT ranks sixth nationally in defensive efficiency according to KenPom, and it's due in large part to athletic big man Mohamed Bamba. The 6-11 freshman ranks second nationally in blocked shots at 4.6 per game. With that kind of rim protector the Longhorns are holding opponents to 39.3 percent shooting, which ranks 26th in the country.
Leading The Longhorns
Shaka Smart is in his ninth year as a head coach and his third season in Austin. Smart is a veteran of over 200 career victories and six NCAA Tournament appearances, including a magical trip to the Final Four in 2011. This will be the first official meeting between Smart and OSU head coach Mike Boynton, although the two faced off in the opening round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament when Smart's VCU squad fell to Brad Underwood's Stephen F. Austin team, which had Boynton on staff. That day, SFA closed out regulation on a four-point play from Desmond Haymon to tie the game at 67, and then out-scored VCU, 10-8, in overtime to advance.
Carroll's Success Against The Longhorns
Jeffrey Carroll scored just seven total points against Texas in his first two seasons at OSU, but had a pair of breakout performances as a junior last season. Carroll posted 24 and 18 point games and shot a combined 48.6 percent in the two outings. He also averaged 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists against UT last year.
Opponent: Texas (11-5, 2-2 Big 12)
Date / Tipoff: Jan. 13, 2018 / 4 p.m. Central
Site: Gallagher-Iba Arena (Capacity: 13,611)
Series: Texas leads 49-42 overall / OSU leads 22-14 in Stillwater
Tickets: okstate.com/tickets / 877-ALL-4-OSU
TV: ESPNews (Brett Dolan, Bryndon Manzer)
Webcast: ESPN3.com or ESPN app
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network (Dave Hunziker, John Holcomb)
Satellite Radio: Sirius 132, XM 199 (OSU radio call)
Live Stats: okstate.statbroadcast.com
Oklahoma State Game Notes
The Basics
The 92nd meeting between Oklahoma State (11-5, 1-3 Big 12) and Texas (11-5, 2-2 Big 12) will feature two of the Big 12's most defensive minded squads going head-to-head in a key league showdown. The Cowboys use a high-pressure approach to speed up opponents and force turnovers, and rank eighth nationally in defensive possession length and 38th in turnovers forced. Anchored by 6-11 freshman Mohamed Bamba, the Longhorns rank sixth in the country in defensive efficiency and ninth in blocked shots. Bamba averages 4.6 blocks per game, which is second in the NCAA.
On the Air
The matchup between the Cowboys and Longhorns will air Saturday on ESPNews at 4 p.m. Central. The play-by-play team of Brett Dolan and former Cowboy guard Bryndon Manzer will handle the on-air duties. ESPN3.com and the WatchESPN app will carry the webcast. As always, Dave Hunziker and John Holcomb will have the Cowboy Radio Network call.
Cowboy Quick Hitters
• The loss to K-State on Wednesday night snapped OSU's 19-game win streak over unranked opponents, but their homecourt win streak over unranked opponents remains intact at 14 games. Both streaks date back to Jan. 18, 2017.
• OSU ranks ninth nationally in free throw percentage with a clip of 78.3 percent. Every Cowboy with at least 20 attempts on the year is shooting 74 percent or better from the stripe.
• Tavarius Shine only gets better as the competition level improves. Against OSU's five ranked opponents, Shine has averaged a team-best 14.6 points on 53.1 percent shooting.
• Jeffrey Carroll is racing up the program's career scoring charts. In fact, the senior passed Richard Dumas and John Lucas III for 33rd in school history with 1,120 career points.
• Mitchell Solomon has seven double-digit scoring performances this season, which are already the most by an OSU player listed 6-9 or taller since Marcus Dove had 14 double-digit games in 2007-08.
The 500-100-50 Club
Mitchell Solomon is closing in on an exclusive club - Cowboys with 500 rebounds, 100 blocks and a career shooting percentage of 50.0 or better. The senior needs just eight rebounds and five blocks to become the eighth member of the club. Solomon is already shooting 51.8 percent for his Cowboy career. Mike Boynton calls Mitchell Solomon the team's MVP for his leadership, rebounding and hustle plays. Solomon, who is tied for the Big 12 lead in offensive rebounds at 3.3 per game, is shooting 75.0 percent on 2-point field goal attempts this season, which ranks eighth nationally according to KenPom.
High-Pressure Cowboys
Oklahoma State's high-pressure defense is active in passing lanes and employs half-court traps in an effort to speed up opponents to create turnovers and bad shots. OSU is forcing 16.06 turnovers per game (38th nationally) and a turnover percentage of 21.6 percent (49th nationally), and the Cowboys turn that into 17.8 points off turnovers per game. OSU forced just eight turnovers at Kansas State, which made the Wildcats the first team to commit fewer than 12 turnovers against the Cowboys this season.
Carroll's On Fire
Jeffrey Carroll has rounded into form of late and has four 20-point games in his last seven outings, but the senior has shown an ability to impact the game in more ways than just scoring. In this span, Carroll is averaging 19.3 points on 46.9 percent shooting, including a 37.0 percent clip from 3-point. In Big 12 play, Carroll ranks fifth in the league with a scoring average of 19.0 per game. He is currently the only Big 12 player averaging at least 19 points and 7 rebounds per game in conference play.
The Series With Texas
OSU has won five of the last six matchups in Gallagher-Iba Arena and leads the series in Stillwater, 22-14. The Cowboys snapped a three-game losing streak to the Longhorns with last year's 84-71 victory in GIA, which helped close the gap in the overall series to 49-42 in favor of UT. Texas is 29-13 against Oklahoma State in Austin.
Cleaning The Glass
The Big 12's top offensive rebounders will be on the White Maple floor or Gallagher-Iba Arena on Saturday. Longhorn freshman Mohamed Bamba and Cowboy senior Mitchell Solomon are both tied atop the league with an average of 3.3 offensive rebounds per game.
Defensive Minded
The Longhorns field one of the nation's stingiest defensive units. UT ranks sixth nationally in defensive efficiency according to KenPom, and it's due in large part to athletic big man Mohamed Bamba. The 6-11 freshman ranks second nationally in blocked shots at 4.6 per game. With that kind of rim protector the Longhorns are holding opponents to 39.3 percent shooting, which ranks 26th in the country.
Leading The Longhorns
Shaka Smart is in his ninth year as a head coach and his third season in Austin. Smart is a veteran of over 200 career victories and six NCAA Tournament appearances, including a magical trip to the Final Four in 2011. This will be the first official meeting between Smart and OSU head coach Mike Boynton, although the two faced off in the opening round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament when Smart's VCU squad fell to Brad Underwood's Stephen F. Austin team, which had Boynton on staff. That day, SFA closed out regulation on a four-point play from Desmond Haymon to tie the game at 67, and then out-scored VCU, 10-8, in overtime to advance.
Carroll's Success Against The Longhorns
Jeffrey Carroll scored just seven total points against Texas in his first two seasons at OSU, but had a pair of breakout performances as a junior last season. Carroll posted 24 and 18 point games and shot a combined 48.6 percent in the two outings. He also averaged 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists against UT last year.
Players Mentioned
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