OSU-Harvard: Five Keys
By John Helsley
follow on Twitter @jjhelsley
The NIT comes to Gallagher-Iba Arena tonight.
Fired up?
Semi-sort of? Yeah, me, too. Not what I was expecting this season. I did think the Cowboys were in for a transition, losing Big Game James Anderson and Obi Muonelo and counting on so many kids. But I thought they’d find a way into the NCAA field.
Didn’t happen, as OSU’s offensive inadequacies made scoring a very difficult endeavor all season long.
So it comes to this. A chance to play on, maybe even get a trip to New York City and a spot in the NIT Final Four, which would be a nice bonus for these Cowboys… if they care.
That’s one of the always obvious questions with the NIT – do the players care? If so, teams can find a purpose in the postseason and make a deep run. If not, if they’re wishing instead for sandy beaches or ski slopes for Spring Break, it usually ends soon. Therein lies the challenge for coach Travis Ford.
Harvard, OSU’s visiting foe in this first-round game, figures to bring it. The Crimson has never been in the NIT and hasn’t made the NCAA Tournament in 65 years.
So this is new. And exciting.
And that’s one thing to watch tonight, when the Cowboys come together at least one more time.
The Five Keys:
OSU's Marshall Moses goes to the basket between Kansas' Josh Selby, left, and Mario Little during the college basketball Big 12 Championship tournament game between Oklahoma State-Kansas in Kansas City, Mo., Thursday, March 10, 2011. Photo by Bryan Terry, The Oklahoman
1. Spring Break or Spring Breakthrough? As mentioned above, it’s hard to gauge a team’s interest in the NIT. So right away, check out OSU’s intensity. It should be apparent immediately, or at least through the first sign of adversity. The Cowboys have played hard in recent weeks, even when it looked like some guys might be playing out their careers and the NCAA Tournament went from longshot to no shot. Do they still have that in them?
2. Matching Smarts. Harvard is one of the renowned institutions of higher learning in the land. It’s an honor just to be accepted into school. So academically, the Crimson own a massive edge. But what about basketball IQ? Hasn’t been a strong point of this Cowboys club all season, although it has improved lately. We always assume the smart kids at the smart schools play smart, too. That may be a generalization. We’ll see.
3. Other Matchups. Physically, the Cowboys should hold the edge, with Matt Pilgrim, Jéan-Paul Olukemi, Reger Dowell and Markel Brown getting the athletic checkmark in the matchup box. Forward Keith Wright was the Ivy League MVP and must be accounted for. But the Cowboys should be in good shape if they just play relatively mistake free, and…
4. Don’t Foul. I know, I know, we’ve been spewing this advice for months. But it’s a plague for these Cowboys, who lost all three big men to foul outs in their near-miss against Kansas in the Big 12 Tournament. Foul the Crimson and you’re asking for trouble. Their 81.1 free throw percentage ranks No. 2 nationally. And a march to the foul line is the great equalizer to overcoming a talent disadvantage.
5. Cheap Tickets. With students gone for Spring Break – and certainly some fans, too – it’ll be interesting to see what kind of crowd shows up at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Give athletic director Mike Holder credit for tossing out cheap tickets of $10, $8 and $4, about half what Wichita State is charging.
OSU Hoops: Bracing for the Big 12
By John Helsley
follow on twitter @jjhelsley
The Cowboys put the wraps on a successful nonconference schedule Monday night, blowing away from Texas-San Antonio late for a 79-63 win. OSU moved to 12-2 with a perfect 7-0 mark at home.
Still, what did we learn about the Pokes from their first month and a half? The Cowboys barrel into Big 12 play with more questions than answers.
OSU's Keiton Page goes airborne to pass over TU's D.J. Magley and Jordan Clarkson in the 2nd half of their game at the BOK Center in Tulsa, OK Dec. 8, 2010. MICHAEL WYKE/Tulsa World
And a new question, posed by the play of UTSA Monday night, could be critical: Can teams effectively shut down Keiton Page?
The Cowboys’ long-distance dialer has now been held to two points in back-to-back games, after the Roadrunners slowed him with the same approach Gonzaga used in its win over OSU last Friday night. Both teams devoted a man to fronting Page, effectively limiting his touches, and thus, his offensive opportunities as a shooter.
