Cowboys Prep For Second Round NIT Showdown With Stanford

Monday, March 19

Stillwater, Okla.

6 p.m. CT

Oklahoma State University

Stanford

March 17, 2018 | Cowboy Basketball

NIT Second Round
Opponent: [3] Stanford (19-15, 11-7 Pac-12)
Date / Tipoff: March 19, 2018 / 6 p.m. CT
Site: Gallagher-Iba Arena (Capacity: 13,611)
Series: OSU leads 2-1 (1-0 in GIA)
Tickets: okstate.com/tickets or 877-ALL-4-OSU
TV: ESPNU (Mike Corey, John Thompson III)
Webcast: ESPN3.com or WatchESPN app
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network (Dave Hunziker, John Holcomb)
Satellite Radio: None
Live Stats: okstate.statbroadcast.com
OSU Game Notes

The Basics
No. 2 seed Oklahoma State (20-14, 8-10 Big 12) powered past its NIT opening round opponent, Florida Gulf Coast, with an 80-68 victory thanks to a 10-board rebounding advantage and 18 points from All-Big 12 guard Jeffrey Carroll. The Cowboys move on to face No. 3 Stanford, which held off BYU in an 86-83 thriller in Palo Alto on Wednesday. The Cardinal is powered by dynamic forward Reid Travis, a two-time All-Pac-12 selection, and head coach Jerod Hasse, a former Jayhawk standout. Cowboy point guard Kendall Smith grew up in Antioch, California, which is just 70 miles North of Stanford's campus.

On the Air
The matchup between the Cowboys and Cardinal will air Monday on ESPNU at 6 p.m. Central. Mike Corey and John Thompson III 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 Cowboys are 14-4 in GIA this season, and can tie the school record for home wins at 15 with a victory over Stanford. OSU won 15 home games in 2013, 2010, 2007, 2004, 1992, 1989, and 1944.
• 5,305 Cowboy fans were in attendance for OSU's NIT opening round win over FGCU, which was the fourth highest of the 16 opening round NIT games.
• The Cowboys appear to have a magic number when it comes to 3-pointers. OSU is 16-2 when it makes nine or more 3-pointers in a game, and 4-12 when it hits eight or less.
• OSU's win over FGCU secured the 36th 20-win season in program history.
• OSU ranks 32nd nationally and second in the Big 12 with a 76.2 percent clip from the free throw line. Every Cowboy with at least 50 attempts is shooting 68.9 percent or better from the stripe on the year.

Mitch-A-Palooza
Mitchell Solomon just recorded his 15th double-digit scoring performances this season, which are the most by an OSU player listed 6-9 or taller since Fredrik Jonzen had 23 in 2001-02. Solomon was named AP All-Big 12 Conference honorable mention, and recently joined an exclusive club of Cowboys with 500 rebounds, 100 blocks and a career shooting percentage of 50.0 or better. Mike Boynton calls Solomon the team's MVP for his leadership, rebounding and hustle plays. Solomon, who ranks third in the Big 12 in offensive rebounds at 3.1 per game, has 304 career offensive boards to his credit, which ranks fourth in Cowboy basketball history.

The Series Against The Cardinal
The last meeting between Oklahoma State and Stanford took place in Madison Square Garden as a part of the 2011 NIT Season Tipoff. Ironically, the winner of Monday's second-round NIT showdown will be one step away from another trip to MSG. This will be just the fourth hardwood meeting between OSU and Stanford and just the second in Stillwater. OSU leads the overall series, 2-1, and took the lone matchup in Gallagher-Iba Arena in 2010, 79-68. Keiton Page, who is now OSU's director of player development, led all scorers that day with 23 points.

Hasse In The House
Former Kansas Jayhawk player and assistant coach Jerod Hasse is in his second year as the Stanford head coach, and he has the Cardinal basketball program on the rise. Hasse was named the head coach in Palo Alto after a four-year stay UAB that included an 80-53 record and a pair of postseason trips. The Cardinal went 14-17 in his first season, but rebounded in year two with 19 victories and a trip to the NIT. Hasse competed against OSU as a player at both California and Kansas, and was 6-1 against the Cowboys in his playing career. He later spent four seasons on Kansas' staff as an assistant coach before heading to North Carolina with Roy Williams in 2003. In all, the "Floor Burns" author is 2-2 as a player and coach in Gallagher-Iba Arena.

Double-Double Waiting To Happen
Two-time first-team All-Pac-12 selection Reid Travis is one of the nation's most dynamic forwards. The junior joins Arizona's DeAndre Ayton as the only players in the Pac-12 to rank among the league's top four in both scoring (19.6 ppg) and rebounding (8.7 rpg). Reid has recorded a double-double in eight of his last 10 games, including a 25-point, 14-rebound game against BYU on Wednesday.

Stanford's NIT Success
With Wednesday's victory over BYU, Stanford has now won 12 of their last 13 NIT games, including their last six overall. The Cardinal won the 2015 NIT championship after taking down Miami, 66-64, in overtime in the title game.