OSU-Texas: Five Keys (Plus Bonus Material)
The Cowboys need Marshall Moses foul-free and scoring against Texas.
By John Helsley
follow on Twitter @jjhelsley
Jéan-Paul Olukemi said it, so we’ll say it.
Tonight’s game against Texas is a must-win.
Not a must-win in terms of “season over” if the Cowboys lose.
Must-win to keep from chasing the .500 mark from well behind.
Must-win to keep team confidence from sinking into the abyss.
Must-win to add a marquee win to the resume, with only Missouri and A&M qualifying as the similar opportunities on the remaining home schedule.
That said, here they are:
Five keys vs. Texas:
1. Manage Emotions. It’s a tissue and hanky kind of night planned for Gallagher-Iba Arena, with emotional nods and tributes to the families of the 10 men lost in the 2001 plane crash. There has been a significant, and proper, buildup to this 10th anniversary. For the Cowboys, there’s also a game to be played.
“We of course want to win for us,” said senior captain Marshall Moses, “but if anything, winning the game for them on a night where their ceremony will be bigger than any win we could ever have, because we’ve got life to live after the game. Win, lose or draw, God has blessed us with life. God willing, we’re all going to walk out of this building.
“Those guys didn’t get that chance. So winning for them would actually be bigger than winning for us.”
2. Hold Down The Fort. Winning at home, especially for a team that struggles mightily on the road, seems mandatory for these Cowboys, even with No. 7 Texas in town. The Longhorns are big and tough and talented, maybe the Big 12’s best team. Still, a loss would be difficult to swallow for an OSU team already 2-3 in conference play. Last year, the Cowboys found a way in a similar spot against No. 1 Kansas. Can they do it again?
3. Don’t Foul! The Cowboys have been fouling at an alarming rate. “There’s no question it’s holding us back, a lot,” said OSU coach Travis Ford. There’s a danger of this team getting tagged as frequent foulers by officials, removing any benefit of the doubt on calls. Texas will play aggressive and physical, so the Cowboys can’t back down. But they better play smart.
4. Harness Hamilton. UT’s Jordan Hamilton enjoyed his breakout game inside GIA a year ago, going off for 27 points in a Longhorns win. Now a sophomore, he’s a star, leading the Horns with a 19.5 scoring average to go with 7.2 rebounds a game. Texas has other capable scorers, but Hamilton can take over a game. He must be slowed, with Olukemi the likely best option to defend him.
5. Paging Penn. Bottom line, the Cowboys need Ray Penn to play the point, freeing Keiton Page to concentrate on shooting and relieving him of the stress of bringing the ball up court. But Penn continues to frustrate Ford with his freelancing ways.
Bonus Material
Leftover quotes from the weekly notebook:
Marshall Moses on entering a stretch of games to build a resume:
“Right now, we’ve just got to get a win. Losing is not something we’re used to and not something we like. We’ve just got to figure out how to compete on the road, and now at home, when you play against top five or top 10 teams.”
Travis Ford on Texas:
“They’re good in everything they do. It’s a team that starts four McDonald’s All-Americans and has another on the bench. They’ve got a lot of weapons.
They’re one of the top two or three teams I’ve seen play all year long. Seems like they have great team chemistry. And they look like a hungry basketball, a team that’s very driven right now.”
Ford on a fluid lineup:
“Always. Could be due to matchups. Could be due to guys not performing. Could be due to a lot of different things at this point. There’s no givens at this point.
“Hopefully, it can help wake a few guys up.”
UT coach Rick Barnes, the only coach still in place from 2001, the year of the plane crash, on the emotions of the night:
“Personally, you think back to that time and it’s hard to believe it’s been 10 years ago. It was a very emotional time. I remember going to the memorial service, along with most everyone else from our league.
“You don’t want to ever forget what happened. It’s an emotional time and it should be an emotional time, because families there lost loved ones and there will always be a void there. I really, one, respect that and certainly honor that.
“Our team will be aware of that, because some of them probably don’t know exactly what it’s about. But we have talked about it and we will continue to talk about it because I want them to understand what happened and why this is the 10 year anniversary, and why every year is important and every day is important.”
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Comments
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by OSU Cowboys Buzz, Jayashree Gurjar. Jayashree Gurjar said: OSU-Texas: Five Keys (Plus Bonus Material): Manage Emotions. It's a tissue and hanky kind of night planned for G… http://bit.ly/g2IHGT [...]
Rick Barnes is total class.