OSU-Tech: Five Keys
The Cowboys could use a lift from a slumping Jean-Paul Olukemi.
By John Helsley
follow on Twitter @jjhelsley
The Cowboys have lost four straight and fallen out of NCAA Tournament at-large consideration.
And the tone around the team is taking on a build-for-the-future feel.
And yet, there are still games to be played and things to be accomplished. And that returns to focus today, when OSU hosts Texas Tech at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
Five Keys:
1. Just Win. Sure, the season is a disappointment. But there are opportunities for some feel-good moments ahead, aka, wins. Of OSU’s final three regular season games, all are winnable: Tech today, Baylor at GIA Tuesday and at Oklahoma next Saturday. A few wins would make everyone – players, coaches, fans – feel better.
2. Continue Auditions. Reger Dowell has already made his case for an enhanced role with some solid play in the past two games. And he’ll continue to take the stage. Who else might be ready to step up? Roger Franklin? Jarred Shaw?
3. Make Amends. Among OSU’s disappointing road losses, an overtime setback at Texas Tech might be the most regrettable. If the Cowboys had won there – and they should have – they’d still be holding NCAA Tournament hopes. And, who knows, they might have found something positive to carry into other enemy gyms.
4. Single Out Singletary. Tech has a veteran team with several solid players. They’ve underachieved and it may ultimately cost Pat Knight his job. But the No. 1 item on any scouting report of the Red Raiders is slowing Mike Singletary. That will be key again today, as he’s a difficult matchup because of his strength and athleticism. Expect Jéan-Paul Olukemi or Markel Brown to draw that tough assignment.
5. Polish Up. Hey, it’s not what everyone hoped for, but the NIT is OSU’s next best option. Travis Ford acknowledged, naturally, that the Cowboys would accept a bid. For a young team building for the future, there’s something to be gained from any postseason experience. Barring a total collapse at the end, the Cowboys look like an easy choice for NIT officials. Still, winning at least a couple of games here late would solidify that status.
OSU Hoops: What Now?
Reger Dowell is making a case for more playing time going forward.
By John Helsley
follow on Twitter @jjhelsley
The Cowboys have lost four straight and by all accounts dropped from NCAA Tournament consideration, confirming the disappointment that has surrounded the program for much of the past two months.
So, what now for OSU, with three regular season games and the Big 12 Tournament remaining?
Five things to watch as the Cowboys finish their stretch run:
1. Recruiting. Travis Ford and his staff are hardly satisfied with how this season has played out. They never expected to contend for a Big 12 title, but they did count on making a strong play for inclusion on the NCAA dance card. Instead, the team has frustrated Ford from the get-go with its inconsistencies and lack of basketball IQ. Ford isn’t sitting still. Incoming super-recruit LeBryan Nash will infuse the team with an elite talent and Ford is looking for more, especially after cutting ties with former commitment Karron Johnson. The Cowboys are looking for a point guard, a shooting guard and help in the post. A new name to the point guard mix: Jeremy Jones, a Juco prospect at Seward Junior College. Academic issues hurt Jones out of high school, but he’s fast becoming a hot target. Along with the Cowboys, Jones is drawing interest from OU, Kansas State, Arizona State, Indiana, North Carolina, Arkansas and others.
2. Personnel Push. We’ve already seen Reger Dowell make a play for a more prominent role with two strong games back-to-back. Now’s the time for that, with Ford watching to see who’s serious about helping the team going forward. He’ll likely get Jarred Shaw and Roger Franklin more playing time, as both will be needed next year.
3. Alternate Postseason. The Cowboys would appear headed for the NIT, or one of the lesser postseason tournaments (CBI/CIT). With a couple of wins, OSU could secure its place in the NIT and make a case for hosting a first-round game.
4. Style Points. With Dowell gaining more and more exposure at the point, it’ll be interesting to see if the Cowboys pick up the pace in these final games. They’ve already made more of an attempt to attack the rim, and that’s one of Dowell’s major strengths. It’s also a style that figures to fit next year’s team, so why not start revving it up now?
5. Body Language. When there’s an emergence of new faces, somebody gets kicked to the curb. Ray Penn has already seen his playing time decrease and the Dowell experiment cuts into his PT further. In the second half at Kansas, Jéan-Paul Olukemi was left on the bench. How will those guys respond? The answers could be revealing on next season.
Power Lunch Chat Recap: John Helsley
OSU Hoops Recruiting Back On
Cowboys coach Travis Ford must get busy on the recruiting trail.
By John Helsley
follow on twitter @jjhelsley
The news that Travis Ford and Co. were cutting ties with Juco forward Karron Johnson came as no surprise. And it shouldn’t be regretted.
