Sutton was wrong about his Cowboys

Steve Carp

Friday, Jan. 17, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

STILLWATER, Okla. -- Having lost just one starter from last year's 17-12 team, Oklahoma State coach Eddie Sutton was looking forward to the 1996-97 season.

He thought this year's Cowboys could be something special. But that notion came with the understanding the veterans would n't play like rookies.

Instead, OSU is a struggling 8-6 team and would be winless in the Big 12 had it not been for a buzzer-beating shot at home last week against Missouri. With a UNLV team out to avenge last week's disappointing loss to Hawaii in town to face the Cowboys at Gallagher-Iba Arena Saturday, it's anyone's guess what will happen.

"I overestimated what I thought our team would be," Sutton said. "I thought by the time we got to conference we'd be pretty competitive."

Sutton was hoping his seniors would step up. After weeks of struggling, they're starting to perform like he hoped. Maurice Robinson is coming off big back-to-back efforts against Missouri and Colorado, and the 6-foot-7 forward will be getting a lot of attention from UNLV Saturday.

"I wasn't pleased with some of the older players and Maurice was one of them," Sutton said. "But he's worked harder in practice lately and he's in better condition. He's defended very well and he's starting to find his scoring touch."

Robinson's averaging 8.6 points, third to sophomore guard Adrian Peterson, who leads the Cowboys at 14.1, and senior guard Chianti Roberts at 12.9. Robinson is coming off a season-high 24 points in Wednesday's 74-68 overtime loss to Colorado.

But it's going to take more than Robinson to turn things around for the Cowboys. The team was coming off back-to-back home losses for the first time in Sutton's seven-year tenure at OSU when it edged Missouri at the buzzer. OSU is struggling to score, averaging just 68.6 points.

Sutton's other problem is he can't play every game at Gallagher-Iba. OSU has yet to win on the road this season (0-5) and with the bulk of the Big 12 schedule still to be played, Sutton's team faces an uphill battle. Especially on Monday when the Cowboys travel to Lubbock to face Texas Tech on ESPN.

Hoop du Jour

* SECOND TIME AROUND: As has been the case with several of UNLV's opponents this season, Saturday's meeting with Oklahoma State marks the second time the schools have met. In the lone encounter, the Rebels routed the Cowboys 100-84 at the Thomas & Mack Center on Feb. 10, 1990. ... This marks the first time in coach Eddie Sutton's 27 years of collegiate coaching that he has squared off against UNLV. When the Rebels played OSU in '90, Leonard Hamilton was the Cowboys' coach.

* BATTLE OF SHOOTERS: Satur day's game pits two of the nation's most effective shooters. UNLV's Keon Clark is hitting 66.7 of his attempts from the floor while OSU's Chinati Roberts is shooting 63.8 percent. ... Yes, OSU's Robisch Brothers, Brett and Scott, are the sons of former NBAer Dave Robisch. Brett, a 6-11 junior forward-center, transferred from Illinois and is averaging 6.2 points and 5.0 rebounds. Scott, a 6-10 freshman forward, has seen limited action in five games.

* ROAD RULES: Saturday marks the beginning of a three-game UNLV road trip. The Rebels fly out immediately following the Oklahoma State game and head straight to Fresno for Monday's nationally televised game on ESPN against Fresno State and former UNLV coach Jerry Tarkanian. The team returns to Las Vegas Tuesday morning, then gets back on the plane Friday for Saturday's game at Colorado Springs against Air Force. UNLV's next home game isn't until Jan. 30 against Colorado State. ... A reminder that Saturday's game will be televised live in Las Vegas on KLAS Channel 8 beginning at 1 p.m. Because of the road trip, "Game Time With UNLV Hoops" will not air Sunday. It will return Jan. 26 at its regular time of 11:30 p.m.