Field analysis

Sporting News, The, March 15, 2004

They'll go home when ... they get outscrapped. That didn't happen often this season; the Longhorns are tough, physical and strong on defense. But Oklahoma State pierced that defense twice, shooting 48.1 percent combined and outworking the Longhorns on the boards with 19 more rebounds. A deep bench is great, but not if it leads to a sense that someone else will pick up the slack. If everyone doesn't play with accountability, trouble looms. Texas lacks an elite point guard, so that places a premium on ball movement. If the passing isn't crisp, the offense tends to bog down.

An opposing coach says: "Texas is playing really well--and I mean really well. The big key playing them is to stay out of foul trouble because you can't match them foul for foul. There aren't a lot of teams with much depth, but then there's Texas."

RPI 10 LIKELY SEED 3 RECORDS 21-6 (12-4) KEY PLAYER Brandon Mouton (34.2 3PT FG %)

TEAM TO WATCH

OKLAHOMA STATE Coach Eddie Sutton has had his share of athletic players in his 14 seasons at Oklahoma State, but top to bottom, this might be his quickest and most athletic team. The infusion of three transfer players into the Cowboys' starting lineup--PG John Lucas, G/F Joey Graham and G Daniel Bobik--transformed the team into the Big 12 regular-season champion. Lucas' quickness and sound decisionmaking creates easy scoring opportunities for his teammates and himself. If Lucas can get to the hole, he'll score or find someone who can. He's also a deadeye shooter from 3-point range and is not afraid to take big shots. Graham likes to run the break and has an array of moves around the basket that defenders find hard to stop. Bobik has a quick release and plays solid defense. Add incumbent starters G Tony Allen and F Ivan McFarlin, and the Cowboys have five starters who can score but still can play the suffocating defense Sutton's teams are known for. Allen is the team's most complete player. His strength and athleticism spur the defense, and his fearless, slashing style on offense will be a huge asset in the NCAA Tournament.

They'll stay alive as long as ... they take and make good shots. Lucas and Allen are the offensive stars, but every starter can score. Bobik can hit the 3 (though he went 0-for-12 in the last three games in February). McFarlin scores easy buckets off of others' dribble penetration, and he also has a nice outside jumper. Graham scored 36 points against Nebraska. The Cowboys are ranked third in the nation in field-goal percentage and are successful when they're selective.

They'll go home when ... they face a team with stronger, more talented big men. Two of the Cowboys' losses came against teams with excellent post players. Though McFarlin (6-8, 237) plays with maximum effort, he is undersized. He got in foul trouble when he couldn't handle BYU's Rafael Araujo (6-11, 270) and Missouri's Arthur Johnson (6-9, 255). Reserves Jason Miller (6-9, 245) and Terrence Crawford (6-6, 230) struggle similarly against big players.

An opposing coach says: "You have to take care of the ball (against OSU). You can't give them easy baskets on their end caused by your mistakes. Defensively, you can't let them get two or three shots at it. Finally, you have to identify their 3-point shooters, because if they get hot, it'll be a long night for you."--Roger Kuznia