A year ago, teams were so focused on James Anderson and Obi Muonelo that Page regularly found himself with room to work. Such threats are missing this season. Against UTSA, Page managed just three shots and scored his only basket on a back-door cut.
“I think a lot of people are probably going to do that to Keiton,” UTSA coach Brooks Thompson said after the game while copping to copying the Gonzaga strategy.
Why not? If Page can’t fire daggers at defenses from the outside, opponents can commit more help to OSU’s one other consistent offensive threat, Marshall Moses inside.
Now, Thompson said he fully expected Cowboys coach Travis Ford to combat such strategies against Page. And Ford has proven more than capable at making the right moves, although he didn’t sound overly concerned with Page’s lack of scoring Monday night.
“I’m not worried about that,” Ford said. “I’m glad we won with him only scoring two points. That’s exciting for our basketball team.
“Tonight, he didn’t really need to score. I thought he did a lot of other things to help us win, which may not have been the case in the past.”
OSU's Matt Pilgrim (31) looks to pass the ball away from Ben Martin (4) of Nicholls State in the first half during the men's college basketball game between Nicholls State University and Oklahoma State University at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, Nov. 21, 2010. Photo by Nate Billings, The Oklahoman
What Page — and the Cowboys — need most is some other players to emerge as consistent threats. And that may already be happening.
Matt Pilgrim is just now showing signs of returning to the force he was late last season, after a suspension and then a shoulder issue slowed his progress this season. Jean-Paul Olukemi is shwoing range as well as his explosive abilities as a slasher around the basket. And freshman Markel Brown is starting to figure things out, gaining confidence and minutes with each game.
Ray Penn is the other major factor. If Page is cornered, Penn must be more assertive as a scorer. And he’s capable. But against UTSA, he never got going to offer a glimpse of the impact he could provide, committing two quick fouls and finding himself limited to nine minutes before fouling out in a fluke outing.
The Cowboys are 12-2. And that’s solid.
And yet, it’s squishy, too, with no statement wins on which to peg optimism.
So questions remain. And it’s time for the answers.
OSU Hoops: Where’s the respect?
Matt Pilgrim could be a beast in the Big 12.
By John Helsley
follow me on twitter @jjhelsley
So the Big 12 basketball coaches have spoken, albeit silently, by vote.
And while I completely concur they know exponentially more about the game than I ever will, I’m calling them out for their preseason poll.
Since this is an OSU blog, let’s start with the Cowboys, who were picked for eighth place. Too low.
I understand the focus on the loss of James Anderson and Obi Muonelo, the team’s leading scorers and unquestioned leaders. Anderson was the conference Player of the Year and Muonelo was the league’s biggest matchup nightmare.
Those guys will be missed.
But there’s plenty in place, with the Cowboys, to expect more than eighth place.
Soon, you’ll be hearing about Keiton Page’s summer of shape, how he’s transformed his body and upgraded his quickness and stamina and should be ready to lead this team in transition.
You already know about Matt Pilgrim, who was a beast down the stretch in the Big 12 and should only be better as a more confident and secure player. Marshall Moses returns, too, and provided a glimpse of hope to an otherwise disappointing season with a nice outing in the NCAA Tournament loss to Georgia Tech.
You know, too, about Ray Penn and Nick Sidorakis and Fred Gulley. Penn, by the way, is healthy.
What you don’t know, and the league’s coaches apparently don’t know either, is that the new faces have bolstered the team’s overall talent and depth.
Markel Brown, the Player of the Year in Louisiana, should be an impact player as a freshman. Darrell Williams gives the Pokes another big body for the paint, a luxury they just didn’t have a year ago. Cowboys coaches would ideally like to redshirt freshman Michael Cobbins and add bulk to his thin frame, but his skills may force them to reconsider. And don’t forget JP Olukemi, who arrived in January and drew raves in practices, and is now ready to bring his slashing style to the floor.
There’s talk, too, that center Jarred Shaw has improved dramatically. And Roger Franklin and Reger Dowell are still around. Only freshman Brian Williams, rehabbing from offseason surgery, is out the picture for this season.
