Oklahoma State Basketball

Kansas State (20-9, 8-6) at Oklahoma State (19-9, 8-6)

Tue. Mar. 3 at 7:30 p.m. EST

Spread: Oklahoma State -5.5

Backcourt Advantage: Oklahoma State

Senior guards Terrel Harris (14.5 PPG) and Byron Eaton (14.1 PPG) will play their final home game on Tuesday as Oklahoma State squares off against Kansas State in a crucial Big 12 contest. The two teams currently sit in a three-way tie for fourth in the conference with Texas at 8-6.

Sophomore James Anderson (18.4 PPG) has been on fire lately, averaging 25.3 points per game in the Cowboys' last six games, which they are 5-1. OSU will need his hot streak to continue against the Wildcats, who are capable of keeping up with the high-scoring Cowboys.

Junior guard Denis Clemente (15.2 PPG) has his two highest scoring games on the road for the Wildcats, scoring 44 points in their 85-81 win at Texas and 33 points in a loss at Missouri last week. Sophomore Jacob Pullen (13.5 PPG) is the other player that Oklahoma State will have to contain. Pullen is coming off of an 18-point effort in their win over Nebraska on Saturday.

Frontcourt Advantage: Kansas State

The Wildcats will have the edge inside, led by senior Darren Kent (9.0 PPG). Kansas State is outrebounding its opponents by 6.7 rebounds per game, while Oklahoma State is typically being outrebounded by its opponents on a nightly basis. The Cowboys have very little presence inside and will look to keep this game at a quick tempo to increase their transition scoring chances.

Momentum: Even

Kansas State has won eight of its last 10 overall, while Oklahoma State is currently on a five-game winning streak. The Cowboys will have the slight edge being at home though, where they are 13-2 this season. Their only losses were to conference heavyweights Oklahoma and Missouri.

Kansas State is 5-4 on the road, but lost its last road contest to Missouri by 20 points. Prior to that game, they had won their last four games on the road.

I like the Cowboys to win an emotional game at home, but look for the Wildcats to keep this game close. I'll take the points in this one.

Shaun's Pick: Kansas State +5.5

The last time Oklahoma State was in the NCAA Tournament was in 2005, thanks to the outstanding senior class of John Lucas, Daniel Bobik, Terrance Crawford, Stephen and Joey Graham, and Ivan McFarlin, along with freshman guard JamesOn Curry. This team made it to the Sweet 16, the only time Curry made it to the big dance. 

The year before, the Cowboys, led by the same core of players, had senior Tony Allen, who was the defensive stopper and a great slasher who opened up for the floor for his shooters. This team made it to the Final Four after a clutch cold-blooded three by Lucas in the closing seconds against then-No. 1 seed Saint Joseph's. 

Speculation was the Cowboys should be able to continue their appearances to the tournament with the explosive Curry, defensive stopper Marcus Dove, and the defensive post presence and rebounding of David Monds and Aaron Pettway.

Along with signing extremely talented junior college prospects Mario Boggan, Torre Johnson, and Jamaal Brown, the Cowboys also signed an extremely talented freshman class headlined by McDonald's All-American Byron Eaton. Terrel Harris, Roderick Fleming, and Kenny Cooper joined Eaton, so the slip in the Big XII standings was only supposed to be slight because of chemistry. 

The season didn't turn out the way fans thought it might or even hoped that it might. The young Cowboys finished 17-16 with a 6-10 conference record, while only three players averaged double figures: Boggan led the team (14.8 ppg), Curry was second (13.5 ppg), and Johnson third (10.1 ppg). Eaton (7.8 ppg) and Harris (4.5 ppg) showed glimpses of promise but didn't live up to the hype. Year one of the Eaton/Harris era ended with a first round defeat in the NIT against Miami.

Sophomore year came quick for the duo after Fleming transferred because of lack of playing time. Eaton and Harris helped the Cowboys get off to a fast start, being ranked as high as 15th in the nation with a record of 15-1. Boggan (19.0 ppg) and Curry (17.3 ppg) once again led the team in scoring, with Harris and freshman Obi Muonelo averaging 10 points apiece.