The Cowboys chased Johnson a long time and there was promise when he signed a letter of intent with OSU back in February. But Johnson couldn’t steer clear of a familiar trail of trouble that traced from school to school to school — five schools in all, in five years.
His season at Midland had barely begun when he had a run-in with Chaps head coach Ross Hodge, who booted Johnson from the team after just nine games. It was the same story a year ago, when clashed with coach Jeff Spoonhour at Moberly Area Community College in Missouri and was dismissed from the squad there.
Nobody doubts that Johnson is a rare talent, an NBA talent. But there’s no doubting his track record for trouble, either. Needing a focused direction going forward from this season of struggle, the Cowboys don’t need any distractions of this sort.
So the Cowboys are moving on. And moving out, now scrambling to find some new pieces for the 2011-12 season. And they’ve got their work cut out for them.
OSU will be lacking a proven presence in the post next year, especially if Darrell Williams doesn’t return from his legal issues. Marshall Moses and Matt Pilgrim are seniors. That leaves Roger Franklin and Jarred Shaw as experienced forwards. Mike Cobbins, a redshirting freshman, still draws raves from the coaching staff. But there’s a noticeable lack of muscle.
Trouble is, there’s little unsigned talent left in the prep ranks. And getting in late on what is available won’t be easy. Maybe the Cowboys can have some luck with some other Juco players.
Here are a few names to monitor as the Cowboys re-start their recruiting efforts:
PG Cezar Guerrero. A 5-11 prep point man in California, Guerrero is the best point guard still unsigned. A number of schools are involved and the Cowboys are late to the dance. But don’t count them out.
SG Tony Kimbro. A 6-4 prep shooter out of Louisville, Kimbro has been on the Cowboys’ radar for some time. The Cowboys need shooters, clearly.
PG Sam Grooms. At the Juco level, Grooms would likely be the top target — of several teams. The 6-1 guard, who plays for the nation’s No. 2 JC in Florida, is garnering interest from Florida, North Carolina and Kansas as well.
PG Anthony Hickey. The Cowboys are the most prominent program on the 5-10 point man out of Kentucky, but they may be aiming higher.
SF Anthony Norris. A lot of familiar names are in on this 6-7 forward from Houston, including Baylor, Oklahoma, Colorado and others.
SG Zeke Chapman. More like a combo guard at 6-2, Chapman may answer dual needs for the Cowboys.
SG Josh Richardson. An under-the-radar prospect from Edmond Santa Fe, the 6-5 Richardson is picking up some late interest.
PG Kevin Amayo. A 6-4 guard from New Jersey, Amayo would offer size the Cowboys currently lack at the position.
SG Ben Dillard. Another prep option out of Texas.
SF Ahmad Ibrahim. A 6-5 prep player out of Houston.
OSU-Texas A&M: Five Keys
The Cowboys could use a hot hand from Keiton Page tonight.
By John Helsley
follow on Twitter @jjhelsley
The term must-win has been following the Cowboys around for what seems like months now.
Now in the final stretch run, with five games to play and OSU’s Big 12 record at 4-7, the Pokes play Texas A&M tonight at Gallagher-Iba Arena amid fleeting NCAA Tournament hopes.
Dare we say it?
“A must-win,” said Cowboys senior captain Nick Sidorakis. “We can’t lose this game. It’s a must-win game, hands down. I don’t know any other way to put it.”
And he’s right.
Only this time, it’s for real. Lose and the NCAA dream is gone, barring a magic upset of No. 1 Kansas in Lawrence Monday night.
So, how do the Cowboys beat A&M?
Five keys:
1. Ride The Wave. As bad as the Cowboy have been on the road in the Big 12 – 0-6 bad – they’ve been solid at home, owning wins over Kansas State and Missouri in a 10-1 run, with the only loss to Texas. The crowd should be good, with no excuses to get in the way. The weather is right. The time is right, considering the team’s plight. And it’s not a school night. So it’s time for the Cowboys to use their crowd to fuel a big win and stay alive in the hunt for an NCAA bid.
2. All Together Now. For whatever reason, OSU can’t get more than two or three players producing on any given night. And it’s driving Travis Ford crazy. Against A&M – and from here on – more Cowboys must step up. “I’m past the point of saying everybody’s got to bring their A game,” Ford said. “You’ve got to contribute. If you’re not scoring, bring something else. You better defend or do something else.”
3. Wild Card. Without Darrell Williams, the Cowboys are shorthanded inside. Marshall Moses can’t hold down the paint alone. That means Matt Pilgrim or Roger Franklin or Jarred Shaw needs to help out. And, yes, it’s a broken record. But it’s mandatory.
