Cowboy Basketball Hosting Exhibition Tilt Against Rogers State Friday

Friday, November 1

Stillwater, OK

7 p.m.

Oklahoma State University

Rogers State

Cowboy Basketball Hosting Exhibition Tilt Against Rogers State Friday

October 30, 2019 | Cowboy Basketball

• Game Center
Opponent: Rogers State (0-0, 0-0 MIAA)
Date / Tipoff: Nov. 1, 2019 / 7 p.m.
Site: Gallagher-Iba Arena (13,611)
Tickets: okstate.com/tickets or 877-ALL-4-OSU
Series: OSU leads 2-0 (2-0 in GIA)
Last: OSU won 101-85 on Nov. 30, 2016 in GIA
Broadcast: ESPN+ (Mike Wolfe, Bryndon Manzer, Jessica Morrey)
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network (Dave Hunziker, John Holcomb)
Satellite Radio: None
Live Stats: okstate.statbroadcast.com
Oklahoma State Game Notes

• The Basics
The 111th season of Oklahoma State basketball will see the return of all five Cowboy starters, including captains Cameron McGriff, Lindy Waters III and Thomas Dziagwa, as well as Mike Boynton's highly touted recruiting class that was unanimously ranked among the nation's top-25. OSU was picked sixth in the Big 12 Conference Preseason Poll, which is the program's highest selection by the league's coaches since 2013-14. The Cowboys have won 31 straight exhibition games dating back to 2000, and will put that streak on the line against Rogers State.

• On the Air
The exhibition game will be Cowboy basketball's first appearance on Big 12 Now on ESPN+, the new digital platform that will serve as the home for thousands of live Big 12 and ESPN events, on-demand content and original programing. ESPN+ is available via the ESPN App, ESPN.com or espnplus.com, as well as on most major mobile and connected TV platforms (AppleTV, Roku, Chromecast, FireTV, XBOX One, Playstation 4, ect.) for just $4.99 per month. The announcing team of Mike Wolfe, Bryndon Manzer and Jessica Morrey will have the ESPN+ call. Dave Hunziker and John Holcomb will have Cowboy Radio Network call from historic Eddie Sutton Court.

• Returning Firepower
With the return of all five starters from a year ago, OSU brings back the bulk of its production. Cameron McGriff, Lindy Waters, Thomas Dziagwa and Isaac Likekele started all 32 games in 2018-19, and Yor Anei got the nod in 29 games, including the final 27. Only 19 teams nationally and only three Power Five squads (Notre Dame, Illinois and Maryland) return more scoring than Oklahoma State's 77.8 percent. The Cowboys also bring back over 70 percent of their rebounding (71.1), assists (81.3), steals (78.7), blocks (91.4) and 3-pointers (78.6).

• Captains Looking For 1,000th Point
Seniors Lindy Waters (825 points), Cameron McGriff (817 points) and Thomas Dziagwa (638 points) could all reach the 1,000-point plateau this season. Only once in program history has a trio of teammates reached the 1,000-point mark in the same season - 2009 when Byron Eaton, Terrel Harris and James Anderson all accomplished that feat. Two OSU teammates have reached the 1,000-point mark in the same season on eight occasions, with the last coming in 2014 (Marcus Smart & Le'Bryan Nash).

• Preseason All-Big 12 Conference Cowboy
At 6-10 with a 7'0 1/2" wing span, Yor Anei is a natural and instinctive shot blocker. He led the Big 12 and ranked seventh nationally with 2.66 blocks per game in 2018-19, which earned him Preseason All-Big 12 honorable mention honors. He blocked seven shots in the Big 12 Championship opener against TCU to give him 85 blocks on the year, which tied the school record set by Andre Williams in 2002-03. In fact, Anei averaged 6.3 blocks per game in the month of March. At 13.65 percent, Anei ranked fourth nationally in block percentage, which is the percentage of opponents' two-point shots that are blocked by the player while he is on the court. Anei becomes just the third player, and the first since 2008, to lead the Big 12 in blocks and not make the league's all-defensive team.

• 2019 All-Big 12 Conference Honors
Captains Cameron McGriff and Lindy Waters were named to the Phillips 66 All-Big 12 Conference honorable mention squad following their junior seasons in 2018-19. These were the first career conference awards for McGriff and Waters, who stepped into the spotlight for the Cowboys last year. OSU has now had at least two players represented on the All-Big 12 team or the Associated Press All-Big 12 team since the league began in 1996-97.