But after one of the most memorable games in college basketball history (a triple overtime win over perennial superstar freshman Kevin Durant), the Cowboys collapsed, as some of the upperclassmen became head cases in the locker room. They finished with a 22-13 record but once again only had six wins in conference play. Once again they lost in the first round of the NIT at home. 

With Boggan and Monds graduating and Curry leaving early for the NBA Draft, the scoring load for Eaton, Harris, and returning sophomore Muonelo increased dramatically as a large portion of their offense was gone.

Luckily another McDonald's All-American joined them, freshman James Anderson, as well as junior college transfers Anthony Brown and Brad Garrett and freshmen Nick Sidorakis, Ibrahima Thomas, Marshall Moses, and Martavius Adams. However, with the departure of their main post presence Kenny Cooper, the Cowboy interior looked thin once again.

Despite the offense from Anderson (13.3 ppg), the junior campaign of Eaton and Harris was once again a lackluster one. Eaton finally managed to break the double-figure mark scoring wise (11.5 ppg), and Harris stayed around the same as the previous season (10.5 ppg) as they finished 17-16 and 7-9 in conference play, highlighted by a huge win against the soon to be NCAA Champion Kansas Jayhawks and a first round NIT exit. 

Now in their senior year, Eaton and Harris have helped lead the Cowboys to a 17-9 record and 6-6 in conference play. Playing one of the toughest schedules in college basketball, these two underachieving seniors could finally be reaching their potential on the college stage as they make a large push for an NCAA Tournament bid.

Led by Anderson in scoring (18.0 ppg), Eaton (14.8 ppg), Harris (14.7 ppg), and Muonelo (13.9) are not far behind under first year head coach Travis Ford's high-octane offense. 

With four regular season games left before the conference tournament, Eaton and Harris have a slim margin of error to help get the Cowboys to the NCAA Tournament. This is their chance to finally live up to expectations their senior year, to go out on top; that way everyone will remember them. They may not make it past the first or second round, but just by making it, they have finally done what nobody thought they could or even would do. 

These underachievers have a chance to prove every critic wrong, and now is their chance. Four games left—can they pull it off? It's crunch time, and their backs are against the wall. It's time to find out what Harris and Eaton are made of.

Baylor (16-9, 4-7) at Oklahoma State (16-9, 5-6)

Sat. Feb. 21 at 1 p.m. EST

Spread: Oklahoma State -5.5

Backcourt Advantage: Even

This game is guaranteed to entertain. Baylor won, 98-92, in their first meeting this season, a game that included 26 3-pointers. The long-range shots will be flying early and often again in this one.

Oklahoma State will be led by its four high-scoring guards: James Anderson (18.0 points per game), Terrel Harris (14.8 ppg), Byron Eaton (14.5 ppg) and Obi Muonelo (14.2 ppg). Baylor will be responding with points from Curtis Jerrells (16.4 ppg), LaceDarius Dunn (15.7 ppg), Henry Dugat (11.7 ppg) and Tweety Carter (10.7 ppg).

Frontcourt Advantage: Baylor

The Bears will be led inside by senior forward Kevin Rogers (12.8 ppg, 7.7 rpg) and freshman Quincy Acy (6.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg). Acy had career highs of 17 points and 12 rebounds against the Cowboys last month. The Bears outrebounded the Cowboys, 47-39, in that game as well.

Momentum: Oklahoma State

The Cowboys are 11-2 at home this season and have won their last two games. The Bears broke a six-game losing streak with a win last Saturday against Texas A&M. The Cowboys may win this game, but I like Baylor to at least keep it close.

Shaun's Pick: Free at CBBPlace.com

First-year head coach Travis Ford inherited a quality amount of talent for his first Cowboy squad. Oklahoma State has two former McDonald's All-Americans on their roster, Senior Byron Eaton and Sophomore James Anderson, and also has some very athletic guards in the Big XII with Senior Terrel Harris and Junior Obi Muonelo. He even inherited two of the best guards from the state of Oklahoma in Sophomore Nick Sidorakis and Freshman Keiton Page. 

What Ford lacks is quality big men, with no post player above the height of 6'8". Ford must work with what he has—Sophomores Marshall Moses at 6'6" and Malcoln Kirkland at 6'8", as well as Senior Anthony Brown standing at 6'7". So now he puts the pressure of grabbing boards upon two of his young guards, Muonelo at 6'4" and Anderson at 6'6", who are forced to play the power forward position in Ford's offense.

