Trip To NYC On The Line For Cowboy Basketball Wednesday

Wednesday, March 21

Stillwater, Okla.

7 p.m.

Oklahoma State University

Western Kentucky

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Image Taken at Oklahoma State Cowboys vs Stanford Cardinal, NIT Second Round Basketball Game, Monday, March 19, 2018, Gallagher-Iba Arena, Stillwater, OK. Bruce Waterfield/OSU Athletics

March 20, 2018 | Cowboy Basketball

NIT Quarterfinal Game Center
Opponent: [4] Western Kentucky (26-10)
Date / Tipoff: March 21, 2018 / 7 p.m. CT
Site: Gallagher-Iba Arena (13,611)
Series: First Meeting
Tickets: okstate.com/tickets or 877-ALL-4-OSU
TV: ESPN2 (Mike Corey, John Thompson III)
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network (Dave Hunziker, John Holcomb)
Satellite Radio: None
Live Stats: okstate.statbroadcast.com
OSU Game Notes

The Basics
Second seeded Oklahoma State (21-14, 8-10 Big 12) took down No. 3 Stanford, 71-65, on Monday night thanks to 26 points from senior Jeffrey Carroll. That win earned the Cowboys an NIT quarterfinal home game against No. 4 seed Western Kentucky (26-10, 14-4 C-USA). WKU comes to Stillwater having won four of its last five games, including a 79-75 win at USC on Monday. The first ever hardwood showdown between the Cowboys and Hilltoppers will be for a trip to Mike Boynton's hometown of New York for a spot in the NIT semifinals. A win over WKU would also give the Cowboys their 16th home win on the season, which would set a new school record.

On the Air
The matchup between the Cowboys and Hilltoppers will air Wednesday on ESPN2 at 7 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 win over Stanford was Oklahoma State's 799th victory in Gallagher-Iba Arena.
• The Cowboys earned their 15th home win on Monday night, which tied the school record (also in 2013, 2010, 2007, 2004, 1992, 1989, and 1944) for the most wins in GIA in a single season.
• Jeffrey Carroll is now averaging 21.0 points per game in postseason play (NCAA or NIT) for his career. Only three players in OSU history who played in at least three posteason games averaged more; Arlen Clark (23.3 ppg), Bob Kurland (22.8 ppg), Bob Mattick (21.8 ppg).
• A total of 9,635 Cowboy fans were in attendance for OSU's win over Stanford, which marks the most fans for any home NIT game in school history.
• The Cowboys appear to have a magic number when it comes to 3-pointers. OSU is 17-2 when it makes nine or more 3-pointers in a game, and 4-12 when it hits eight or less.
• OSU ranks 41st nationally and second in the Big 12 with a 75.5 percent clip from the free throw line.
• This is the 36th 20-win season in OSU history. The last time a Cowboy team won more than 21 games was when the 2012-13 squad went 24-9.
• This marks OSU's first trip to the NIT quarterfinals since the tournament expanded to 32 teams in 1980. The Cowboys finished third in the inaugural NIT in 1938 and again in 1940, and finished fourth in 1944.

The Series Against The Hilltoppers
This will be the first hardwood meeting between the Cowboys and Hilltoppers, who enter Wednesday's matchup having won 26 games on the season, including four of their last five.

Historic Hilltopper Program
Two historic programs will be squaring off when Western Kentucky comes to GIA. The Hilltoppers have played in the NCAA Tournament 23 times, including the 1971 Final Four, and have won 60 conference championships. WKU has been to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 seven times, including a magical run in 2008 that included a Ty Rogers buzzer-beating 3-pointer to beat Drake in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Man In Charge
A veteran of 11 20-win seasons, Rick Stansbury is in his second season as the head coach at Western Kentucky. Stansbury has coached in six NCAA Tournaments and six NITs. In fact, Stansbury led Mississippi State all the way to Madison Square Garden in their run to the 2006-07 NIT semifinals. In all, the Battletown, Kentucky native has won 334 career games, two SEC Tournament titles (2002, 2009) and the 2004 SEC regular season championship.

WKU In The NIT
This is Western Kentucky's 14th appearance in the NIT, and their first since 2006. The Hilltoppers took down Boston College in the opening round and went on the road to take down No. 1 seed Southern California in the second round. In all, Western Kentucky has an 11-14 record in the NIT, including a trip to the NIT finals in 1942. That year, West Virginia took down WKU, 47-45, in Madison Square Garden.

Against Conference USA
Oklahoma State is 42-7 (85.7 percent) all-time against current members of C-USA. The Cowboys are 15-1 against North Texas and 8-2 against Rice, which are OSU's most frequent C-USA opponents. The Cowboys faced one C-USA member this season, Charlotte, and won 83-65 in Gallagher-Iba Arena.