Cowboy Basketball Headed To Ames To Battle Cyclones

Saturday, January 19

Ames, IA

5 p.m.

Oklahoma State University

Iowa State

January 17, 2019 | Cowboy Basketball

• Game Center
Opponent: at Iowa State (13-4, 3-2 Big 12)
Date / Tipoff: Jan. 19, 2019 / 5 p.m. CT
Site: Hilton Coliseum (14,356)
Tickets: Cyclones.com
Series: OSU leads 65-64 (ISU leads 39-15 in Ames)
TV: ESPNU (Clay Matvick, Tim Welsh)
Webcast: ESPN3.com or WatchESPN app
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network (Dave Hunziker, John Holcomb)
Satellite Radio: XM 386 (OSU call), Sirius 113 (ISU call)
Oklahoma State Game Notes

• The Basics
A heartbreaking last-minute loss to Baylor on Monday night snapped Oklahoma State's two-game win streak, but the Cowboys will regroup and head to Ames to take on a red-hot Iowa State squad that just became the first team to win at Texas Tech this season. The Cyclones also have a win over Kansas under their belts and are currently tied for third in the Big 12 standings. Cameron McGriff, who has double-doubles in four of his last six games, will lead the charge for Oklahoma State, while Lindy Waters is shooting 61.9 percent from 3-point in Big 12 play. Cyclones guard Marial Shayok leads the Big 12 in scoring at 19.4 points per game and paces an Iowa State attack that averages 79.1 points.

• On the Air
The matchup will air on ESPNU at 5 p.m. Central. Clay Matvick and Tim Welsh will handle the on-air duties. The webcast is available at ESPN3 or via the WatchESPN app. Dave Hunziker and John Holcomb will have the Cowboy Radio Network call, which can also be heard on TuneIn Radio or on satellite radio XM 386.

• Mr. Double-Double
Junior captain Cameron McGriff has six double-doubles on the season, including four in the last six games and in each of the last two games. With 14 regular season games remaining, McGriff's six double-doubles are tied for the second most in the Big 12 and are the most by a Cowboy since Marshall Moses had eight in 2010-11. If McGriff posted another double-double at Iowa State he would be the first Cowboy since Desmond Mason in 1999-00 to have three consecutive double-doubles. McGriff leads the Cowboys in scoring and rebounding, and his 8.2 boards per game is second in the Big 12. What's more, he has 15 of the team's 27 charges taken on the year.

• Defense-First Approach
OSU employs a high-pressure, up-the-line defense that speeds up opponents and makes it difficult for them to run their sets, and the Cowboys have been their best in Big 12 play. OSU has held every Big 12 opponent under 42 percent shooting, and the Cowboys ranks second in the league with a 39.0 defensive field goal percentage in conference play. OSU is holding Big 12 foes to 29.9 percent from 3-point, which ranks third in the league. The Cowboys limited Iowa State to 36.4 percent shooting, Oklahoma to 36.2 percent from the floor and Texas to 2-of-22 (.091) shooting from 3-point - all season lows for those opponents.

• Waters Making It Rain
Lindy Waters is shooting 61.9 percent (13-of-21) from 3-point in Big 12 play, which leads the conference. In the last three games, the junior is 9-of-11 from deep, which has helped vault him into the program's top 25 for career 3-point makes. Waters now has 104 career 3-point makes, which is good for 23rd in school history. His career 40.8 percent clip from 3-point ranks ninth in OSU history. Waters and fellow juniors Thomas Dziagwa and Cameron McGriff are on pace to become one of the most prolific sharpshooting classes OSU has ever seen. The trio is already responsible for 276 3-pointers on 39.6 percent shooting.

• The Series With The Cyclones
Oklahoma State took both regular season meetings with Iowa State in 2018, which gave the Cowboys their first sweep of the Cyclones since 1995. It was just the ninth sweep by the Cowboys since the two teams began their Big Eight rivalry in 1958. ISU opened the 2019 Big 12 slate with a 69-63 win over Oklahoma State, which cut the Cowboy's lead in the all-time series to 65-64. In Ames, the Cylones lead the series 39-15. Prior to last season, the Cyclones had won the previous 10 meetings.

• Always A Nailbiter
Regardless of record or venue, Oklahoma State and Iowa State always seem to play down to the wire. Nine of the last 13 meetings between these two schools were determined by nine points or less, including five by five points or fewer and three in overtime. Last year's meeting in Stillwater went into overtime thanks to a Kendall Smith runner with five seconds on the second half clock. OSU pulled away in the extra frame for the 96-87 win.

• Iowa State Snapshot
Iowa State became the first visiting team to win in Lubbock, Texas when the Cyclones pulled out a 68-64 win over Texas Tech on Wednesday night. The win helped end ISU's two-game skid and moved them into a tie for third in the Big 12 standings. This deep and talented Cyclones roster is led offensively by Marial Shayok, a Virginia transfer, who averages a Big 12-best 19.4 points per game.