OSU goes to Baylor with much to prove
BY KELLY HINES World Sports Writer
Monday, January 21, 2013
1/21/13 at 6:45 AM
STILLWATER - Markel Brown is ready to forget what happened a year ago in Waco, Texas.
For those who don't have Brown's memory, Oklahoma State was embarrassed by No. 4 Baylor, 106-65, in the Cowboys' most lopsided defeat in 80 years.
"We left that game behind," said Brown, a junior guard. "That was a terrible game we played there."
In a 30-second news conference after the loss, coach Travis Ford said: "They played great. We played bad. There you go."
OSU heads back to Waco for an ESPN-televised matchup with Baylor on Monday afternoon, the first Big Monday meeting between the schools.
"It's time for us to go there, respond and play the way we are capable of playing and put the pressure on them to make plays and come out with a victory," Brown said.
Although the Bears (12-5 overall, 3-1 Big 12) aren't the undefeated team they were then, Ferrell Center remains a tough place to play. Baylor is 52-9 at home since the start of the 2009-10 season, while OSU is 1-18 in Big 12 road games in the past three years and hasn't won in Waco since 2006.
The Cowboys have a short turnaround between Saturday afternoon's home game against Texas Tech and Monday afternoon's battle at Baylor, especially considering the travel required. That's not a lot of time to prepare for Big 12 scoring leader Pierre Jackson.
"We'll approach this game like we did the games in Puerto Rico, where we had less than 24 hours to prepare for teams," Ford said. "Our guys will understand the scouting report and be ready to go."
Fortunately for OSU, the 79-45 win against the Red Raiders provided a good launching point for the second half of the season. After lackluster performances in the past two weeks, the team got back on track with a 34-point victory.
"The look and glee in their eyes, almost all of them, they were having fun playing hard," Ford said. "They were enjoying playing with that intensity, and that as a coach is fun to see."
But the Cowboys aren't dwelling on the success of Saturday.
"We have to forget about this one because we'll have our hands full with Baylor and it'll be a tough road game and we'll have to find a way to win," guard Phil Forte said. "So everyone has to be committed and focused going into that game."
Oklahoma State at Baylor
OSU (12-4, 2-2 Big 12)
|
|
Ht. |
Pt. |
Rb. |
| F |
Nash |
6-7 |
13.3 |
4.5 |
| F |
Cobbins |
6-8 |
5.7 |
4.8 |
| C |
Jurick |
6-11 |
4.0 |
7.4 |
| G |
Brown |
6-3 |
15.2 |
4.3 |
| G |
Smart |
6-4 |
13.3 |
5.4 |
Baylor (12-5, 3-1)
|
|
Ht. |
Pt. |
Rb. |
| G |
Walton |
6-1 |
6.9 |
3.7 |
| F |
Jefferson |
6-9 |
13.2 |
8.4 |
| C |
Austin |
7-1 |
14.6 |
8.6 |
| G |
Heslip |
6-2 |
8.8 |
1.3 |
| G |
Jackson |
5-10 |
18.6 |
6.1* |
*assists per game
Up next
At Baylor
4:30 p.m. Monday
TV: ESPN-25
Radio: KFAQ am1170
Kelly Hines 918-581-8452
kelly.hines@tulsaworld.com