Yes, there’s no obvious scoring threat, like Big Game James and Obi provided a year ago, although Brown averaged nearly 30 points as a prep senior.
But the strength of this team will be its versatility. This is Travis Ford’s kind of team, one that’s athletic and deep and can play fast on both ends of the floor.
Will they win the Big 12? Likely not.
But will they finish eighth? I say no; no way.
K-State is a solid pick for No. 1. But Kansas gets two first-place votes on reputation alone and finishes second in the voting. Baylor will challenge for the championship and should have been No. 2, not No. 4.
And A&M and Tech ahead of OSU, please.
OSU Hoops: Next Year’s Starting Five
Ray Penn could impact the offense in 2010-11.
By John Helsley
James Anderson… gone.
Obi Muonelo… gone.
Along with invaluable leadership and toughness and clutchness, the Cowboys are also losing their top two scorers, a duo responsible for 1,174 points this season, or 48 percent of the team’s scoring.
Read that again — almost half of the team’s scoring.
Where will all that lost production be made up in 2010-11? From everywhere, would be the best guess.
Matt Pilgrim should step up his offensive role and responsibility. Ray Penn’s return provides a jolt of scoring upgrade to the point. Marshall Moses is a proven, if sometimes erratic, scorer. And Keiton Page is the leading returning scorer, after averaging 10.7 points this season.
Sound good? Maybe not so much.
Well, don’t be alarmed. There are other answers, as well as some intriguing questions, like: How will Page’s role be defined?
In addition to the guys listed above, the Cowboys are counting on a boost from several newcomers, most notably freshman shooting guard Markel Brown and Juco transfer JP Olukemi. Brown averaged 32 points a game as the star on a 41-0 state title team in Louisiana.
Brian Williams, another talented guard, and forward Michael Cobbins are worth watching as well.
And OSU holdovers like Fred Gulley, Nick Sidorakis, Roger Franklin, Jarred Shaw, Torin Walker and Reger Dowell offer optimism of improved play.
Some will stride forward, while others will step back.
The coming months — and how hard guys work in the offseason — will determine the risers and fallers.
And these months will go a long way to answering the Page question.
With the return of Penn and the additions of Brown and Williams, the guard spots are drawing a crowd.
The Cowboys need Brown to be as good as advertised; good enough to start. And Olukemi, already on campus, has shown enough to project as a starter.
OSU coach Travis Ford has hinted that Page needs to make himself more versatile. And more valuable. Handling a share of the point guard responsibilities this season, when Penn was hurt, was a start. But right now, Page looks like a super sub at both guard spots, able to run the offense or fire daggers at enemy zones.
One guy’s early starting five:
PG Ray Penn
SG Markel Brown
SF JP Olukemi
F Matt Pilgrim
F Marshall Moses
Farewell James, We Hardly Knew Ya
By John Helsley
As James Anderson announced he was leaving OSU for the NBA on Monday, I couldn’t help but wonder: “Did Cowboys fans truly appreciate what they had in this guy?”
Late in the Big 12 schedule, I wrote a story trying to peg Anderson’s place in history at OSU. It’s never easy crossing generations or positions for comparisons. So slotting Anderson — not even a full three years into his career — among the likes of Bob Kurland, Byron Houston, Big Country and others was a chore.
And yet, I couldn’t help but feel Anderson belonged in the discussion of being among OSU’s all-time top five.
Anderson’s magic came while working with less talented supporting cast than most of the Cowboys’ legends. Often, he was asked to carry the Cowboys, and did, leading the Big 12 in scoring on his way to unanimous conference Player of the Year honors. And if you somehow missed the hype, it was a stout conference in 2009-10.
Anderson did more than just score. He rebounded. Defended. Assisted.
Gladly.
Anderson’s kind, the unselfish and unassuming superstar, is seldom seen these days. And that goes on the floor and off, which makes him even more special to all those in Stillwater who stood amazed at his good-guy act.
Too good to be true?
Here’s what Travis Ford had to say:
“Just a joy to be around, just a tremendous person. He’s been a perfect example of what we want this basketball program to be about, not just as a player, but a person.”
Teammate Nick Sidorakis:
“You learn a good about of lessons, on and off the court. He’s a good human being, good person. All-around good qualities. Him being my roommate for three years, even in high school camps, I’m really going to miss him.