4.Find Walkup. When the Aggies beat OSU in College Station, Nathan Walkup went off for 16 points, mostly left unguarded from the perimeter. The Cowboys must locate Walkup and get a hand in his face.
5. Win. Somehow, someway – any way – the Cowboys must find a way to win. It’s that simple. Win ugly. Win late. Win in overtime if necessary. But win.
OSU-Texas: Five Keys
By John Helsley
follow on Twitter @jjhelsley
The Cowboys appear to be walking into an ambush tonight, with No. 3 Texas in pursuit of perfection and perhaps the No. 1 ranking in the land.
The Horns probably should have been elevated to the top spot already, instead of a Kansas team they beat in Lawrence, considering their so-far unbeaten run through the Big 12 that includes a win over OSU in Gallagher-Iba Arena.
Throw in the fact that the Cowboys have been road kill in far lesser matchups, entering the Erwin Center at 0-5 in conference away games and 1-6 on the road overall.
“The closest game they’ve played in the league is nine points,” said Cowboys coach Travis Ford, “and they had a 20-point lead in that game.
“Nobody’s really played them close yet. We understand the challenge. We’re going to have to play a whole lot better than we have been.”
That leads us to our Five Keys for Texas:
OSU's Keiton Page (12) shoots game-tying 3-pointer over Iowa State's Melvin Ejim (3) the during the college basketball game between Oklahoma State University and Iowa State University, Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2011, at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla. Photo by Sarah Phipps, The Oklahoman
1. Don’t Roll Over. OK, so this might appear as the most unlikely upset possibility ever. Things happen. Kansas didn’t last the day as the nation’s No. 1 team. Texas flopped in its debut at No. 1 a year ago and actually owned up to not wanting the responsibility this time. The Cowboys haven’t gotten everyone on the same page at the same time this season. Now would be a good time.
2. Unlock Keiton. Texas’ win in Stillwater was marked by a defensive shutdown of Cowboys guard Keiton Page, who was held scoreless. Longhorns guard Dogus Balbay put Page in lockdown with a physical style allowed by officials. Page can’t endure a similar game, or the Cowboys have no chance. Expect a lot of screens intended to free Page on the perimeter. Said Ford: “We don’t need to change a whole lot with Keiton, he knows. He needs to continue to run our basketball team and step up and make plays. He’s a veteran player.”
3. Jumpstart JP. Wrote about Jéan-Paul Olukemi’s radical home/road splits for the paper today. Coincidence that the Cowboys are 4-1 in conference home games and 0-5 on the road? Don’t think so. Whatever it is that’s troubling Olukemi on the road – bad beds, bad food, whatever – OSU must fix it. And fast.
4. Get Comfortable. Olukemi isn’t the only Cowboy struggling on the road, he’s just the most impactful. At this point, a mental hurdle may be developing as well. “I feel that actual weight coming down, the season is winding down and there’s an extra weight that we haven’t gotten a road win at all in the Big 12 Conference. It’s sitting on everybody’s mind just how critical it is to win on the road. I know everybody’s wondering why and what are we doing wrong.”
5. Don’t Back Down. The absence of suspended forward Darrell Williams showed up in Saturday’s loss at Nebraska. The Cowboys didn’t get the needed filler from Matt Pilgrim, Roger Franklin and Jarred Shaw, leaving them soft and vulnerable in the middle. If that doesn’t change tonight, the aggressive and physical Longhorns can’t be stopped. On the bright side, at least Pilgrim is available for this one at the Erwin Center. He sat out last year’s game here after a curfew violation.
Time For The Cowboys To Help Themselves
The Cowboys need more from Jean-Paul Olukemi, especially on the road.
By John Helsley
jhelsley@opubco.com
follow on Twitter @jjhelsley
The Cowboys aren’t getting any help in their hopes – dreams? – of becoming an NCAA Tournament team.
Kansas State, bouncing along the bubble with OSU, figured to absorb a blow Monday night against newly-minted No. 1 Kansas. Except the Jayhawks didn’t last the day enjoying their place atop the national rankings, falling to the Wildcats in Manhattan.
This is the same K-State team that pulled out a win in the final seconds at Iowa State, putting an interesting spin on their 5-6 league mark.
Colorado remained in race – and ahead of the Cowboys – with a weekend win over K-State. And A&M strengthened its position with a wild week, outlasting the Buffs in overtime, then winning a close one at Texas Tech. Both were three-point wins.
A little help, somebody?
