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It's time to tip-off the Elite Eight round of our little tournament to determine which team in Oklahoma State history is the greatest! This round begins with some Eddie Sutton on Eddie Sutton crime, so let's get to it!
[3] The 2005 OSU Cowboys
Catch All The Tournament Action
Catch All The Tournament Action
RECORD: 26-7 (.788)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 11-5 (.688)
HEAD COACH: Eddie Sutton
KEY PLAYERS: Joey Graham, Stevie Graham, John Lucus, Ivan McFarlin, JamesOn Curry, Daniel Bobik
If you'll remember from the Wild Card round, the 2005 Team seemed destined for greatness. After finishing the Big 12 regular season 3rd in the conference, the Pokes got hot at the right time and defended their Big 12 Tournament Title. The winning streak continued early into the NCAA Tournament, but what seemed like a charmed run wasn't meant to be. In the Sweet Sixteen the Cowboys ran into 3-seed Arizona. After a back and forth match, the Wildcats buried a last second shot to upset the Pokes.
This time around it's the 2005 team looking to pull the upset. Now the 3-seed, their eyes are set on knocking off number two.
[2] The 1995 OSU Cowboys
RECORD: 27-10 (.730)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 10-4 (.714)
HEAD COACH: Eddie Sutton
KEY PLAYERS: Bryant Reeves, Randy Rutherford, Andre Owens, Terry Collins, Chianti Roberts
If you ask any versed Oklahoma State fan who their favorite basketball squad was, the chances of them bringing up the 1995 Cowboys are very high. The '95 season was filled with memorable moments, including a nationally televised upset victory over #2 Kansas and wins over future NBA stars Marcus Camby and Tim Duncan. The Pokes were undefeated at home, playing in what Dick Vitale referred to as "Cameron Indoor Stadium West".
Eddie Sutton's '95 squad made it all the way to the Final Four, an accomplishment that has only happened five other times in OSU's history. Sutton's Pokes had seven consecutive wins in the Big Eight and NCAA tournaments; in that span, only one opposing team scored more than 60 points. Their run in Seattle was eventful to say the least, which had everything from lost teeth to a shattered backboard. The Cowboys defeated Drexel and Alabama in the 1st and 2nd rounds. They then defeated top-seeded Wake Forest and Umass to take control of the East Region and punch their ticket to the Final Four, where they eventually fell to UCLA.
The Cowboy squad was filled with fan favorites, including Andre Owens, Chianti Roberts, and Terry Collins. However, Randy Rutherford and Bryant "Big Country" Reeves were the two stars on this team. The two players combined to average more than 41 points.
Rutherford is still acknowledged as one of O-State's best sharpshooters of all time, even in a decade that has featured the likes of Keiton Page and Phil Forte. In that '95 season, Rutherford averaged 46% from the field and 42% from the three point line. One of his most memorable games was his 45-point performance in Allen Fieldhouse against the Kansas Jayhawks. Rutherford made 11 out of his 19 attempted three pointers. His point total was the third-most ever as a KU opposing player and the second-most by a Cowboy at that point in time.
Reeves, who earned his nickname from former teammate Byron Houston, was one of the best centers that the collegiate game has ever seen. Reeves was a two-time Big Eight Player of the Year and a three-time member of the All-Big Eight team; he is second on OSU's all-time scorers list with 2,367 career points. Following that '95 season, Reeves had a solid career in the NBA for the Vancouver Grizzlies. He is still revered as one of the best players to ever play in a Cowboy uniform.
The Match-Up
In the Wild Card round between the 2005 and 2013 Cowboys, John Lucas and Marcus Dove harassed Marcus Smart and Markel Brown on the perimeter, while Ivan Mcfarlin and the Grahams held their own on the inside. See the full recap here. While the '05 Cowboys had an active defense, they didn't have elite size, so would they be able to handle the 7-foot, 290 pound mountain that is Bryant Reeves? Terry Collins and Chianti Roberts were solid players, but could they keep up with the offensive firepower from JamesOn Curry and Joey Graham? Could Daniel Bobik cover Rutherford like he did against Forte? Would the 2005 trio of McFarlin and the Grahams rebound as well as they did against the 2013 Cowboys? Who would win the match-up out of John Lucas and Andre Owens? Be sure to stay tuned for the result. In the meantime, be sure to vote and voice your opinion below!