Cardiac Cowboys Facing Baylor In Quick Turnaround Game

Game Center
Opponent: Baylor (11-6, 1-4 Big 12)
Date / Tipoff: Jan. 15, 2018 / 8 p.m. Central
Site: Ferrell Center (Capacity: 10,347)
Series: OSU leads 54-26 (Baylor leads 18-17 in Waco)
Streak: Baylor won last four against OSU
TV: ESPNU (Mark Neely, Chris Spatola)
Webcast: ESPN3.com or WatchESPN app
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network (Dave Hunziker, John Holcomb)
Satellite Radio: Sirius 81, XM 81 (Baylor radio call)
Live Stats: okstate.statbroadcast.com
Oklahoma State Game Notes

The Basics
Call them the "Cardiac Cowboys". Oklahoma State (12-5, 2-3 Big 12) has earned that nickname after yet another late come-from-behind victory, this time over a Texas squad that led by 12 points with 5:55 to play. OSU now has four wins in ballgames decided by two possessions or less or in overtime, including two of its last three games. The Cowboys will have little time to celebrate the victory as they head to Waco, Texas for a showdown against Baylor on Monday night. The Bears feature one of the nation's toughest defensive units anchored by 7-foot shot-blocker Jo Lual-Acuil, who is averaging 2.1 rejections per game.

On the Air
The matchup between the Cowboys and Bears will air Monday on ESPNU at 8 p.m. Central. The play-by-play team of Mark Neely and Chris Spatola 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 Baylor game will be the 100th in Jeffrey Carroll's career. The senior just passed Chianti Roberts (1994-97) and Mario Boggan (2006-07) for 31st in school history with 1,137 career points.
• OSU ranks eighth nationally in free throw percentage with a clip of 78.3 percent. Every Cowboy with at least 20 attempts on the year is shooting 75 percent or better from the stripe.
• The Cowboys have now won 15 straight home games against unranked opponents, including this year's victories against Texas and Iowa State. The streak dates back to Jan. 18, 2017.
• 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.
• The Cowboys committed a season-low seven turnovers against the Longhorns on Saturday. OSU ranks fourth in the Big 12 with a +3.0 turnover margin on the year.

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 five rebounds and five blocks to become the eighth member of the club. Solomon is already shooting 51.9 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 second in the Big 12 in offensive rebounds at 3.1 per game, is shooting 74.0 percent on 2-point field goal attempts this season, which ranks 10th nationally according to KenPom. 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 Series Against Baylor
This will be the 81st meeting between Oklahoma State and Baylor in a series that dates back to Feb. 7, 1918. The Cowboy lead the overall series, 54-26. The Bears hold a narrow 18-17 edge advantage in Waco after taking the last two matchups in the Ferrell Center. OSU's last win over the Bears was on Feb. 9, 2015 in Waco when Le'Bryan Nash scored 22 points to lead OSU to a 74-65 victory.

Down To The Wire
While Baylor has taken the last four meetings with Oklahoma State, the games typically come down to the wire regardless of location. Eight of the last 10 games between these two schools were decided by nine points or less, including seven two-possession ballgames and two in overtime. A grand total of 11 points decided the last three games between Oklahoma State and Baylor. Despite Baylor's top-10 ranking, both meetings last season were decided in the final minute.

DFW Cowboys
Four Oklahoma State players grew up within a two hour drive of Waco. Brandon Averette (Richardson, Texas), Tavarius Shine (Irving, Texas), Cameron McGriff (Grand Prairie, Texas) and Jeffrey Carroll all went to high school in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.

Shot Blockers Galore
For Oklahoma State, Monday's matchup will be the second of three straight games against teams that rank in the NCAA's top-25 in blocked shots per game. The Cowboys faced Mohamed Bamba (2nd individually, 4.6 bpg) and the Texas Longhorns (9th, 6.3 bpg) on Saturday, and Bamba managed just two blocks. On Monday, OSU will take on Jo Lual-Acuil (40th individually, 2.2 bpg) and Baylor (23rd, 5.5 bpg) and will then face Khadeem Lattin (44th individually, 2.1 bpg) and Oklahoma (18th, 5.6 bpg) on Jan. 20.

Carroll's Success Against The Bears
Jeffrey Carroll has found success against the Baylor defense in his career, especially last season. In 2016-17, Carroll posted 14 and 20 point games on 57.9 percent shooting, including 2-of-4 shooting from 3-point. For his career, the redshirt senior is averaging 10.6 points on 50.0 percent shooting against the Bears.

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Players Mentioned

Brandon Averette

Jeffrey Carroll

Cameron McGriff

Tavarius Shine

Mitchell Solomon

Oklahoma State University Athletics