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Pokes Fall From Grace March 17, 2002
The look on the faces of Cowboy fans, coaches, and players was one of, "what the heck happened?" Ranked in the Top 5 at one point with a 13-0 record, Oklahoma State fell apart to the tune of 10-9 down the stretch and a first-round NCAA Tournament loss to Kent State 69-61.
After watching Kent State through the weekend it was no shame to fall to the Golden Flashes, but the shame was that the Cowboys had chances to win. Several times OSU cut the lead to four, but turned the ball over or forced a shot.
"We missed a lot of shots early, we didn't execute an offense throughout the game," Jonzen said, "and those things have cost us all season long, and it did today."
A team that once dominated opponents with talent and hustle looked to struggle mightily to score while not appearing to care about a loose ball or rebound. The loss of Maurice Baker was a big one for OSU, but coupled with the decline of the other guards it was deadly.
"We had two guards that went 2-for-14 and turned the ball over 10 times," said Cowboys coach Eddie Sutton, who's team lost in the first round for the second consecutive year. "I've always been a great guard coach and I think that guards play such a big role in your success."
Oklahoma State finished the basketball season with a 23-9 record, losing their last two games and nine of their last 19. |