So far, the Cowboys are 15-9—5-6 in conference play—and have one of the toughest schedules in the country. They have played some of the top teams in the country:  Michigan State, Gonzaga, Missouri, Kansas, and bedlam rival Oklahoma (who the Cowboys will be playing again toward the end of the regular season).

Playing in a conference whose top two teams are far and away above the competition, the Cowboys have a chance to battle their way up in the standings to improve their seed in the Big XII Tournament.

However, its the NCAA Tournament that has eluded Eaton and Harris in their four-year career at Oklahoma State. Harris has thrived in the fast-paced offense thus far this season, but Eaton has been inconsistent. Eaton has been the emotional leader toward the end of every close game this season, pounding on his chest every time he makes a momentum shifting play. 

For the Cowboys to even stand a chance to gain an NCAA Bid, Eaton must play at an extremely high level and be a leader in the locker-room. For Eaton, it can no longer be a one man show. Instead of forcing the ball down the other teams throat every chance he gets, Eaton must trust his teammates by driving and kicking the ball out to his open shooters (Sidorakis, Harris, Anderson, Muonelo and Page) as well as dishing it to his open but few big men (Moses, Brown, and Kirkland). 

Eaton is the team's third leading scorer (14.6 points per game) and is second in the conference in assists (6.0 assists per game). Eaton's career, though full of scrutiny from some fans, has been one of the best Oklahoma State's history even though his highlight moments are hidden by his monumental mistakes.

He's the Oklahoma State career leader in steals, and second in assists (behind Cowboy great Doug Gottlieb) and he needs to continue to play at the level he's been playing so far during the conference schedule. 

Even though the Cowboys two leading scorers are Anderson (18.0 points per game) and Harris (14.8 points per game), its Eaton who has the pressure of the Cowboys NCAA Tournament hopes upon his steady shoulders. His play and ability to reach the free throw line at any given time during a game is key. He must also stay out of foul trouble. The mistake margin for the Cowboys is extremely thin—an entrance to the NCAA Tournament or the NIT is on the line. 

Can Eaton lead his squad to the big dance, or is it yet another trip to the NIT for the Eaton and Harris? With the season coming to a close, and postseason play around the corner, only time will tell if Eaton can withstand the weight and do something he's never been able to do: compete in the NCAA Tournament. 

Shaun's Pick: Texas Tech +3

Iowa State (13-11, 2-7) at Oklahoma State (14-9, 3-6)

Sat. Feb. 14 at 4:00 P.M. EST

Spread: Oklahoma State -11

Backcourt Advantage: Oklahoma State

This game will be a classic inside versus outside. The Cowboys will be playing four or five guards against the Cyclones, while Iowa State will look to get into their half-court set and work for easy buckets inside. If the threes are falling for the Cowboys, it will be lights out for the Cyclones, but if not, the Cowboys will be in trouble.

Frontcourt Advantage: Iowa State

6'10" sophomore Craig Brackins (19.4 PPG, 9.1 RPG) is licking his chops heading into Stillwater for a matchup against the undersized Cowboys. Brackins will be dominant inside as Oklahoma State doesn't have anyone to match up with him. The Cyclones will need to keep feeding him the rock inside if they want to keep pace with the Cowboys, who will look to make this a three-point shooting contest.

Momentum: Even

Both teams were involved in lopsided results in their games earlier in the week. Iowa State beat Colorado 70-42, led by Brackins' 26 points and 10 rebounds. Oklahoma State, on the other hand, was scorched by Texas 99-74, hitting only 7-of-19 from behind the arc. Look for Oklahoma State to find its stroke at home against a lesser Iowa State team, but the Cyclones should keep it to single-digits.

Shaun's Pick: Free at CBBPlace.com

Oklahoma State (14-8, 3-5) at Texas (15-7, 4-4)

Tue. Feb. 10 at 8:00 P.M. EST

Spread: Texas -9

Backcourt Advantage: Even

Obi Muonelo (14.9 PPG) and the Cowboys bring their long-range shooting into Austin, TX for a showdown with the reeling Longhorns. Oklahoma State lives and dies by the three-point shot, shooting an outrageous 25 threes per game and making 10 of them. Senior A.J. Abrams (16.6 PPG), the Longhorns' only deep threat, will try to get Texas back on track by running a more methodical offense and playing good defense.

