OSU-Mizzou: Five Keys
By John Helsley
jhelsley@opubco.com
follow on Twitter @jjhelsley
Lady Luck and Mother Nature seem to be conspiring against the Cowboys.
Not making any alibis for the Pokes here, but hidden among their poor shooting percentage is a number of in-and-out shots. If just a few of those go down – just one at Texas Tech – the record might be better.
As it is, OSU stands 2-5 in the Big 12 entering tonight’s game against Missouri, yet the next in a series of seemingly must-win games for the Cowboys.
And just when they could use all the comforts of home, including a large and loud crowd, the great blizzard of 2011 puts attendance for tonight’s tilt in doubt.
The school is doing its best to back Travis Ford’s crew, opening the doors with free admission for anyone willing to brave the elements. Students and Stillwater residents could unite.
Their Cowboys need them.
And they need this win in a major way.
Five keys vs. Missouri:
1. Who’s In? We talked about the potential crowd issues – could be huge tonight. No. 14 Missouri is 17-4 overall, but just 3-3 in the Big 12, with all three losses coming on the road, two of them ugly. They’re just not the same club outside of Columbia. But if Gallagher-Iba Arena goes quiet, the Tigers may not notice the unfriendly surroundings.
2. Road Weary. Mizzou opted not to fly in to Stillwater early Monday and instead bussed to Kansas City, where it spent all Tuesday, practicing at nearby Park University. The Tigers finally got made it out, getting a break when they were able to fly directly to Stillwater and not Oklahoma City, as originally feared. But how will the travel impact their play? Teams typically arrive the day before and like to stick rigidly to routines. That’s not the case here.
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