Time for the Cowboys to help themselves.
The Big 12 standings, a jumbled mess in the middle entering last weekend, are starting to sort out around OSU.
Above OSU.
The Cowboys, headed for No. 3 Texas on Wednesday, now reside in an eighth-place tie with Nebraska, which beat the Pokes Saturday.
Speculation suggests six Big 12 teams will get bids. And fewer and fewer bracketologists are giving the Cowboys much of a chance.
“I know what time it is in the season and what we need to do to make it to the postseason,” said OSU sophomore Jéan-Paul Olukemi.
Now, of course, it’s about doing it.
For Wednesday’s paper, I take a deeper look inside the Cowboys’ road struggles.
You can’t help but get the feeling they’re going to regret blowing a double-digit lead at Colorado, or failing to win at Texas Tech or Nebraska.
Already, Olukemi said, the weight of the road is wearing on the Cowboys.
“I feel that actual weight coming down,” Olukemi said. “The season is winding down and there’s an extra weight that we haven’t gotten a road win at all in the Big 12 Conference. It’s sitting on everybody’s mind just how critical it is to win on the road. I know everybody’s wondering why and what are we doing wrong.
“All we can do is get ready for the next game.”
And help themselves.
Power Lunch Chat Recap: John Helsley
Gundy is Bieber; Bieber is Gundy
So on Saturday night, a link to this video popped into my e-mail inbox:
That video alone was enough to keep me and several folks at my house on Saturday amused for a good while. The folks with kids old enough to like Justin Bieber especially liked it. It even prompted a few of them to change their ringtones to the Mike Gundy rant.
Now, on Monday comes this:
Somebody at OSU is paying attention and knows how to keep their coach viral on the internet. My guess is Mike Gundy didn’t do it on his own. And here’s also guessing that won’t stay his ringtone past today.
– Asst. Sports Editor Ryan Sharp
OSU at Nebraska: 5 Keys
Cowboys coach Travis Ford is looking to steal a Big 12 road win.
By John Helsley
follow on Twitter @jjhelsley
OK, so the magic number for NCAA Tournament inclusion may have dropped to 8 in the Big 12, if the league gets the six bids it is projected to receive.
That’s good news for Oklahoma State, which is 4-5 and faces road trips to Texas and Kansas, as well as Nebraska (Today) and Oklahoma.
The bad news: the Cowboys haven’t won a league road game since February of last season. And any math adding up to 8 Big 12 wins requires a breakthrough in an enemy gym somewhere.
Could today be the day?
Five keys for the Cowboys at Nebraska:
1. Shoot Straight. Sounds simple, right? But it’s more complicated than that, as the Huskers will pack the lane, taking away OSU’s offensive strength, which is using Jéan-Paul Olukemi on drives and getting trash baskets from Marshall Moses and Matt Pilgrim. Keiton Page, Olukemi and Ray Penn will get some open looks. For a team that has been wildly inconsistent from the perimeter, the Cowboys will have to knock down some 3s.
2. Fill The Void. Just as Darrell Williams was coming off his best two games at OSU, and seeming to figure things out, the skilled forward was suspended amid sexual assault charges. Williams wasn’t a regular impact player, so it’s not like the Cowboys are without their go-to guy. But he was a starter at a position where OSU has lacked any consistency. That spins the focus to a familiar figure: Matt Pilgrim. A bit of an enigma, Pilgrim has played better of late and is capable of lessening the loss of Williams. Roger Franklin and Jarred Shaw factor in as well. And watch for Ford to utilize more of a four-guard look, too, with Olukemi filling an Obi Muonelo-type role.
3. Be Patient. The Huskers aren’t at all sexy, with a pedestrian offense. But they will get after teams on the defensive end, which is why they lead the Big 12 in scoring defense, allowing just 59.1 points a game. For the Cowboys, the key will be showing patience with their offense, working the ball and working off screens and not firing up ill-advised shots.
4. Road Worriers. The Cowboys haven’t won on the road in the Big 12. The Huskers are 14-1 at home, with only a loss to Kansas appearing as a blip. So this looks like a tall task for the Cowboys seeking a breakthrough. Still, it’s not like the Huskers are world beaters inside the Devaney Center. Nebraska does own a nice home win over Texas A&M, but otherwise they’ve beaten Iowa State and Colorado and a bunch of nonconference lightweights.
5. Tit For Tat. The Huskers can defend, but so can the Cowboys. And Nebraska struggles to score, ranking 11th in the league in scoring. The Huskers don’t have anyone among the league’s top 20 scorers. That should assure that OSU is in this game to the end. Now, they have to find a way to win it.
