Photo Attribution: US Presswire
Vitals
Tip: 5:00 PM
Location: Stillwater, OK
TV: ESPN2
Online Stream: here
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network
Online radio: here
Announcers: Jon Sciambi and Fran Fraschilla
Line: OSU -2
Records
Cowboys – 10-1
Zags – 12-1
Best win
Cowboys – NC State (KenPom: #27)
Zags – Baylor (KenPom: #30)
Worst loss
Cowboys – Virginia Tech (KenPom: #126)
Zags – Illinois (KenPom: #41)
KenPom rank
Cowboys – #17
Zags – #14
Data nerds
| OSU | Gonzaga | NCAA average | |
| Adj. efficiency (offense) | 105.1 (77th) | 115.1 (11th) | 99.3 |
| Adj. efficiency (defense) | 83.8 (3rd) | 90.0 (35th) | 99.3 |
| Effective FG% (offense) | 49.7 (119th) | 56.1 (11th) | 48.2 |
| Effective FG% (defense) | 41.0 (10th) | 45.9 (97th) | 48.2 |
| Adj. tempo | 66.5 (203rd) | 68.4 (104th) | 67.1 |
Adj. efficiency - Points per 100 possessions (adjusted for quality of opponent and site of game).
Adj. tempo - Possessions per game (adjusted for schedule and pace of other team).
Effective FG % - Takes into account extra value of 3s.
Three things to watch
1. Foreign big men - The Zags have a pair of non-American big men that are going to be big trouble for Travis Ford tonight. First up is All-American candidate, Elias Harris. He’s 6’8, thick, and agile. I think Le’Bryan can body him but getting him into foul trouble on defense worries me because we’re going to need LB on offense. Here are some clips of Harris…
The other big man is 7’0 center Kelly Olynyk from Canada. He had 21 points in 23 minutes against Baylor last Friday and Baylor isn’t exactly…um…devoid of big men. Godspeed to you, sirs Jurick and Cobbins.
2. Hang offensively - Gonzaga is elite on offense, Oklahoma State is not. You know this already. You also know that OSU’s offense is predicated on its incredible defense (third in the country in adjusted D according to Ken Pom). I think that elite D combined with a raucous GIA means the Cowboys win, but don’t say I didn’t warn you when Gonzaga drops 85 and we lose by 15.
3. GIA back? - Speaking of GIA…I’m in Stillwater for the game and I couldn’t be any more fired up. It just feels like a basketball gameday outside — rainy, dreary, cold. GIA should be back at full throttle tonight with a top 15 team in town and Boone distributing tickets like a wealthy, gray-headed Pez dispenser. I’m all in on this team, and you will be too after today.
Prediction
Cowboys 71-69
I wish I shared your confidence about this team. Aside from beating a highly overrated NC State team, this OSU team has beaten up some very bad teams, and lost to Va. tech, which we’ve seen isn’t as good as some thought they might would be. This team hasn’t really shown anything besides that it is better than last years team, and frankly, it would be hard to be worse than last year. However I hope OSU comes out today and beats the Zags and proves they are for real.
I’ll be there, but I worry this crowd will be somewhat of a “fake” sellout. How many students will be there?? It will be cool to have the arena full, but I’m in no way ready to say GIA is back by any means.
Been really looking forward to this one for a long time. It’s felt like forever since we’ve played a real basketball team.
I’d love to see us win, but my head says we won’t. Fear the Zags front court will really hurt us.
As long as we have Travis Ford, I have no faith in winning big games. Wishing the Cowboys would win. Hoping TF doesn’t snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.