Cowboy Basketball Notes: UCF

UCF (14-12, 5-9) at Oklahoma State (12-15, 4-10)
Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024 | 7:01 p.m. CT
Stillwater, Okla. | Gallagher-Iba Arena (13,611)

TV: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ (Ted Emrich & Bryndon Manzer)
Radio: Cowboy Network (Dave Hunziker & John Holcomb)
Tickets: okstate.com/tickets
Live Stats: okstate.statbroadcast.com
Series: UCF leads 1-0 (First Meeting in Stillwater)
Last: Nov. 18, 2022 in Nassau, Bahamas (UCF, 60-56 ot)

The Basics:

Oklahoma State (12-15, 4-10) welcomes in Big 12 newcomer UCF (14-12, 5-9) for the first time on Wednesday night.
OSU is coming off an 84-82 overtime heartbreaker against rival Oklahoma. The Cowboys led by a point before Javian McCollum's corner three with no time left.
The loss overshadowed a strong offensive showing for OSU, which shot 57.5% and tallied a season-high 54 points in the paint.
Javon Small (21 points), Quion Williams (21) and Eric Dailey Jr. (20) became the first Cowboy trio of 20-point scorers since 2017.
OSU is in the midst of its best three-game shooting stretch (57.5%) in 18 years with the OU game coming on the heels of equally-strong efforts against Cincinnati (55.6) and BYU (59.6). The Sooners and Bearcats both rank among KenPom's top-25 defenses.
Another test awaits Wednesday against UCF's 14th-ranked defense. The Knights -- who snapped a five-game losing streak with Saturday's 75-61 win over No. 23 Texas Tech -- are among the NCAA leaders in blocks (12th, 5.4), steals (21st, 8.9) and field goal percentage defense (26th, .406).
OSU and UCF met for the first time in last season's Bahamas Championship. The Knights rallied from a 15-point second half deficit for a 60-56 overtime win.

Watch:
The game will air on the Big 12 Now on ESPN+ with Ted Emrich and Bryndon Manzer on the call. Fans can subscribe to ESPN's over-the-top streaming service for $10.99/month ($110/year) or bundle with Disney+ and Hulu for as little as $14.99/month. Visit plus.espn.com to learn more.

Listen:
Dave Hunziker and John Holcomb describe the action on stations across the Cowboy Radio Network. Visit okstate.com/radio for a full list of affiliates by location. Fans outside the listening area can tune in via the Varsity Sports App or at okstate.com/listen.

On this Date: Feb. 28, 2009
OSU upset No. 24 Texas, 68-59, at Gallagher-Iba Arena behind 16 points from James Anderson and 15 points and 16 boards from Marshall Moses.

Last Time on Cowboy Basketball:
Saturday, Feb. 24 (Stillwater) | Oklahoma 84, OSU 82 OT

Javian McCollum's three-pointer at the buzzer gave Oklahoma dramatic 84-82 overtime win in the last Big 12 chapter of the Bedlam rivalry.
Quion Williams (21), Javon Small (21) and Eric Dailey Jr. (20) all topped 20 points for the Cowboys, who lost despite shooting 57.4%.
Rivaldo Soares had 20 points of his own to lead a group of five Sooners in double-figures.
OU led for less than 5:00 but came out on top when McCollum, with his team trailing 82-81, dribbled out the last 12 seconds before launching a step back three from corner as time expired.
OU made just over half of its field goal attempts (35-of-69, .507), including 23-of-36 (.639) after halftime to erase OSU's 38-30 lead.
The Cowboys were 19-of-28 from the field in the final 25 minutes (.679) and committed just four turnovers but had difficulty generating stops with center Brandon Garrison in foul trouble.
Small missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 4 seconds left in regulation and the game tied at 72. John-Michael Wright's three put OSU in front 82-81 with 90 seconds to go in overtime.
OU scored on 5 of 6 OT possessions and OSU converted 4 of 5.

Not Half Bad:

The Cowboys are averaging 85.0 points over their last three games, helped by their best shooting stretch in more than 18 years.
OSU hit a combined 57.5% from the field in contests against BYU (59.6), Cincinnati (55.6) and Oklahoma (57.4). That's the highest percentage by an OSU team over a three-game period since December, 2006 when the Pokes made 59.9% of their shots against Tennessee (55.6), UAB (58.0) and Arkansas State (65.3).
You have to go all the way back to the Big 12's inaugural year to find a better three-game conference run. The 1996-97 Cowboys knocked down 57.8% against Baylor (59.3), Oklahoma (55.8) and Baylor again (58.2).
Over these past three games, six different OSU players have averaged double-figure points: Javon Small (18.0), Quion Williams (16.0), Jamyron Keller (15.0), Brandon Garrison (13.7), Eric Dailey Jr. (10.3) and John-Michael Wright (10.0).
Cowboys have had modest success at the three-point line (7.7 on 41.1% accuracy) and at the charity stripe (74.1% on 18.0 free throw attempts), but the most encouraging trend has been their ability to get to the rim for high percentage looks. They're 73-of-111 from two-point range (.658), helped by a combination of snappy passing and dribble penetration. They've dunked 13 times and posted a 1.68 assist-to-turnover ratio (17.3 assists, 10.3 turnovers).

