Published: November 29, 2007 07:18 am            

Cowboy cagers ready to get back at it

• Washington at G-I for Big 12/Pac 10 Challenge

Phrases like “must win” aren’t often thrown around this early in a basketball season.

Still, Saturday’s contest, when Washington (4-2) visits Oklahoma State (2-3) for a 4:30 p.m. Big 12/Pac 10 Hardwood Series game inside Gallagher-Iba Arena, is being labeled as such for the Cowboys.

O-State hopes to avoid its first 2-4 start since the 1986-87 season, when the team opened 1-4. Of the 14 current Cowboys, only three were born before that season began.

The program had won at least the first four games each of the past four seasons and the first two each of the past 10 years.

But now OSU is coming off a 1-2 performance in the Maui Invitational. The Cowboys held on against LSU, 83-77, after leading 55-34 early in the second half.

The next two nights, O-State was embarrassed by No. 11 Marquette, 91-61, and Illinois, 65-49.

“We had to get that out of our system and get back in the gym and work,” said freshman guard James Anderson, whose 19.2 points per game lead the team. “The night we got back, some of us came in here and shot. We just have to get back at it this week, pick up where we left off against LSU.”

Turnovers have plagued the Cowboys, who have 53 assists and 83 turnovers.

Only four players have more assists than turnovers — junior point guard Byron Eaton (15-11), Anderson (12-11), freshman point guard Nick Sidorakis (3-1) and junior center Anthony Brown (1-0).

Sophomore Obi Muonelo was a shooting guard who averaged 10.1 points per game last season and added 30 assists with 31 turnovers.

This season, Muonelo was moved to the point, but that experiment has ended after his 11 assists with 18 turnovers and 6.6 points per game through the first five contests.

Eaton will return to the starting lineup and Sidorakis, a Jenks product, will see increased time.

“I’m preparing myself,” said Sidorakis, who has scored five points in 22 minutes of action. “I’m watching and learning in practice, which is really big. I think I’ve learned a lot and progressed since I’ve showed up. I think I’m ready.”

The Huskies have 102 assists and 98 turnovers, while they are forcing an average of 19 giveaways a night.

Winning the turnover battle will be crucial for the Cowboys, who had a 62-32 turnover advantage in their two victories and a 53-51 deficit in the three losses.

“We just have to bounce back,” Sidorakis said. “We know what we can do and we know what we’re capable of. We still have trust in each other and confidence in each other. It’s about coming here and getting back in the gym.

“More people need to get touches. We’ll bounce back and we’ll be all right.”

Anderson has been the bright spot for the club, hitting 49.2 percent of his shots while playing a team-high 33.2 minutes per night.

Junior guard Terrel Harris started the season slowly but is second on the team with 11.4 points per game and has made 12-of-13 free throws.

Senior forward Marcus Dove, a defensive-minded player for much of his career, has added more offense to his game this season. He is averaging 9.4 points per night on .500 shooting and his 5.2 rebounds per game lead the club.

The Cowboys are 7-3 against Washington, including winning the last two meetings — 84-72 in Seattle on Dec. 21, 1999, and 81-66 in Stillwater on Dec. 6, 1997.

All of the other meetings were between March 23, 1951, and Dec. 14, 1968.

        

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