“He stands for whatever’s good.”
And Obi Muonelo:
“He’s one of those guys, you can give him your car keys and your house keys and leave for two weeks, and everything would be just the same. He’s very dependable. That’s his greatest quality as a person, his dependability.”
As the season played out, often to small crowds in the beginning and rarely to the throngs that used to make Gallagher-Iba great, there was a sense that OSU fans were missing out on something special. Eventually, the media caught up, with Anderson finally gaining national notice and All-American status.
Hopefully, Cowboys fans caught up, too.
NCAA Game Day: Sizing Up OSU-Georgia Tech
By John Helsley
MILWAUKEE – Here in the nation’s Dairyland, those analyzing tonight’s Midwest Regional matchup between OSU and Georgia Tech are focused on one aspect: size.
Or the Cowboys’ lack of it.
Is it key? Yes… and no.
The Cowboys have faced long and athletic frontlines before — and slayed the giants.
Cole Aldrich, Marcus Morris and Co. with Kansas. Luis Colon and all his lanky legions at Kansas State. Baylor’s Ekpe Udoh and Anthony Jones and Josh Lomers. And others.
Are those combinations as talented as Tech’s duo of Derrick Favors and Gani Lawal? Potentially, no, with both projected as first-round NBA draft picks.
But the boys from the Big 12 are far more accomplished than the Yellow Jackets’ pair, who hardly dominated as Tech went just 7-9 in a down ACC. Favors and Lawal haven’t consistently put their potential in place.
“We’re not the biggest team in the world,” said Cowboys coach Travis Ford. “But our guys have figured out how to compete. We’ve played against some big teams. Kansas was big and Texas was big and Baylor’s big. You go down the line, there’s some big teams in the Big 12.
“And our guys, at times, they’ve figured it out. And at times we haven’t. But we understand going into these situations that we’ve got to be overachievers, that we’re going to have to make up for some lack of height and some different things at some point. And we understand that.”
Understand this: Georgia Tech faces matchup issues as well, with the pressure on to chase OSU’s shooters on the perimeter. And one of those big men will have to join in the chase.
That’s a mismatch, too, for a Tech team that has at times struggled to defend the 3-point line against a team with James Anderson, Obi Muonelo and Keiton Page that has gunned down better big teams already.
“Obviously, that’s crucial,” said Jackets coach Paul Hewitt. “Because they’re a great 3-point shooting team, one of the better 3-point shooting teams we’ve seen all year. When we’ve struggled, we’ve really allowed people to get going from 3.”
This is a far better matchup than Sunday’s possible showdown with Ohio State, which also starts four guards, but has big athletic guards who will contest shots and pressure the Cowboys to work hard with screens and cuts to create open shots.
Tonight, as it’s been much of the year, it’s not about any OSU weakness inside, but one of the Cowboys’ strengths: the 3-point shot.
If they’re on, they’re through to Round 2.
Prediction: Cowboys 75, Yellow Jackets 67
OSU: Bracket Breakdown
By John Helsley
The O-Club erupted as soon as Oklahoma State entered the bracket, with a bonus of being a No. 7 seed.
And it didn’t take long into the Selection Sunday program for the Cowboys to rejoice. Indeed, a good day for the Pokes, who have returned normalcy to the program with back-to-back tournament bids.
After breathing and taking the bracket in, however, this much is clear: the Cowboys have much work to do in order to surpass last year’s accomplishment — winning a first-round game.
The Midwest Regional is a monster.
You’d think with No. 1 overall seed Kansas in the region, there’d be some soft spots in the 16-team quadrant. Not so.
And the Cowboys certainly didn’t find any favors, drawing Georgia Tech in their opener with Big Ten champ Ohio State waiting in Round 2. That’s two hot squads staring down OSU in Milwaukee.
The Yellow Jackets could be a bracket sleeper after surging to the ACC Tournament finals, where they gave Duke — another No. 1 seed — all it wanted. Tech, a team with Final Four and NBA talent, likely underachieved during the regular season, but may have found itself just in time.
The Cowboys have one major chip on their side, James Anderson, and his impact should never be underestimated, especially now that he’s outside the suffocating familiarity of the Big 12.
