►Game Center
Opponent: RV/RV Houston (7-0, 0-0 AAC)
Date / Tipoff: Dec. 8, 2018 / 3 p.m. CT
Site: Gallagher-Iba Arena (13,611)
Series: OSU leads 12-7 (8-0 in GIA)
Tickets: Start at $15 at okstate.com/tickets or 877-ALL-4-OSU
TV: FSOK (Mike Wolfe, Bryndon Manzer, Allison Gappa)
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network (Dave Hunziker, John Holcomb)
Satellite Radio: XM 380 (OSU call)
►The Basics
One of 11 undefeated teams remaining in college basketball will welcome Oklahoma State back to Gallagher-Iba Arena after a five-game road swing that took the Cowboys to three different states. OSU will play just their third home game of the season against a Houston team on the verge of the Associated Press and USA Coaches top-25 polls. The Cougars are coming off a 27-win season and are led by Kelvin Sampson, who is no stranger to Stillwater. Sampson spent 12 seasons as the head coach of the rival Sooners, including a trip to the Final Four in 2002.
►On the Air
The matchup between the Cowboys and Cougars will air on Fox Sports Oklahoma at 3 p.m. Central. Mike Wolfe, Bryndon Manzer and Allison Gappa will handle the on-air duties. The webcast is available via FoxSportsGo. Dave Hunziker and John Holcomb will have the Cowboy Radio Network call, which can also be heard on the TuneIn app or on XM Radio channel 380.
►Yor Kidding Me
Yor Anei has proven to be a natural and explosive shot-blocker. The 6-10 freshman with the 7'0 1/2" wing span ranks third nationally in block percentage (blocks / opponent 2-pt attempts) at 18.9 and his 2.88 blocks per game rank 13th in the country. He blocked six shots in the win over Memphis, which set a new AdvoCare Invitational record, tied for the most ever by an OSU freshman and are the most by any Cowboy since Andre Williams in 2003. His pace of 2.9 blocks per game is currently the second best in program history. Anei has over half of OSU's 44 team blocks, and if he was a team by himself he would rank 223rd out of the 351 teams in the NCAA in blocks per game.
►Dizzy-ing 3-Point Pace
Thomas Dziagwa, nicknamed "Dizzy" by his teammates, just joined the program's career top-25 list for made 3-pointers, and is proving that a summer challenge from head coach Mike Boynton paid off. Boynton challenged Dziagwa to make 25,000 3-pointers on his own time. He not only topped that goal but almost reached 26,000. So, no one in the Cowboy locker room is shocked that Dziagwa hit his 98th career 3-pointer to move into 25th in school history. He also ranks 11th nationally with a 54.9 percent clip from 3-point. His 3.5 makes per game is tied for 23rd nationally, and KenPom ranks Dziagwa 17th nationally in "true shooting percentage". Dziagwa is 32nd among all active players with a 42.4 career 3-point mark.
►The Series With The Cougars
This will be the 20th meeting between Oklahoma State and Houston, but the first since the 1965 NCAA Tournament. OSU leads the series, 12-7, including a perfect 8-0 mark in Gallagher-Iba Arena. The two programs shared a Missouri Valley Conference rivalry that saw them play at least twice per season from 1951-58. OSU joined the Big Eight Conference for the 1958-59 season, and the two teams played only once more during the regular season, in 1960. This will be the first meeting in 53 years.
►Houston Snapshot
Houston is off to a perfect 7-0 mark that has them on the verge of breaking into the top-25 on both the AP and USA Today Coaches polls. The Cougars notched a nice road win at BYU, 76-62, and opened the all-new Fertitta Center with a 65-61 win over No. 18/21 Oregon in front of a sellout crowd of 7,035. Houston is led offensively by Corey Davis Jr., who averages 16.9 points per game. The Cougars only average 10.4 turnovers per game, which ranks 17th nationally, and their 73 total turnovers are ninth in the NCAA. Houston is also ninth nationally in scoring defense at just 58.4 points per game.
►Leading The Cougars
Cowboy fans will be quite familiar with Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson, who was the head coach of the rival Sooners from 1994-06. A veteran of nearly 600 wins and 14 NCAA Tournament appearances, Sampson is just the 14th coach in NCAA history to lead five schools to the NCAA Tournament, which includes a trip to the 2002 Final Four. Sampson also served as an assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks from 2008-11 and the Houston Rockets from 2011-14. Against Oklahoma State, Sampson was 12-14 in Bedlam games as the Sooners head coach, including a 3-9 mark in Gallagher-Iba Arena.
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