Frontcourt Advantage: Texas

Junior swingman Damion James (15.1 PPG, 8.8 RPG) should be the difference-maker in this game for the Longhorns, as the Cowboys do not have anyone who can match his athleticism inside. Senior Connor Atchley (1.6 BPG) will anchor a defense that currently ranks in the top 20 in both blocks per game and rebounds per game.

Momentum: Even

Texas has dropped their last three games, a pair of four-point home losses to Kansas State and Missouri and then a 58-55 loss at Nebraska. Oklahoma State is just 2-5 in its last seven games, its only wins being a two-point win over Nebraska and a one-point win over Texas Tech.

Neither one of these teams has been playing well as of late, but the Longhorns' advantage inside should help suddenly unranked Texas break their three-game losing streak. This team hasn't been playing well enough to win by double-digits though. Therefore, I like the Cowboys to cover.

Shaun's Pick: Oklahoma State +9

This article is also featured at CBBplace.com

Texas Tech (11-10, 1-5) at Oklahoma State (13-7, 2-4)

Wed Feb 4, 2009 at 9:00PM EST

Spread: Oklahoma State -12.5

Backcourt Advantage: Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State is a guard-heavy team who relies on the three point shot.  They are attempting 24 threes per game and making 10 of them.  But amazingly enough, they  attempted more threes in their four losses (27.5 per game) than they did in their two wins (18.5 per game).  What this means is that senior Byron Eaton (13.9 PPG, 5.8 APG) and the Cowboys must remain patient and work for good shots, instead of just settling for threes. 

Texas Tech, led by senior guard Alan Voskuil (13.5 PPG), likes to shoot the three as well, but has not had much success.  It's been a frustrating season for the Red Raiders and they will need Voskuil and running-mate John Roberson (14.6 PPG) to lead them to some victories soon before coach Pat Knight completely self-destructs.

Frontcourt Advantage: Texas Tech

This game will be won in the backcourt, but the Red Raiders have a little bit more size and depth on the front line.  It's hard to imagine more than one or two forwards on the court at a time in this contest, so the team who runs down the most long rebounds and loose balls will be the team that comes away with the much-needed victory.

Momentum: Texas Tech

Neither of these teams has momentum.  OSU is 1-4 in its last five and Tech is 1-6 in its last seven, but the edge has to go to coach Pat Knight and his Red Raiders.  After his tirade, ejection and second tirade on his way off the floor, he has seen enough and will have his team fired up and ready to play on the road.  I think OSU is the better team and should win the game, but will probably be a single-digit win.

Shaun's Pick: Texas Tech +12.5

This article is also featured on CBBplace.com

Monday, Jan. 26, 2009—9:00 pm EST

No. 6 Oklahoma (19-1, 5-0) at Oklahoma State (13-5, 2-2)

Spread: Oklahoma -2.5

Top Player-of-the-Year candidate Blake Griffin leads No. 6-ranked Oklahoma (19-1, 5-0) into a hostile environment in Stillwater, OK versus Oklahoma State (13-5, 2-2).

Backcourt Advantage: Oklahoma State.

Guard-heavy OSU can match up with anyone in the backcourt, and this game will be no exception. Any one of their four guards—sophomore James Anderson (17.9 PPG), junior Obi Muonelo (15.6 PPG), senior Terrel Harris (14.3 PPG), or senior Byron Eaton (13.6 PPG)—can lead their team in scoring on any given night, which gives them great scoring consistency.

OU’s senior point guard Austin Johnson (4.6 APG) and their second-leading scorer, freshman Willie Warren (15.1 PPG), will have their hands full slowing them down.

Frontcourt Advantage: Oklahoma.

6’10” forward Blake Griffin (22.2 PPG, 13.8 RPG) will have a field day underneath as Oklahoma State lacks frontcourt size and depth, with 6’8” Malcolm Kirkland being their only option to defend him. Expect a huge game from Griffin, as this will be a great opportunity for him to inflate his already impressive season averages as he continues to lobby for Player of the Year honors.

