Cowboy Basketball Looking For Second Straight In Allen Fieldhouse

Saturday, February 9

Lawrence, KS

11 a.m.

Oklahoma State University

Kansas

Cowboy Basketball Looking For Second Straight In Allen Fieldhouse

February 08, 2019 | Cowboy Basketball

• Game Center
Opponent: at No. 13/14 Kansas (17-6, 6-4 Big 12)
Date / Tipoff: Feb. 9, 2019 / 11 a.m. CT
Site: Phog Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
Tickets: kuathletics.com
Series: KU leads 114-59 (61-12 in Lawrence)
TV: ESPN (Mark Neely, Fran Fraschilla)
Webcast: ESPN3.com or WatchESPN app
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network (Dave Hunziker, John Holcomb)
Satellite Radio: XM 135 (KU call), XM 381 (OSU call)
Live Stats: kuathletics.com/sidearmstats/mbball

• The Basics
Since 2008, no team has had Kansas' number quite like Oklahoma State. The Cowboys have taken down the Jayhawks eight times over that span, including last year's regular-season sweep - a first over KU since 2001. Now, the Cowboys (9-13, 2-7 Big 12) will look to shake off Wednesday's buzzer-beating loss at TCU and recreate last year's magical win in Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas (17-6, 6-4 Big 12) is coming off a heartbreaking loss of its own at Kansas State, but is a perfect 13-0 at home this season. The Jayhawks are led by dynamic forward Dedric Lawson, who is averaging a double-double with 19.4 points and 10.8 rebounds, and senior sharpshooter Legerald Vick.

• On the Air
The matchup will air on ESPN at 11 a.m. Central. Mark Neely and Fran Fraschilla 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 381.

• Cowboy Quick Hitters
• The Cowboys are looking to win consecutive games in Allen Fieldhouse for the first time since winning four straight from 1960-63.
• Mike Boynton is one of only five visiting coaches to win in their first attempt in Allen Fieldhouse, joining Bill Frieder (Michigan, 1980-81), Dave Bliss (Oklahoma, 1975-76), Denny Crum (Louisville, 1971-72) and John Dromo (Louisville, 1967-68).
• Oklahoma State overcame a 13-point deficit at TCU on Wednesday night, which is a new season-high for the Cowboys. The previous high was a 10-point deficit in the win over UTSA.
• The junior trio of Lindy Waters, Thomas Dziagwa and Cameron McGriff has combined to hit 311 3-pointers on 39.9 percent shooting over their careers.

• 6-10 And Growing
Yor Anei is easily the most improved player in the Cowboy lineup. At 6-10 with a 7'0 1/2" wing span, Anei is a natural shot blocker, and ranks third in the Big 12 with 2.0 blocks per game. But the freshman, who is coming off a career-high 20-point game at TCU, has made huge strides in the scoring and rebounding departments as well. Over the last six games, Anei is averaging 10.7 points and 6.5 rebounds on 70.6 percent shooting. He's also shooting a respectable 72.7 percent from the line over that span. Anei already ranks 18th in school history with 44 blocks on the season, and his 2.0 blocks per game average is eighth best in program history. In fact, he's only two blocks away from tying Chianti Roberts (1993-97) for 25th in school history in career blocks.

• The Series With The Jayhawks
This will be the 174th meeting between Oklahoma State and Kansas, which trails only the Bedlam matchup with Oklahoma (237 meetings) as OSU's longest standing rivalry. No program has beaten Kansas more over the last 11 years than Oklahoma State, which has eight wins over the Jayhawks since 2008. This will be the 33rd consecutive meeting in which the Jayhawks have been ranked inside the Associated Press top-25. KU is currently ranked No. 13 in the country. Kansas leads the overall series to 114-59, including a 61-12 edge in Allen Fieldhouse.

• Sweeping The Jayhawks
The Cowboys took both regular season meetings with the Jayhawks last season, which was the first regular season sweep of Kansas since 2001. Kendall Smith had 24 points in the 84-79 win in Allen Fieldhouse, including the game-clinching free throws in the closing minutes. That game was also Cameron McGriff's coming-out party with 20 points and nine rebounds. Smith followed that performance up with 25 points in OSU's 82-64 senior-day win over the Jayhawks in Gallagher-Iba Arena.

• Always A Cowboy
Former Cowboy Bill Self is facing his alma mater for the 32nd time as a head coach, including four meetings in his time at Oral Roberts and 27 at Kansas. Self's record against OSU is 18-13 (17-10 with KU, 1-3 with ORU), but he is 4-9 inside Gallagher-Iba Arena (4-7 with KU, 0-2 with ORU).

• Self's Cowboy Career
Self was a four-year letterman at OSU under Paul Hansen from 1981-85, and his 319 career assists still rank 14th in school history. Only two OSU point guards had more 10-assist games than Self, who piled up six. His junior season of 1983-84 saw him rack up 126 assists with a 2.42 assist/turnover ratio, which is still the seventh-best ratio by a Cowboy. After graduating in 1985, Self would spend seven season as an assistant coach at OSU under Leonard Hamilton and Eddie Sutton.

• Success Against KU
No other program has had as much recent success against Kansas as Oklahoma State, which has eight wins over the Jayhawks since 2008. In that same time span Iowa State has seven wins, West Virginia has five and Baylor, K-State and Texas have four victories each. OSU has won two of the last three meetings against KU overall, and four of the last five games in Stillwater.