MBB: OU-OSU Preview

The Teams
Oklahoma (19-10, 7-7) vs. Oklahoma State (16-12, 7-7) -- 7:05 p.m. (CST) -- Stillwater, Okla. -- Gallagher-Iba Arena (13,611)

Media
Wednesday's game will televised on ESPN Plus (KOCB Channel 34/Cox 11 in OKC and KJRH Channel 2/Cox 9 in Tulsa). Bob Carpenter and Paul Splittorff will call the action. It can be heard on the radio on KOKC 1520 AM Oklahoma City, KTBZ 1430 AM in Tulsa and Sirius Channel 126. Click the link below to find the radio station carrying the game in your area.

Radio Broadcast Information | Live Stats

The Series
Oklahoma leads the all-time series 122-89 overall, but the Cowboys hold a 58-40 edge in Stillwater. The series is tied at 12-12 since the inception of the Big 12, but the Sooners are just 3-8 in Stillwater in that timespan. OU head coach Jeff Capel is 2-1 vs. OSU.

The Matchup
OU and OSU each come into Wednesday's game currently in a three-way tie for fifth place in the Big 12 standings along with Texas A&M.

The Cowboys are riding a five-game winning streak with wins over Baylor (93-83 in Stillwater), Texas A&M (59-54 in College Station), Kansas (61-60 in Stillwater), Missouri (75-73 in Columbia) and Nebraska (77-63 in Stillwater). They are also 11-2 at home this season with the lone losses coming against Texas (63-61) and Texas A&M (59-56).

The Sooners won the first meeting between the two teams, 64-61, in Norman on January 28. The Sooners trailed 32-27 at halftime, but used a 9-0 run to begin the second half and take the lead. OSU would later tie the game at 57-57 and trail 62-61 with nine seconds left, but Tony Crocker hit a pair of free throws with three seconds to go to push the lead back to three, and Cowboy guard Byron Eaton's 3-pointer missed at the buzzer.

Junior forward Taylor Griffin led the way for Oklahoma with 20 points and six rebounds, while Blake Griffin came off the bench with 15.

Oklahoma comes into the game currently ranked 30th in the RPI, while the Cowboys check in at 72nd. Click the first link below to listen to OU head coach Jeff Capel talk about the state of his team and the matchup against the Cowboys.

Jeff Capel Audio | Oklahoma State Pregame Notes | Oklahoma Pregame Notes

Capel on Oklahoma State

"They are playing as well as anyone in the league right now winning five in a row. If you look at their stats over this five game stretch, they are shooting 49 percent from 3-point range and Eaton is shooting an amazing 75 percent. They are really playing well, shooting the ball well, defending. We know that it is going to be a great environment there. It is their Senior Night, but we will be ready for them.”

“They are athletic all over the floor, and their guards are very good. They have never been without talent this year. They may not have been winning at one point this year, but they have never been without talent. You have two McDonald’s All-American’s, other guys on the team who are talented and you have guys who have stepped up and are playing better now.

"It all has been led by Eaton and off of just what he has been doing, and the rest of those guys have followed. You have to give a lot of credit to Eaton and probably Marcus Dove, who has also stepped up as two older guys in the program. They've shown the pride that they have in themselves and in their program.”

Oklahoma State Projected Starters
C -- 21 -- Ibrahima Thomas -- 6-11, 238, Fr., 5.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.8 bpg
F -- 05 -- Marcus Dove -- 6-9, 215, Sr., 9.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.2 bpg
G -- 02 -- Obi Muonelo -- 6-5, 215, So., 9.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg
G -- 23 -- James Anderson -- 6-6, 195, Fr., 13.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg
G -- 00 -- Byron Eaton -- 5-11, 215, Sr., 11.7 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 3.0 apg

Roster | Schedule/Results | Stats

Oklahoma Projected Starters
F -- 30 -- Longar Longar -- 6-11, 234, Sr., 11.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg
F -- 32 -- Taylor Griffin -- 6-7, 230, Jr., 6.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg
G -- 05 -- Tony Crocker -- 6-6, 193, So. 11.2 ppg, 4.0 rpg
G -- 34 -- Cade Davis -- 6-5, 203, Fr., 3.8 ppg, 1.6 rbg
G -- 20 -- Austin Johnson -- 6-3, 165, Jr. 8.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.5 apg

Roster | Schedule/Results | Stats