Momentum: Oklahoma.

The Sooners come in winners of seven straight, including two on the road. The Cowboys, on the other hand, are 1-2 in their last three games. They rebounded with an OT win over Nebraska after back-to-back losses to Baylor and Missouri.

OSU is also 0-3 versus Top 25 teams this season and desperately needs a big win for their résumé, so they will be primed and ready for this game as it presents them with the opportunity to get that much-needed big win. All that’s standing in their way is Griffin, and he will be too much for the undersized Cowboys to handle.

Prediction: Oklahoma -2.5

This article is also featured on CFBplace.com—and soon to be featured on CBBplace.com.

As we reach the end of January, the number of teams fighting for those last few coveted spots in the NCAA tournament are starting to come into view. Several games this past weekend may have a significant impact for those teams “on the bubble.”

Teams like Wisconsin and Notre Dame, safe a week ago, have played themselves into a bubble situation. Conversely, Penn St., and Virginia Tech have played themselves into bubble discussions by putting together a couple of signature wins.

At the conclusion of each week and weekend, we’ll take a look at the respective “bubble” winners and losers. Who is ascending and who is descending.

Make sure to send a comment, opinion, or gripe. It makes for a fun and entertaining discussion.

Winners

Oklahoma St.

The Cowboys have the classic bubble team resume. Not many quality wins and several losses to good teams. With the OT win over Nebraska on Saturday, Oklahoma St. has put a decent win on their resume and avoided starting 1—3 in the Big 12. A loss would have been devastating with Oklahoma next up on the schedule.

UNLV

With quality wins over Arizona and Louisville, UNLV has positioned themselves nicely in case the conference tourney doesn’t work out for them. The Mountain West Conference is a four team dogfight. Getting four teams into the tournament would be a reach, but three is not out of the question. The Rebels picked up a huge win against Utah this weekend, backing up the win at BYU earlier in the week.

Penn St.

Penn St. has put themselves in a position to be talked about as an at-large team. Beating Iowa doesn’t sound like much but it was a game the Nittany Lions had to have. Now they have their work cut out for them. The next month features seven straight games against the Big Ten’s best teams. Penn St. probably needs to go 5-5 the rest of the way to have a shot.

South Carolina

Playing in the East Division of the SEC, the Gamecocks couldn’t afford to drop their game this weekend to Mississippi. They’re going to have to mine a couple of more wins in the SEC to stay in the at-large discussion, but they deserve to be there now.

Virginia Tech

The Hokies could have lost to Miami (Fl) on Sunday and nobody would have been surprised after they beat top-ranked Wake Forest on Wednesday. That’s what makes the win over the Hurricanes so impressive. It would be hard to leave them out after the week they have put together.

Other winners: BYU, Virginia Commonwealth, UAB, Arizona, Boston College, Kansas, Michigan.

Losers

Arkansas

Losing at home to Mississippi St. and then on the road at Mississippi and Florida wasn’t a complete surprise for John Pelfrey’s youngsters. However, losing to Auburn at home and starting 0-4 in the SEC is not what you want to do if you’re a bubble team.

LSU

After starting out 3-1 in the SEC, the Tigers missed a golden opportunity to put a high profile non-conference win on their resume against Xavier. With no top 50 wins, it looks like LSU is in deep trouble. A win at Tennessee is a must.

San Diego St.

The Aztecs are the forgotten team in the MWC. With Utah, BYU, and UNLV getting most of the headlines, San Diego St. has quietly put together a nice season. They could have put themselves in the drivers seat with a win at BYU this weekend.

Texas A&M

Nobody would argue about how tough the Aggies schedule has been to open the Big 12. However, that also means they have had opportunities for a signature win. The latest being this weekend at Texas.

Stanford

Sure Stanford played a weak non-conference schedule. They did quiet the skeptics by opening Pac-10 play at 3-3 with wins over Arizona and Cal. After losing to Oregon St. over the weekend they can throw that away.

Other Losers: Wisconsin, Nebraska, Creighton, Utah, Miami (OH), George Mason, Boise St., Houston, W. Kentucky.