OSU basketball: Maintaining perspective

STILLWATER Oklahoma State is 6-0 and has beaten everyone by double-digit margins. The Cowboys are on the verge of a top 25 ranking. Coach Travis Ford said his team has gotten better. But he advises against getting giddy, especially with the first true road game of the season at Tulsa next on the schedule. "By no stretch of the imagination do we need to get carried away." Ford said. "We are who we are. We are a very young basketball team that is just very lucky and very fortunate to be 6-0 right now. We are going to go through some adversity at some point and how are we going to handle that? "We don't need to get full of ourselves because we are a team right now that just needs to take it one day at a time and continue to improve." Ford said this is a big week. After facing the Conference USA preseason favorite, the Cowboys play a Saturday home game against Texas-San Antonio. Coached by former OSU guard Brooks Thompson, UTSA won at Iowa earlier this season. Junior guard Nick Sidorakis of Jenks could make his season debut against TU. Sidorakis has missed every game thus far due to a knee injury. What has Sidorakis seen from the bench? "We're jelling as a team, on and off the court," he said. "We are slowly getting there. People are starting to pick up coach Ford's philosophies and what he likes to do. Ray (Penn) and Fred (Gulley) are picking up the point guard position and the flow of the game. Everybody's learning their role and what they have got to do to win." TU-OSU: Prime time players Who have been the best performers in the TU-OSU basketball series in the modern (post-1950) era? Players were chosen based only on their statistics in series games. Tulsa First team Herb Johnson (1981-85): Johnson authored the most statistically productive game in series history in 1984. He set a series record with 36 points (on 15-of-22 shooting) and grabbed 16 rebounds, matching the most ever by a TU player against OSU. Johnson averaged 16.0 points and 7.5 rebounds in four games against the Cowboys. David Brown (1980-82): Brown played only twice against OSU, but averaged a double-double (27.0 points, 11.0 rebounds) and won both games. He registered two of TU's top eight single-game scoring performances in the series since 1950. Bob Stevenson (1977-1981): In his next-to-last game against OSU, Stevenson scored 28 points and tied a TU series record with 16 rebounds. Alvin Williamson (1991-95): Pooh's career numbers against OSU aren't overwhelming, but he deserves to make the list because he had a point guard's dream stat line in a 1994 NCAA Tournament victory over the Cowboys. He played 38 minutes with three assists and no turnovers, scoring 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting (4-of-6 from 3-point range). Bob Patterson (1951-55): Since 1950, Patterson is TU's career scoring leader in the series. He averaged 13.2 points in games against OSU and closed his career with consecutive 28-point games against the Cowboys in 1955. He set an opponent scoring record at Gallagher Hall and helped the Hurricane to its first win there. Second team Shea Seals (1993-97): Seals averaged 15.5 points and 7.3 rebounds in four career games against OSU. He went 3-1 against the Cowboys. Tracy Moore (1984-88): Moore played four career games against OSU and averaged 19.7 points and 4.7 rebounds in his final three meetings. Roger Wendel (1956-59): Since 1950, Wendel is TU's second-leading career scorer against OSU. He averaged 15.6 points against the Cowboys and scored 27 in his last game against them. Russell Sublet (1978-80): Sublet scored 30 points, matching the second-most by a TU player in series history, in 1979. Lou Dawkins (1989-94): Dawkins hit a clinching 3-pointer from the corner in 1994 NCAA Tournament win over OSU. He averaged 15.0 points and 7.5 rebounds in his last two games against the Cowboys. HONORABLE MENTION: Gene Estes (19 points, 13 rebounds and game-winning shot in 1960 game against OSU), Reggie Shields (19.3 career scoring average against OSU), Lamont Randolph (one point shy of three consecutive double-doubles), Gary Collier (25 points in 1994 NCAA Tournament victory), Jeff Malham (averaged 18.5 points and 5.5 rebounds), Bobby Goodall (probably averaged a double-double against OSU, but rebounding stats from his era are sketchy). Oklahoma State First team Bob Mattick (1951-54): In the modern era (post-1950), no OSU player scored more points against TU than Mattick. He collected 89 points at the Hurricane's expense, averaging 20.5 in his last four series games. Byron Houston (1988-92): Houston averaged a double-double (16.2 points, 10.0 rebounds) in five career games against Tulsa. No OSU player collected more rebounds or steals in the series. He also got fouled enough to shoot a series-high 41 free throws. Bryant Reeves (1991-95): Big Country averaged 21.0 points and 8.7 rebounds against TU, producing three of the top eight scoring performances by an OSU player in series history. He set a school record by going 10-of-10 from the field in a 1992 game. Randy Rutherford (1992-95): Rutherford played in only two games against Tulsa, but he averaged 27 points and shot 16-of-20 from the field, including 7-of-9 from 3-point range. His 33 points in a 1994 game are the second-most by a Cowboy in series history. Richard Dumas (1987-90): Dumas feasted against his hometown school, averaging 18.5 points in four games. From 1955 until present, Dumas made more field goals (27) in games against Tulsa. Second team Joe Atkinson (1981-85): Atkinson averaged 17.5 points and 7.3 rebounds in four career games against Tulsa and owns the OSU series record for career blocked shots (13). Arlen Clark (1956-59): Since 1955, Clark is OSU's fourth-leading career scorer in the series. He averaged 13.4 points in five games. Matt Clark (1978-83): Dare you to find many Cowboys with a better career stat line in the series. Clark averaged 13.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists against Tulsa. He and Andre Owens are tied for most career assists in series history. Leroy Combs (1979-83): Combs averaged 13.5 points and 8.0 rebounds against Tulsa. He ranks second among OSU players in career rebounds in the series. Todd Christian (1986-88): Christian played only three games against Tulsa, but averaged 20 points and set the OSU series record for career 3-pointers (11). HONORABLE MENTION: Ed Odom (OSU series-high 34 points in 1979 loss), Lafayette Threat (series-high 18 rebounds in 1973), V.R. Barnhouse (26 career rebounds, 8-of-10 field goal accuracy in 1955 game), Corey Williams (OSU's seventh-leading career scorer in series since 1955), Jerry Hale (since 1955, OSU's third-leading career rebounder in series), John Potter (28 points in 1990, .647 career field goal percentage vs. TU). Jimmie Tramel 581-8389 jimmie.tramel@tulsaworld.com SUBHEAD: TU game starts big week for OSU.