Cowboys Hosting Surging Red Raiders Saturday Night

Saturday, February 20

Stillwater, OK

8:30 p.m.

Oklahoma State University

Texas Tech

February 18, 2016 | Cowboy Basketball

Game Center
Opponent: Texas Tech (16-9, 6-7 Big 12)
Date/Tipoff: Feb. 20, 2016 / 8:30 p.m. Central
Tickets: okstate.com/tickets or call 888-ALL-4-OSU
TV: ESPNU (Mitch Holthus & Kevin Lehman)
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network (Dave Hunziker & John Holcomb)
Satellite Radio: Sirius 81 & XM 81 (OSU Broadcast)
Internet Radio: http://okla.st/osutunein
Live Stats: okstate.statbroadcast.com
Oklahoma State Game Notes

The Basics
• Oklahoma State (12-14, 3-10 Big 12) returns to Gallagher-Iba Arena to face a red-hot Texas Tech (16-9, 6-7 Big 12) squad on Saturday, Feb. 20 at 8:30 p.m. The Cowboys have won 12 straight games against the Red Raiders in Stillwater, Okla. The last Texas Tech win in GIA was on Feb. 24, 2003.

On the Air
• ESPNU will carry the matchup between the Cowboys and Red Raiders with Mitch Holthus and Kevin Lehman on the call. As always, the game can be heard on the Cowboy Radio Network with Dave Hunziker and John Holcomb. Sirius channel 81 and XM channel 81 will carry the Oklahoma State call.

Oklahoma State Snapshot
• Point guard Tyree Griffin is coming off a 12-assist performance at Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday, which is only one shy of the Kansas opponent record of 13 set by D.J. Augustine of Texas in 2013. Griffin's mark is tied with Doug Gottlieb (twice, last against Baylor in 1998) for the most by an OSU sophomore, and it ranks 19th overall in Cowboy basketball history. The last OSU player with more assists than Griffin was John Lucas in 2004 (13 versus SMU). Griffin is now averaging 4.0 assists per game in league play, which ranks sixth in the Big 12.
• Travis Ford has jokingly said he is coaching his third or fourth different Cowboy team this season, but there's a lot of truth to that. After losing three starters from last year's team, Ford and the staff spent the offseason molding the squad around senior captain Phil Forte. OSU lost Forte to a left elbow injury in the third game of the season, and OSU spent the next month redefining itself. Point guard Jawun Evans emerged as one of the nation's top freshmen, but an injury to his right shoulder on Feb. 3 had Ford once again going to the drawing board. With five days off to recalibrate after the loss at TCU, the Cowboys were able to take down K-State with defense and a stat-stuffing game from senior Jeff Newberry (10 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks).
• The Cowboys field a solid defensive unit that ranks second the Big 12 in field goal percentage defense at 40.3 percent and third in scoring defense at 67.0 points per game allowed. OSU has held three of its last five opponents under 40 percent shooting, and four of its last five opponents to 23 points or less in the first half. The Cowboys have held their Big 12 opponents to 70.5 points and 42.8 percent shooting, which ranks third and fourth in the conference, respectively.
• Leyton Hammonds' game has evolved tremendously since his arrival in Stillwater in 2013. Primarily a spot shooter in his first two seasons, the junior has molded himself into a stretch forward with the ability to drive or pull up with a formidable 12-foot jumper. Hammonds has reached double figures 12 times this year, including six of the last seven games.
• The Cowboys have put themselves in position to win nearly every Big 12 game this season. Five of OSU's 10 league losses have been by five points or less, and last Monday's loss at TCU was a two-possession ballgame inside the last two minutes. OSU was tied with both No. 13 Iowa State and No. 17 Baylor inside the final two minutes, and fell to Texas Tech on the last shot of overtime. The potential game-winning 3-pointer rimmed out for the Cowboys against No. 2 Oklahoma, while a furious second half rally whittled Texas' lead to just three points with 14 seconds on the clock.
• Head coach Travis Ford ranks third in school history in both total wins (155) and win percentage (59.6 percent). Ford ranks behind only Eddie Sutton and Mr. Henry Iba in both categories, and recently picked up his 21st win over a ranked opponent with the victory over No. 3 KU on Jan. 19.

Texas Tech Snapshot
• The Red Raiders have taken down three straight ranked opponents for the first time in school history, including Wednesday's 65-63 win over No. 3 Oklahoma. Aaron Ross led the way offensively for Texas Tech with 17 points, while Keenan Evans had 14 points and Zach Smith posted 10. TTU held OU to 38.2 percent shooting on the night, and the Red Raider bench outscored their counterparts, 25-7.
• Texas Tech head coach Tubby Smith is in his third year in Lubbock, and is one of the legends of college basketball. He is a veteran of 550 head coaching wins and 23 NCAA Tournament appearances, including the 1998 national championship while he was the head coach at the University of Kentucky. Smith's first head coaching job was at the University of Tulsa, where he took the Golden Hurricanes to a pair of NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearances.
• The top two free throw shooting teams will be facing off on Saturday when Texas Tech and Oklahoma State take the floor. The Red Raiders lead the league with a mark of 74.7, and the Cowboys are right behind them at 74.6 percent.

Inside the Texas Tech Series
• The Cowboys lead the all-time series with the Red Raiders, 41-18, and have taken nine of the last 12 meetings. Texas Tech won the Feb. 3 matchup in overtime in Lubbock thanks to three clutch 3-pointers from Toddrick Gotcher and Devaugntah Williams' game-winning layup inside the final second of overtime.
• In Stillwater, the Cowboys have won 12 straight meetings against the Red Raiders. TTU's last win in Gallagher-Iba Arena was on Feb. 24, 2003 (L 62-57). Overall, OSU is 21-3 at home against Texas Tech.
• Travis Ford has had his fair share of success against the Red Raiders in his seven-plus years at OSU. Ford's Cowboys are 12-5 against Texas Tech, and are a perfect 7-0 in Gallagher-Iba Arena.
• In Lubbock, the Red Raiders own a 12-9 edge over the Cowboys, and have won the last three meetings in United Supermarkets Arena.
• OSU assistant coach James Dickey spent 10 seasons as the head coach of the Texas Tech basketball program from 1991 till 2001, and coached the Red Raiders to a pair of NCAA Tournament trips.

An Oklahoma State Win Would ...
• Extend OSU's home win streak over the Red Raiders to 13 games, and make the Cowboys 22-3 at home against Texas Tech overall.
• Give the Cowboys back-to-back home wins for the first time in Big 12 play this season.
• Make OSU 89-6 at home against unranked opponents in the Travis Ford era.
• Move the Cowboys to 4-10 in Big 12 play and 13-14 overall.

Streaks & Trends
• The Cowboys have held three of their last four opponents to 23 points or less in the first half.
• Jeff Newberry is the only OSU player to start every game this year. The senior has started 28 straight dating back to last season.
• OSU has blocked at least one shot in every game this season. The Cowboys rank third in the Big 12 with 4.4 blocks per game.
• Oklahoma State is 63-3 in its last 66 games when holding its opponent under 60 points.
• OSU has made at least one three-pointer in 509 consecutive games dating back to Jan. 13, 2001.
• The Cowboys are 88-6 at home against unranked teams in the Travis Ford era.