But the Jackets have superb freshman Derrick Favors in the middle of a strong frontline and even more talent surrounding him, including Gani Lawal, who along with Favors projects as a first round NBA draft pick. It’s been mostly untapped talent at Tech, until last weekend.
A matchups of OSUs in the second round would deliver star power: Anderson against the Buckeyes Evan Turner, one of the premier individual pairings in the tournament, with two of the Sporting News’ five first-team All-Americans going head-to-head.
An OSU’s matchup also pairs like lineups, with the Buckeyes also sending out a four-guard starting five. The theme of that game would be simple: who’s hotter?
The rest of the regional? Kansas and Georgetown and Maryland and Michigan State and Tennessee…
The Midwest Regional is a monster.
But then, the Cowboys help make it that way.
Cowboys Moving Up?
By John Helsley
Rejoice, Cowboys fans, over your Bedlam blowout to start the Big 12 Tournament.
Get giddy, too, over Nebraska’s stunning upset of Missouri.
That opening day combination at the Sprint Center may have created a subtle shift in the NCAA Tournament bracket that carries seismic implications.
Checking out Joe Lunardi’s updated (as of late Wednesday night) bracketology, OSU moved from a No. 8 to a No. 7 seed in his bracket projection, joining the Tigers as a 7.
It’s the same at Sporting News Today, where Mike DeCourcy also shifted the Cowboys up a notch.
The Cowboys have been fit as a notch below Mizzou based on a lower finish in the conference regular season and a head-to-head loss. But the Pokes and Tigers have altered their images of late, punctuated Wednesday.
Better yet for the Cowboys, they can solify themselves as a bracket riser tonight against Kansas State, a team they’ve already beaten. And it comes with little risk, as a loss in an upset role at a neutral site wouldn’t be all that harmful.
Why all the issue over one spot in the bracket?
Here’s why: The first round pits 8 vs. 9 seeds in tossup games, leading into a second-round matchup with a No. 1. A 7 not only gets a lower-seeded first round foe in a 10, the next round leads to a 2, which this season is drastically different.
Consider Lunardi’s bracket.
The 8-9 matchups: UNLV-Wake Forst, Louisville-UTEP, Cal-Clemson and Northern Iowa-Florida State.
The No. 10 seeds: St. Mary’s, Old Dominion, Cornell, Marquette.
Who would you rather play?
And the next step is the difference in the No. 1 quartet of Kansas, Kentucky, Syracuse and Duke, and, the No. 2s of West Virginia, Kansas State, Ohio State and Purdue.
Again, taking your pick, it’s easy.
OSU-Kansas State: Three Keys:
1. Keep stroking. When the Cowboys are popping from the perimeter, they’re capable of beating anybody in the Big 12. The three likely teams standing between them and the tournament title — K-State, Baylor and Kansas — will attest. After Wednesday night, Keiton Page’s confidence must be soaring. Obi Muonelo’s strut is always in force. And James Anderson, after a quiet night against OU, figures to go off.
2. Stand Tall. The Wildcats are long and active, ranking fourth in the Big 12 in rebounding and second in offensive boards. They can kill a team with second chances. It’s vital that the Cowboys body up. And they’ll need the guards to help. The emergence of Matt Pilgrim should help.
3. Let It Fly. As mentioned above, the Cowboys have little to lose from this point forward, while the Wildcats are trying to reverse a two-game losing streak and confirm their own status as a No. 2 national seed that could land them in Oklahoma City for a regional. The Pokes say they’re having fun. Let the fun continue.
Bedlam Breakdown
By John Helsley
This Big 12 Tournament may lack intriguing story lines, especially today in the first round, but at least for us, there’s Bedlam.
And for Cowboys fans, this is surely a Bedlam pairing to savor.
In boxing terms, the Sooners are out on their feet, losers of eight straight and headed toward their worst season in decades. Decades.
Things have deteriorated rapidly since Blake and Taylor Griffin left Norman. And coach Jeff Capel has been forced to push every button imaginable in an effort to goose a squad that has revealed chemistry issues, flat performances and an aversion to team defense.
Willie Warren is out with an injury. Tiny Gallon could be limited by injury.
And by all indications, the season can’t end soon enough.
