Cowboy Gameday: Texas Longhorns

Oklahoma State Cowboys (14-7, 4-5) at Texas Longhorns (14-7, 3-5)

Where: Frank Erwin Center, Austin, Texas

When: Wednesday, 7 p.m. CST

TV: Longhorn Network/WatchESPN

Radio: Cowboy Radio Network/TuneIn Radio

View From The Enemy: Burnt Orange Nation

Projected Starting Lineups:

Cowboys - Longhorns Preview:

AUSTIN, Tex. -- Although the airwaves will be dominated by National Signing Day on Wednesday we should not forget college basketball! The Oklahoma State Cowboys (14-7) head to Austin, Texas to take on the #25 Texas Longhorns (14-7) on Wednesday evening in a big time match-up. The Cowboys will look to steal a win against a struggling Texas team who has lost three straight games. The Pokes, on the other hand, have had their fair share of troubles on the road, and are looking for their first conference win away from home.

Oklahoma State is coming off of a disappointing loss against in-state rival Oklahoma on Saturday. The Cowboys blew a seven point halftime lead, giving up a 15-6 run at the start of the second period. After that point, Oklahoma took control of the game, pulling away to win 64-56.

The Longhorns are coming off of a Texas-size beating against in-state rival Baylor on Saturday. The 'Horns never lead the game at any point, losing to the Bears at the Ferrell Center 83-60. UT never found their rhythm, finishing the night making 39% from the floor and a dismal 19% from 3-point range.

The last time these two teams met, the Cowboys earned a solid 69-58 win at Gallager-Iba Arena. While star freshman Myles Turner had 18 points that night, the Cowboys held UT senior Jonathan Holmes to 0-of-10 shooting. Cowboy leaders Le'Bryan Nash and Phil Forte had 20 points each, but senior Anthony Hickey Jr. put on a magnificent performance, finishing with ten points, nine rebounds, seven assists, a steal and a block. Both the Pokes and the Longhorns grabbed 37 boards, which was extremely impressive for the home team, considering that Texas was (at the time) second in the nation in rebounding margin.

Keys To The Game:

1. Star Power

Phil Forte and Le'Bryan Nash are currently the #2 and #3 top scorers in the BigXII, respectively. When they play well, this team can click on all cylinders. When they struggle, though, there is little else to lean on. Against Oklahoma, Le'bryan Nash had to sit early (which has become a recurring problem), and Forte only attempted seven shots. Anthony Hickey, while ending the night with 10 points, shot 4-for-13 from the field. Additionally, all three players had a combined eleven turnovers. Because the bench is inconsistant with their point contribution, the Cowboy upperclassmen need to play well in order to keep things moving in the right direction.

2. Hold Your Own on the Glass

If you allow them to, Texas will dominate the glass the whole night. Cobbins and Nash are going to have to man up and hold their own against Turner and Ridley down low. This is the key matchup of the night in the sense that if OSU's big guys can slow down Texas' then the Pokes will have a shot to escape Austin with a big "W'.

3. REBOUND. REBOUND. REBOUND.

This is goes deeper than the second key but it also emphasizes it at the same time. The key to knocking off Texas is rebounding. The 'Horns are so much bigger than the Pokes and if you allow Texas to beat you on the glass then you stand no chance. The Pokes need to keep the margin within five if they want to win.

4. Prediction

Give me the Longhorns but only because it's impossible to win on the road in this conference.

OSU 71 - UT 80