Tip: 8 PM, ESPN

Texas and Oklahoma State have already played almost two full games against each other this year, thanks to that epic three-overtime thriller in Stillwater last month. Tonight, they meet again in Austin under the national spotlight of Big Monday. And with the game on ESPN, you can bet your right testicle that the network will be hyping the shit out of this one. “Remember last time?!!! And what about Kevin Durant????? Did we mention there’s free cheese?!?!?”

In the first contest, it was a back-and-forth battle not only between the Longhorns and Cowboys, but also Durant and OSU’s Mario Boggan. KD finished with a 37-and-12 night, while Boggan matched the 37 points….and pulled down 20 rebounds. It was also Boggan who hit the game-winning three, despite being only a 14% shooter behind the arc at the time.

JamesOn Curry was the other star for the Cowboys last time out, giving a woozy Sean Sutton a 28 point performance. This time around, Curry is sporting a Coolio hairstyle and an 18.4 scoring average.

Texas enjoyed much of its success in the first game thanks to their ability to get defensive stopper Marcus Dove into foul trouble. Dove played only 21 minutes, leaving less-talented men to handle Durant. That…. didn’t work out so well. If Texas wants to enjoy a victory this time around, they must again remove Dove from the equation.

Senior David Monds has seen a sharp upswing in his minutes with the injury to big man Obi Muonelo. Kenny Cooper had been initially tabbed to start in place of Muonelo, but Monds’ strong play and senior leadership has ensured that the Cowboys aren’t missing a beat. With both Monds and Boggan on its plate, the Longhorn frontcourt is going to have to work hard on the glass and in the paint.

The Cowboys outrebounded the Horns by a 51-46 margin in their 55 minutes of competition, and enjoyed a 46-38 advantage on points from the paint. In particular, Texas was atrocious on the offensive glass, giving up 20 offensive boards and 20 second-chance points. Texas can afford to be outrebounded by a slim margin again, but not if they are getting absolutely killed by OSU’s offensive rebounders.

When I previewed the first matchup, I noted transition basketball as a key for the Horns. Against the bigger, more physical Cowboys, I still feel this is important for Texas. And when you consider that Oklahoma State is playing just two days after a tough, double-overtime victory over Texas Tech, running them ragged is a great idea.

The subplots of this game are everywhere, starting with Coach Rick Barnes’ attempt to become the winningest coach in Texas history. In addition, the Horns are putting a 10-2 home record in Big Monday games on the line and are hoping to take the edge in the all-time series with the Pokes, which is currently knotted at 34 victories apiece. Oklahoma State, meanwhile, is looking for their first conference road win in nine tries, a streak dating back to February 4th of last year.

This looks to be another great game, yet 1,700 tickets still remained as of 2 P.M. yesterday. If you’re in the Austin area, there’s absolutely no reason you shouldn’t be at this one. Besides, didn’t you listen to ESPN’s hype machine? Last time it went to triple overtime! And there’s Kevin Durant! And, of course, that free cheese.