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24. Oklahoma State A bigger lineup should help the Cowboys showcase their already stellar backcourt
One of seven Cowboys seniors, Mason takes his hard-driving game from the blocks to the wing this season as coach Eddie Sutton shifts to a beefier look inside. "When you play with four guards, which is basically what we had last year, then you're at a disadvantage," says Sutton. "To be better, we need to go with a bigger lineup." That means Sutton intends to always keep a pair of true post players in the lineup, a task made easier by the arrival of freshman Andre Williams, a 6'9" shot-blocking forward. Besides Mason, though, the Cowboys' main strength is clearly their backcourt rotation of seniors Adkins, Glendon Alexander and point guard Doug Gottlieb. A splendid passer, Gottlieb led the nation with 8.8 assists a game last season, but he was such a poor shooter (31.4% from the field, 44.4% from the line) that Sutton had to yank him at the end of games. After failed attempts to change his luck -- by bleaching his hair, wearing his socks high, even singing a Garth Brooks song before free throws -- Gottlieb is hoping that visits to a sports shrink and his dedication in the gym will turn him around. "I know I said this last year, but I've worked so hard," he says. "I'll show I have a well-rounded game." If he does, the Cowboys might go further than the second round of the NCAAs, where they've been edged by No. 1 seeds the past two years. "It's time to do better," vows Mason. "Losing in the second round is getting old." Issue date: November 15, 1999
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