The Cowboys are here to oblige.
With the Soones wobbling against the ropes, the Cowboys could create a KO with one decent blow, unless Bedlam stirs something extra — something seldom seen from the Sooners of late — in their arch-enemy.
“They’re here for a whole different purpose and we’re here for a purpose and both teams are going to get after it,” said Cowboys star James Anderson.
OSU’s purpose: Publicly, a Big 12 Tournament title, which won’t come easy with the grind of four wins in four days needed. But mainly, the Cowboys can improve their NCAA Tournament seed with two wins, rising off that dreaded 8-9 spot in the bracket that everyone seems to have them occupying. Oh, and the joy of a Bedlam beatdown for the like of Anderson and Oklahoma natives Obi Muonelo and Nick Sidorakis and Keiton Page.
OU’s purpose: Presumably the spoils — or spoiler — of Bedlam, although frankly, I’m not sure many in this Sooner roster appreciate the rivalry yet.
The Cowboys should have posted a regular season Bedlam sweep, if not for a head injury that took Anderson out of Round 1 in Norman. They blistered the Sooners in Stillwater in Round 2.
Now Round 3 brings Cowboys fans something to savor.
Keys to the game
1. Get off quick. The Cowboys go as their shooters go. If Anderson, Muonelo and Page show some stroke from the perimeter early, the rout could be on. If not, the Sooners could find some confidence and some reason for hanging around.
2. Slowing TMG. Sooners guard Tommy Mason-Griffin popped the Cowboys for 30 points in Gallagher-Iba Arena, more than any player scored on OSU this season. He’s capable of keeping OU in it.
3. Inside presence. One of the keys to OSU’s stretch run has been the emergence of Matt Pilgrim. He’s capable of neutralizing Gallon and doing his own damage in the paint.
Prediction: Cowboys 85-72
Here Comes No. 1
By John Helsley
jhelsley@opbuco.com
Bill Self readies for another return to Stillwater. Yet in a stark departure from the past, that’s not the prominent story line for Saturday’s KU-Cowboys clash.
You’ve got OSU in search of securing an NCAA Tournament bid, something a win over the Jayhawks would all but clinch.
“It’s a great opportunity,” Cowboys true combo guard Keiton Page said.
You’ve got the Jayhawks lugging the nation’s No. 1 ranking, making them the first top-ranked team to invade Gallagher-Iba since 1989. For perspective on that rarity, consider this:
“I was born in 1989,” OSU star James Anderson said.
And you’ve got Anderson and KU’s Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich all in the thick of the Big 12 Player of the Year race, with Saturday perhaps serving as a separator.
Then you’ve got self, who played at OSU and graduated at OSU and depending on who you believe, was all set to coach at OSU before working out a massive extension to remain in Lawrence, spurring Cowboys athletic director Mike Holder to openly admit being broken hearted nearly two years ago.
Of course, OSU ultimately went another direction, hiring Travis Ford, who’s job of reshaping and recasting the Cowboys is ongoing.
And now, as Self returns to his alma mater for the first time since that 2008 courting, the emotional connection seems to have subsided — for now — on both sides.
Both have more pressing matters; a Big 12 championship for Self; a big win for the Cowboys.
Time, we know, changes everything.
Self’s take:
“When I was head coach at Oral Roberts, we played there every year. It wasn’t as emotional when were down 41 (points), but it was still an emotional deal. And then when we come back here (to KU), people made a big deal about going back. And that was emotional to me.
“It’s not emotional any more. It’s a business trip. We will not mix personal on this business trip.”
That’s not to say Self doesn’t still harbor love for OSU. He does. As he said this week, “That’s my school. That’s my wife’s school.”
But KU is his profession.
“There will be some people that I will love to see, but that will be when we’re coming out of the locker room after the game. That’s not a negative toward OSU, but I can’t do both.
“I would think that anybody going back and playing their alma mater, it’s probably a little different the first few times you do it. But once you do it a while… I think when (Michael) Jordan was playing for the Wizards and every time he went back to Chicago to play, it probably lessened a little bit as far as being emotional. I could be wrong. Of course I’m not comparing that to Jordan, gaw, that’s a bad comparison.
“I don’t think it’s going to be that big a deal.”
