Mean Green Set To Take On Oklahoma State

[MeanGreen61]

Mean Green set to take on Oklahoma State

NT hosts Big 12 team for first time since 2003

Clay Byington

Issue date: 11/14/07 Section: SPORTS

The Super Pit will be rocking tonight when the Oklahoma State University Cowboys come to town to take on the Mean Green.

Tonight will be first time NT has hosted a Big 12 Conference team since they hosted and defeated Baylor University on Dec. 9, 2003. Senior forward Keith Wooden said the Mean Green is aware of the excitement that surrounds a game like this.

"Anytime you have an opponent from a big conference like that, you look forward to it," Wooden said. "It's a measuring stick for us."

The Cowboys return three players who started at least 23 games on last year's team that went 22-13 after being upset by Marist University in the first round of the National Invitational Tournament.

OSU lost a very valuable player in Jameson Curry, a speedy guard who was the only Cowboys player to start every game in the 06-07 season. Curry is now with the Chicago Bulls.

Filling his shoes will be freshman guard/forward James Anderson and junior guard Terrel Harris, who scored 28 and 12 points respectively in the season opener against East Central University. Harris, a freshman out of Junction City, Ark., started 26 games last year while averaging 10 points per game.

Lincoln High School alumnus Byron Eaton, who averaged 7.7 points last season and led the team with 54 steals, provides a big spark off of the bench.

Wooden said he knows the importance of not letting opposing players decide the tempo of the game.

"We're going to go out and play our game," Wooden said. "We've got to make them adjust to us."

The Mean Green will need production from senior guard Ben Bell and freshman guard Tristan Thompson. Thompson scored 16 points in the opener against Cameron University while pulling down five rebounds. Bell added 10 points and six rebounds.

NT's off-the-bench spark plug will be junior guard Collin Dennis, who lit up the floor with 21 points, five rebounds and a steal, while leading the team in three pointers with three.

The key match-up in the post will be between Wooden and OSU senior forward Marcus Dove. Wooden averaged 9.2 points and 5.5 rebounds while starting 26 games last year, while Dove averaged 4.7 points and 4.5 rebounds in the same number of starts.

The advantage of playing such a big game at home is something the Mean Green players appreciate. Bell alluded to the fact that NT shoots thousands of shots in the Super Pit every day, making the home games that much easier to play in.

"We feed off the crowd a lot," Wooden said. "We love seeing the people come out and support us. It gives us that extra energy. They're our sixth man."

Bell said he wished he could personally thank everyone in the crowd for their enthusiasm in the game against Cameron and hopes they can continue to have a strong turnout.

"That makes us play harder," Bell said. "You want to win for the crowd, the team, everybody."

Edited November 14, 2007 by MeanGreen61