• Preseason Predictions
The Cowboys return all five starters and welcome in a top-25 recruiting class, which has the media and the Big 12 coaches bullish on Oklahoma State. OSU was picked sixth in the Big 12 Conference Preseason Poll, which is its highest selection by the league's coaches since 2013-14. In the last 12 seasons, the Cowboys have only been picked higher than sixth on two occasions – 2013-14 (T1st) and 2012-13 (3rd) – and has OSU out-performed its preseason selection in each of the last three seasons. The Big 12 has sent six or more teams to the NCAA Tournament in each of the last six years, including seven bids in four of those seasons (2014-16 and 2018).

Team Streaks & Trends
• OSU has won 31 straight exhibition games dating back to 2000.
• OSU is 98-12 (.891) all-time in home openers, including a streak of 43 straight wins dating to 1974.
• The Cowboys are 85-25 (.773) all-time in season opening games.
• The Cowboys are 7-12 against the AP top-25 under Mike Boynton.
• OSU was 11-4 last season when it led at the half.
• OSU has forced at least 10 turnovers 57 times under Mike Boynton, and is 33-24 in those games.
• OSU has made at least one three-pointer in 616 consecutive games dating back to Jan. 13, 2001, which is the 24th longest current streak in college basketball.

Individual Streaks & Trends
• The Cowboys used the same starting lineup over the final 27 games of 2018-19: Isaac Likekele, Thomas Dziagwa, Lindy Waters, Cameron McGriff and Yor Anei. Likekele, Dziagwa, Waters and McGriff started every game in 2018-19.
• Cameron McGriff has started 46 consecutive games for the Cowboys, which is the 37th longest active streak in college basketball. In the Big 12, only Texas' Matt Coleman (71) and TCU's Desmond Bane (53) have a longer starting streak.
• Yor Anei has blocked at least one shot in 17 straight games and in 28 of OSU's 32 games overall.
• Yor Anei averaged 15.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 7.0 blocks and shot 70.4 percent from the floor over the final three games of 2018-19.
• Thomas Dziagwa has hit at least one 3-pointer in 22 straight games. In fact, he hit at least one 3-pointer in every game but one in 2018-19, and had 24 games with at least a trio of 3-pointers.
• Thomas Dziagwa reached double-figures in scoring in seven of the last eight games, including three 20-point games in that span.
• Lindy Waters was 42-of-84 (.500) from 3-point in Big 12 play last year, which ranks second in the league.
• In road Big 12 games, Isaac Likekele averaged 13.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists on 49.4 percent shooting.

• The Series With Rogers State
This will be the fourth time Oklahoma State and Rogers State have squared off on the hardwood. The Cowboys are 2-0 in regular season games and 1-0 in exhibition competition against the Hillcats. The two squads last met in GIA on Nov. 30, 2016, when Jawun Evans racked up 25 points, five steals and four rebounds to lead the Cowboys to a 101-85 win despite 56.8 percent shooting from a feisty Rogers State squad.

• Leading The Hillcats
Justin Barkley returns for his 10th season at the helm of the Hillcats program. Under Barkley, the Hillcats have never had a losing season, recording at least 16 wins each year. He boasts a 183-88 (.675) record that includes two national tournament appearances, three All-America selections and six 20-plus win seasons. In fact, Barkley coached three-straight Heartland Conference Player of the Year recipients: Jeylyn Sharpe (2016-17), JC Hartzler (2015-16) and Frederico Santos (2014-15).

• Preseason Polls
Rogers State was picked ninth and 11th in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) Preseason Coaches and Media polls, respectively. This will be the first season for Rogers State in the MIAA. The Hillcats are coming off a 20-12 season in the final year of Heartland Conference in 2018-19, including a trip to the conference semifinals. The defending NCAA Division II national champions, Northwest Missouri, was the unanimous choice to repeat as MIAA champs. The MIAA has led the nation in Division II attendance in each of the last 11 seasons.

• The Hillcats
The Hillcats return three starters from the 2018-19 season - senior Tavian Davis (9.1 ppg, 3.2 apg), junior Brewster Peacock (10.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg) and sophomore Destin Eke (3.1 ppg, 2.3 rpg) - and will be joined by six transfers and one freshman, Jett Sternberger. Chris Miller, an Oral Roberts transfer, and Darraja Parnell, from Central Arkansas, have both played in Gallagher-Iba Arena with their previous schools.