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Tuesday, February 24, 2007 @ 11:00 a.m.
The Numbers:
| Team | K.P. Rank | Off.Eff. | Def.Eff. | Points/Game | Points Allowed | Rebounds |
| Texas Tech | 61 | 36 | 93 | 72.5 | 69.1 | 31.5 |
| Oklahoma State | 70 | 86 | 61 | 77.4 | 71.5 | 36.1 |
Players to Watch:
| Player | Rebounds | Assists | Points |
| Mario Boggan | 8.0 | 1.5 | 20.3 |
| JamesOn Curry | 3.1 | 3.6 | 17.7 |
| Obi Muonelo | 4.1 | 2.5 | 11.1 |
Keys to the Game:
- OSU Looks Tired: I've got no statistical data, but I did watch OSU against A&M, as as good as the Aggies are (except when they're playing Tech) it didn't look like they were doing anything special except that Law was consistently beating OSU down the court. There was one point in the first half where Law, all by himself, would just run past OSU defenders down the court and had 4 layups in a row. OSU has lost 3 straight, and two of those losses were blowouts (A&M and UT) and the third loss was to Missouri at home. This is a tired team and I'd love to see Jackson and Burgess take advantage of that fact. Push the ball and get some easy looks.
- Wake Up Jackson: Jackson's got to realize that at this point in his career, he's playing for a contract. I don't think it's an NBA contract, but he's playing for a contract nonetheless. If it were me, I would have a lot of motivation to move without the ball and force myself to get open. Jackson has to be the number 1 option with this team, despite my concerns about his inconsistent play. Now he has to play like that number 1 option.
- Bring More Than Plefka and Dora: Although I can appreciate that Coach Knight was trying to make a point when he only traveled with 10 players to OSU, one of those players being the Hoff, but I put a lot of blame on Knight for not having Suljagic available to guard Boggan at the end of the overtimes. I think Tech wins that game if they have a big body to guard Boggan. Of course, if Knight were here in my office, he'd be telling me that the players should have shown a little more interest in playing and he would have brought them, but he should have known that he would need more than Plefka and Dora to guard a very tall OSU team.
Probable Starting Lineups:
The Oklahoma State Cowboys and The Texas Tech Red Raiders
Marcus Dove, G-F, 6-9, Jr. / Martin Zeno, F, 6-5, Jr.
Mario Boggan, F-C, 6-7, Sr. / Tanner Ogden, F, 6-8, Sr.
Kenny Cooper, C, 6-10, So. / John Plefka, F, 6-9, Sr.
Terrel Harris, G, 6-5, So. / Charlie Burgess, G, 6-1, Jr.
JamesOn Curry, G, 6-3, Jr. / Jay Jackson, G, 6-1, Sr.
* The Legend: K.P. Rank = the Ken Pomery Rank; Offensive Efficiency = the national rank in terms of points scored per 100 possessions; Defensive Efficiency = the national rank in terms of points allowed per 100 possession.