OSU basketball notebook

Published: January 27, 2008

Coming out of a timeout with 13.8 seconds remaining and trailing by one point, OSU coach Sean Sutton called for a play called "Cowboy fade” where the big men set screens for shooters who flare out to the ball. Point guard Byron Eaton got the ball to James Anderson just behind the 3-point line. Anderson took the open 3 but missed.

Texas A&M coach Mark Turgeon said he expected that play, "and we actually guarded it wrong,” but he did not expect a 3-point attempt when OSU trailed by one point.

"I know you guys are gonna second-guess coach Sutton, but the kid (Anderson) made a lot of 3s today,” Turgeon said.

Sutton's call was not actually for a 3-point shot.

"I really wanted him to drive the ball,” Sutton said. "That's what we talked about in timeout. I thought if they slid underneath the screen that he would have an angle to drive by them …(but)…I think it was in his mind that he'd hit it. He'd hit 4-of-5 at that point from the 3-point line. He normally hits big shots.”

•Way under the weather: An hour after Saturday's game, a raspy and obviously ailing Sutton was on his way to see a doctor to check for walking pneumonia.

As if he weren't sick enough already, Sutton had noticed Oklahoma freshman Blake Griffin had recovered enough from his knee injury to lead the Sooners to a win over Baylor late Saturday afternoon.

"He's an animal,” Sutton said, forcing a smile.

OSU and OU play the first Bedlam game of the season Monday night in Norman.

•Defensive consolation: While OSU's offense struggled, failing to score a field goal in nearly the last 10 minutes of the game, its defense kept them in the game. The Cowboys forced 16 turnovers, and no Texas A&M player scored more than 13 points.

"We're playing good defense,” Eaton reminded reporters, adding that OSU held A&M well below its average.

Turgeon was particularly impressed with Marcus Dove.

"That Dove kid, this is the first time I've seen him in person,” Turgeon said. "He is something else defensively. He can cover so much space and guard so many people. He's pretty special.”

•Remember the 10: The first annual Remember the 10 Run, a memorial for the 10 Oklahoma State personnel and team members who died in the Jan. 27, 2001 plane crash, was held last April. Saturday, the day before the seventh anniversary, race organizers presented the OSU counseling department with a $20,000 check.

OSU also observed a moment of silence for the 10, and showed a video of them on the scoreboard at halftime. The memorial in the lobby of Gallagher-Iba Arena was covered in flowers.

Race event founder and chair Kerry Alexander said, "It blew our mind how many people showed up,” to the race. More than 900 people participated in the race and more than 250 people volunteered, Alexander said.

Alexander presented the check to the university at halftime. For more information about this year's run, which will be held April 19, visit remembertheten.com.

By Andrea Cohen and John Rohde

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