Ranked Cowboys Hosting Georgetown In Big 12/Big East Battle Wednesday

• Game Center
Georgetown (4-3, 0-0 Big East) at RV/25 OSU (7-0, 0-0 Big 12)
Date / Tipoff: Dec. 4, 2019 / 7 p.m. CT
Site: Gallagher-Iba Arena (13,611)
Tickets: okstate.com/tickets or 877-ALL-4-OSU
Series: OSU leads 1-0 (first meeting in Stillwater)
Last: OSU won 97-70 on Nov. 23, 2016 in Maui, Hawaii
Broadcast: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ (Mike Wolfe, Bryndon Manzer, Jessica Morrey)
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network (Dave Hunziker, John Holcomb)
Satellite Radio: XM 375 (OSU call), XM 382 (Georgetown call)
Live Stats: okstate.statbroadcast.com
Oklahoma State Game Notes

• The Basics
Oklahoma State raised the NIT Season Tip-Off trophy after taking down Ole Miss, 78-37, in one of the most dominating performances in program history. The Cowboys held the Rebels to 25.9 percent shooting in OSU's largest margin of victory (41 points) over a power-conference opponent since 2004. Yor Anei earned tournament MVP honors, while Isaac Likekele claimed a spot on the NIT Season Tip-Off All-Tournament team. OSU now turns its attention to its Big 12/Big East Battle opponent, Georgetown, which is led by one of the game's greatest players in Naismith Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing.

• On the Air
The game will appear 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.

• NIT Season Tip-Off Champions
OSU held Syracuse and Ole Miss to a combined 29.8 percent shooting (9-of-51 from 3-point) in claiming the NIT Season Tip-Off crown. The 78-37 win over the Rebels is the largest margin of victory against a power conference opponent away from home since OSU defeated LSU, 111-67, in Tulsa on Dec. 20, 1994. Overall, it was OSU's biggest power-conference victory since a 52-point win over Washington State on Dec. 4, 2004, and it was Ole Miss' biggest loss since 2005. Yor Anei averaged 16.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game in claiming MVP honors, while Isaac Likekele earned an all-tournament team nod after averaging 17.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 4.0 steals per game.

• Poll Presence
Fresh off the NIT Season Tip-Off title, Oklahoma State checked in at No. 25 in the USA Today Coaches Poll on Monday. The Cowboys are ranked for the first time since their No. 24 ranking on Feb. 16, 2015. The Cowboys appeared in "Others Receiving Votes" in this week's Associated Press Poll. A regular in both polls, this is OSU's 142nd appearance in the Coaches Poll in the Big 12 era.

• Accolades Mounting For Anei
Yor Anei's unique ability has a suffocating effect on opposing offenses, and earned the sophomore NIT Season Tip-Off MVP honors. When he is on the floor, Anei is responsible for blocking 19.2 percent of the opposition's 2-point field goal attempts, a figure that leads the nation according to KenPom. Anei has blocked at least one shot in 24 straight games, and now has 108 career blocks. Nationwide, only 42 active players have 100 career blocks, and Anei is one of just two sophomores on that list. Last season, Anei ranked fourth nationally with a block percentage of 13.65 while racking up 85 rejections. A Preseason All-Big 12 honorable mention selection, Anei already owns two of the three biggest single-game block totals in school history, tied the OSU single-season blocks record (85) and is already 10th in career blocks (108).

• The Series With Georgetown
This will be just the second meeting between the Cowboys and Hoyas and the first since the 2016 Maui Invitational third-place game, which OSU won in resounding fashion, 97-70. During that game in Maui, Oklahoma State tied the school record with 19 steals and turned 28 Georgetown turnovers into 41 points. The game also featured a breakout performance from then-junior Jeffrey Carroll, who posted 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting.

• Big 12/Big East Battle
This is the first year of the Big 12/Big East Battle, a scheduling alliance between two of college basketball's best conferences. The four-year agreement will continue through 2022-23 with an equal number of games played in each conference's home market each year.

• Senior Showings
OSU's senior captains were freshmen against Georgetown in 2016, but that didn't stop them from having breakout performances ...
Cameron McGriff: After the Hoyas put the Cowboys in an 8-0 hole to open the game, McGriff threw down a ferocious dunk that was the No. 1 play on the SportsCenter Top 10 and changed the game for OSU. For the rest of the half, the Cowboys out-scored the Hoyas, 50- 27, and McGriff ended the day with 11 points and five boards.
Thomas Dziagawa: The Tampa, Florida native was a force in the first half for the Cowboys. Dziagwa forced a pair of steals, went 2-of-2 from 3-point and 2-of-2 from the line and hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to send OSU into the break on top, 50-35. He finished with eight points and a pair of steals in just six minutes of action.
Lindy Waters: OSU tied the school record with 19 steals against Georgetown, and no one was more instrumental than Waters. The Norman, Oklahoma native racked up a game-high five steals and also added nine points, five rebounds and two assists.

• Against The Big East Conference
OSU is 41-37 against current members of the Big East, including a 16-11 mark in Gallagher-Iba Arena. Oklahoma State shared lengthy Missouri Valley Conference rivalries with both Creighton (1921-43) and DePaul (1945-53). The Cowboys have a 19-21 all-time record against Creighton and 12-8 all-time against DePaul. Most recently, OSU fell to Villanova, 77-58, in the 2018 AdvoCare Invitational in Orlando, Florida.

Ranked Cowboys Hosting Georgetown In Big 12/Big East Battle Wednesday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Yor Anei

Isaac Likekele

Cameron McGriff

Oklahoma State University Athletics