OSU basketball notebook: Smart steals
BY KELLY HINES World Sports Writer
Sunday, March 03, 2013
3/03/13 at 6:40 AM
Oklahoma State point guard Marcus Smart has 11 games this season with at least four steals, including Saturday against Texas.
He is tied with Darwyn Alexander for the fourth-most career games with four or more steals - and Smart is only a freshman.
"He's a very physical player, and he's a tough matchup for a lot of college teams," Texas coach Rick Barnes said.
Getting aggressive: The Cowboys had more hustle plays than perhaps all season, constantly diving on the floor for loose balls.
"I thought we played with that little sense of urgency that I don't think we've played with in a little while," coach Travis Ford said. " ... We're not always pretty, as you know, but we can be a physical team."
Williams contributes: Brian Williams, who continues to recover from a left-wrist injury, got on the board with nine points, but as is typical, his biggest contribution was on defense.
"I'm itching to get him in the game usually because I know he's going to get a steal or a deflection, and he can guard anybody," Ford said. "He can guard any player on the court, and he does it with great energy.
"And more importantly, he wants to. He loves that role. We'll tell him, 'Go get this guy,' and he's going to almost sic 'em. He gets after it."
Back on track: After hitting one 3-pointer in the past three games, Phil Forte was 4-of-7 behind the arc Saturday.
"I don't worry about him too much, as long as he's playing defense and doing the other stuff," Ford said. "I always think the next one's going in with him anyway.
"Someone mentioned to me before the game, 'I hope Phil gets going.' I'm like, 'Has he not?' I hadn't even thought about if he hadn't."
A good cause: During the game, OSU collected $17,340 in donations for the fight against cancer and raised an additional $3,000 in a pregame shooting contest. Proceeds go to the American Cancer Society.
Up next: The Cowboys play at Iowa State, 6 p.m. Wednesday.
Associated Images:
Oklahoma State guard Marcus Smart is fouled by Texas' Julien Lewis during Saturday's game. KT KING/For the Tulsa World
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