More Bedlam Leftovers:

OU's game-winning shot was Bedlam's first true buzzer beater (no time left) in the 50-years that OSU has tracked play-by-play.
Three Cowboys scored 20+ in the same game for the first time since Feb. 18, 2017 (another Bedlam matchup at Gallagher-Iba Arena).
The Cowboys' 84-82 overtime loss was their first of the season when putting at least 75 points on the board (9-1) and only their second when scoring at least 70 in regulation (11-2).
OSU is 10-3 with a halftime lead compared to 1-12 when tied or trailing.
OSU dropped to 35-5 under Boynton when shooting better than 50% from the field (5-1 this season). His teams are also 101-28 when out-shooting their opponent (9-3 in 2023-24).
OSU's 57.4% shooting percentage against OU was its highest in a loss since Feb. 1, 1997 at Baylor, when it fell 78-77 despite making 32-of-55 (.582) shots.
Nine of the 15 Cowboy losses have come down to the wire. OSU fell on a buzzer beater to Oklahoma on Feb. 24. In eight others, the Cowboys had the ball with less than 20 seconds left and chance to tie or take the lead.
OSU is 3-9 in games decided by five points in either direction.

The Wright Track:

John-Michael Wright had made multiple three-pointers in each of his last 10 games. It's one of the nine longest streaks in program history.
If Wright does it again Wednesday it would tie for third-best all-time with John Lucas, JamesOn Curry and Obi Muonelo, trailing only Keiton Page (12 in 2011-12) and Muonelo (17 in 2008-09).
Wright has tallied 2,072 career points across two season at OSU and three at High Point. College Basketball Reference maintains an all-time list of top scorers at the major conference level. Wright's next point will move him into the top-500 all-time – tied with Syracuse's Hakim Warrick. Not far ahead are Tennessee State's Anthony Mason (2,075 from 1984-88) and Duke's Jon Scheyer (2,007 from 2006-10) and Jay Williams (2,079 from 1999-02).

OSU Bests // Consecutive Games w/ Multiple 3-Pointers:
17 – Obi Muonelo (2008-09)
12 – Keiton Page (2011-12)
11 – John Lucas (2004-05)
11 – JamesOn Curry (2006-07)
11 – Obi Muonelo (2009-10)
10 – John-Michael Wright (Active)
10 – Javon Small (2023-24)
10 – Adrian Peterson (1998-99)
10 – Phil Forte (2013-14 to 2014-15)

Also Trending:

As of Tuesday, Javon Small ranks among the Big 12 leaders in scoring (12th, 14.6), assists (7th, 4.5), free throw percentage (5th, .856), defensive rebounding (7th, 4.7) and minutes (10th, 33.3).
Small has scored at least 14 points in all six February games. He's averaging a team-best 17.8 points in that span.
Brandon Garrison's 1.3 blocks-per-game ranks sixth on the Big 12 Conference leaderboard.
Garrison's 35 total blocks are tied for sixth on OSU's freshman single-season list with Andre Williams (35 in 1999-00). His next block will move him into a tie for fifth with Ivan McFarlin (2001-02).
Eric Dailey Jr. (20 points) and Quion Williams (21) both set new career highs vs. Oklahoma.
Williams is averaging 12.8 points in the month of February and has four straight double-figure scoring games.
Dailey notched his 12^th double-figure game of the season on 8-of-10 shooting.
In the six games since Bryce Thompson's season-ending injury, Jamyron Keller is averaging 11.7 points in 30.0 minutes (up from 4.4 ppg, 1.0 apg, 10.9 mpg prior).

The Series with UCF:

This is only the second meeting between the schools and the first of the Big 12 era.
Fans got a sneak preview last November in the Bahamas Championship when the Knights rallied from a 15-point deficit to win in overtime.
UCF is the last of the four new conference members on OSU's schedule and the only team that the Cowboys will not face on the road this season.

Last Meeting:
Nov. 18, 2022 (Nassau, Bahamas) | UCF 60, OSU 56 OT

C.J. Kelly scored 18 points and Ithiel Horton hit the go-ahead three-pointer in overtime to lift UCF to a semifinal win in the Bahamas Championship.
Horton's triple gave the Knights a 55-54 lead with 3:51 remaining in OT. Later, he made 1 of 2 free throws for a 58-56 advantage with 18 seconds to go. The two-point lead stood up when OSU missed twice at the rim on its final possession. Kelly made two free throws with less than a second remaining for the final margin.
The Cowboys used an 11-0 run to take charge in the first half. They stretched a 28-17 halftime lead to 34-19 with 18:38 to go but managed just one more basket in the next nine minutes during a 16-3 UCF run.
UCF freshman Taylor Hendricks, the eventual ninth overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, added 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Knights, who led for only 6:22, including overtime.
Moussa Cisse paced OSU with 14 points and 14 rebounds. Avery Anderson had 12 points, six rebounds and five assists, and Kalib Boone added 10 points.
A battle of two elite defenses saw UCF shoot 30.5% to OSU's 29.3%.
The Knights defeated Santa Clara two days later to take the tournament title.

