JimBob
03-15-2008, 08:48 AM
OSU Notebook: NIT-picking
By JIMMIE TRAMEL World Sports Writer
3/15/2008
College basketball teams have more than one possible consolation prize this season if they fail to reach the NCAA Tournament, but OSU athletic director Mike Holder said the Cowboys will not be playing in the College Basketball Invitational, a new 16-team tournament that will compete with the NIT for invitees.
"Hopefully we'll be playing in the NIT," Holder said after OSU's quarterfinal loss to Texas in the Big 12 Tournament.
Big gamble: Even though Byron Eaton had four fouls, OSU coach Sean Sutton put his point guard back in the game with 10:25 remaining. Eaton did not foul out and he finished with a season-high nine assists and only one turnover. He moved into the top 10 on OSU's career assist list with 344.
Predicting the future: OSU is projected as a No. 4 seed in the NIT, according to a Web site devoted to the tournament, nitology.com. If the Cowboys are invited, will they go? Sutton said he will have to talk to the players about it "but I can't imagine that they wouldn't" want to play.
OSU suffered first-round NIT defeats each of the last two seasons, and a homecourt loss to Marist last year didn't sit well with Sutton. But he sounded like he would embrace another shot at the NIT because the Cowboys would be among the small percentage of college basketball teams who get to participate in the postseason.
"Our goal is certainly to always be in the NCAA Tournament," Sutton said. "But I haven't talked to the players about it. I would be shocked if they didn't look forward to playing some more basketball because I think they have had fun and I think they have seen improvement take place. We are playing our best basketball at the end of the season, which is always important."
Injury update: Senior forward Marcus Dove rolled an ankle when he stepped on the foot of A.J. Abrams in the final minute. He said he will be ready to play if OSU's season continues.
Top guns: In three games against OSU this season, Texas point guard D.J. Augustin scored 70 points and Longhorn forward Damion James collected 48 points and 41 rebounds.
Dove said people who guard Augustin can't relax for one second. "As soon as you put your hand down, he is shooting the ball," Dove said.
Asked about James, who was 9-of-13 from the field and 3-of-4 from 3-point range Friday, Dove said, "James is just a monster down there. He rebounds. He's got his shot. He is hitting 3-pointers now and stuff, so that makes him even more tough to guard."
James hit two of his treys when OSU was playing zone and Dove was on the bench.
Not all of UT's headliners are Cowboy killers. A.J. Abrams, the leading 3-point shooter in Texas history, was 8-of-35 from the field and 2-of-19 from 3-point range in three games against OSU this season.
Rookie class: In both of OSU's Big 12 Tournament games, a freshman was the team's leading scorer. James Anderson collected 18 points in a Thursday first-round game. Ibrahima Thomas scored a career-high 19 points against Texas, including 10 of the Cowboys' first 13 points.
"He played well," Sutton said. "This should help him with his confidence."
Tough sledding: In three games against Texas, OSU averaged 59.0 points, shot 35.8 percent from the floor and made 27.4 percent of 3-point attempts.
By JIMMIE TRAMEL World Sports Writer
3/15/2008
College basketball teams have more than one possible consolation prize this season if they fail to reach the NCAA Tournament, but OSU athletic director Mike Holder said the Cowboys will not be playing in the College Basketball Invitational, a new 16-team tournament that will compete with the NIT for invitees.
"Hopefully we'll be playing in the NIT," Holder said after OSU's quarterfinal loss to Texas in the Big 12 Tournament.
Big gamble: Even though Byron Eaton had four fouls, OSU coach Sean Sutton put his point guard back in the game with 10:25 remaining. Eaton did not foul out and he finished with a season-high nine assists and only one turnover. He moved into the top 10 on OSU's career assist list with 344.
Predicting the future: OSU is projected as a No. 4 seed in the NIT, according to a Web site devoted to the tournament, nitology.com. If the Cowboys are invited, will they go? Sutton said he will have to talk to the players about it "but I can't imagine that they wouldn't" want to play.
OSU suffered first-round NIT defeats each of the last two seasons, and a homecourt loss to Marist last year didn't sit well with Sutton. But he sounded like he would embrace another shot at the NIT because the Cowboys would be among the small percentage of college basketball teams who get to participate in the postseason.
"Our goal is certainly to always be in the NCAA Tournament," Sutton said. "But I haven't talked to the players about it. I would be shocked if they didn't look forward to playing some more basketball because I think they have had fun and I think they have seen improvement take place. We are playing our best basketball at the end of the season, which is always important."
Injury update: Senior forward Marcus Dove rolled an ankle when he stepped on the foot of A.J. Abrams in the final minute. He said he will be ready to play if OSU's season continues.
Top guns: In three games against OSU this season, Texas point guard D.J. Augustin scored 70 points and Longhorn forward Damion James collected 48 points and 41 rebounds.
Dove said people who guard Augustin can't relax for one second. "As soon as you put your hand down, he is shooting the ball," Dove said.
Asked about James, who was 9-of-13 from the field and 3-of-4 from 3-point range Friday, Dove said, "James is just a monster down there. He rebounds. He's got his shot. He is hitting 3-pointers now and stuff, so that makes him even more tough to guard."
James hit two of his treys when OSU was playing zone and Dove was on the bench.
Not all of UT's headliners are Cowboy killers. A.J. Abrams, the leading 3-point shooter in Texas history, was 8-of-35 from the field and 2-of-19 from 3-point range in three games against OSU this season.
Rookie class: In both of OSU's Big 12 Tournament games, a freshman was the team's leading scorer. James Anderson collected 18 points in a Thursday first-round game. Ibrahima Thomas scored a career-high 19 points against Texas, including 10 of the Cowboys' first 13 points.
"He played well," Sutton said. "This should help him with his confidence."
Tough sledding: In three games against Texas, OSU averaged 59.0 points, shot 35.8 percent from the floor and made 27.4 percent of 3-point attempts.