Scouting the Knights:

Eighth-year UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins was the 1986 NCAA player of the Year at Duke and spent 10 seasons in the NBA before transitioning into the coaching world. He won a pair of NIT championships during an eight-year run at Stanford (2008-16) and has since led the Knights to three postseasons, highlighted by a first round victory in the 2019 NCAA tournament.
Dawkins returns just one starter from his 2022-23 squad, which finished 19-15 and defeated Florida in the first round of the NIT.
The Knights have new faces but a similar approach. They average 72.0 points on a league-low 41.8% but have the nation's 14th best defense, per KenPom, and rank among the NCAA leaders in blocks (12th, 5.4), steals (21st, 8.9) and field goal percentage defense (26th, .406). Opponents are shooting just 45.2% from two-point distance (17th lowest).
Junior guard Jaylin Sellers, a Ball State transfer, is the Big 12's fourth-leading scorer (16.5 ppg). He's made 105 free throws at an .847 clip.
Junior guard Darius Johnson, the lone returning starter, averages 14.3 points and leads the team in threes (52 on 37.7%) and assists (4.0).
Johnson (2.3) and Kansas City transfer Shamarri Allen (1.8) both rank among the league's top-five in steals.
UCF has size and experience in the front court with a trio of fifth-years patrolling the paint.
6-8 forward C.J. Walker averages 6.8 points and 5.3 rpg.
7-foot San Jose State transfer Ibrahima Diallo (6.0 ppg, team-best 5.8 rpg) is the Big 12's leading shot-blocker (2.0 bpg) and 6-10 Jacksonville transfer Omar Payne ranks fourth at 1.5 per game.

Matchup Mashup:

OSU's Mike Marsh and UCF's Omar Payne were teammates last season at Jacksonville and platooned at the center position.
UCF fifth-year Shemarri Allen played his first two seasons at Cowley College in Arkansas City, Kan. (roughly an hour north of Stillwater).
Both sides bring in radically different rosters from a year ago. OSU's John-Michael Wright is the only active returning starter from either side of last year's box score (Bryce Thompson is currently out with an injury and UCF's Darius Johnson did not play in last year's game). The only others who saw action are OSU's Quion Williams and UCF's C.J. Walker.
OSU is 2-2 against UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins. In addition to last year's matchup in the Bahamas, the Cowboys faced him three times during his time at Stanford (2008-16). OSU left Palo Alto with a 71-70 win on Dec. 16, 2009 as part of the Big 12/Pac 10 Hardwood Series and won a return game the following season in Stillwater (79-68). Dawkins' Cardinal avenged the loss in the semifinals of the 2011 NIT Season Tipoff in New York (82-67).
UCF fifth-year Shemarri Allen played his first two seasons at Cowley College in Arkansas City, Kan. (roughly an hour north of Stillwater).
Twin brothers Joey and Stephen Graham started their collegiate careers at UCF (2000-02) before transferring to OSU. Both sat out the 2002-03 season before helping the Cowboys to the 2004 Final Four and eventually went on to play in the NBA.

A Cowboy win would...

Improve their record to 13-15 (5-10 Big 12).
Make them 5-4 since their 0-6 start.
Up their home record to 11-6.
Make them 3-1 against the four Big 12 newcomers.
Even the all-time series with UCF at 1-1 (1-0 in Stillwater and 1-0 Big 12 era).
Make them 3-2 vs. Dawkins.

Up Next: at Texas
Saturday, Mar. 2, 1 p.m. CT (ESPN2)

OSU is in Austin this weekend to take on Texas Longhorns (17-10, 6-8 heading into Tuesday night's matchup at Texas Tech).
The Longhorns are led by fifth-year senior Max Abmas, an Oral Roberts transfer who is the nation's active leader in points (3,007), field goals (990) and three-pointers (494). He's one of just 12 players in Division I history with more than 3,000 career points.
Texas has won the last four meetings.
The Cowboys last won in Austin on Mar. 7, 2020.
This their second visit to the 10,763-seat Moody Center, which opened its doors in April, 2022.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Kalib Boone

Moussa Cisse

Eric Dailey Jr.

Brandon Garrison

Jamyron Keller

Mike Marsh

Javon Small

Bryce Thompson

Quion Williams

John-Michael Wright

Oklahoma State University Athletics