When the Panhandle State University basketball team steps onto the court tonight, it will be in an environment 13 times the size of where it comes from.
The 13,611 seat Gallagher-Iba Arena dwarfs Panhandles’s 1,237 student body.
But where exactly is Panhandle State?
“I don’t know,” junior guard Byron Eaton said. “Where’s it at?”
Junior guard Terrel Harris had a general idea.
“In the Panhandle I guess,” Harris said with a smile. “Either in Oklahoma or Texas.”
The Aggies are from tiny Goodwell, Okla., and are the first of two exhibition opponents for the Oklahoma State basketball team as the Cowboys open the 2007-08 season.
Needless to say, Panhandle State will be massive underdogs. The Cowboys have been nearly unbeatable in exhibition games, winning 35 of 36 over the past 18 seasons.
Despite the obvious mismatch, Cowboy players aren’t taking the game lightly.
“[We’re approaching it] like we’re going to Maui and playing against Duke or somebody like that or playing against Kansas,” Harris said. “Very serious.”
For players and fans it’s been a long wait after a disappointing season a year ago.
The Cowboys missed the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season and were eliminated in the first round of the NIT Tournament by Marist.
Coach Sean Sutton said he and the team have put last year behind them.
“As far as I’m concerned last year is over with,” Sutton said. “I don’t spend one minute talking to my players talking about last season.
“I’m just looking forward to this year’s team. This is the most fun I’ve had in probably three or four years.
Harris echoed Sutton’s enthusiasm.
“I’m really excited to see how many people are going to be here (in Gallagher-Iba Arena),” Harris said. “I know [the fans] are going to fill this place up. It’s going to be rocking. I want to see our newcomers – how they’re going to react to the crowd because they haven’t played in front of them.”
Speaking of newcomers, OSU has seven this season made up of five freshmen and two junior college transfers.
The new-look team has been practicing together for nearly four weeks and they’re ready to face somebody else.
“The first game is always the ice-breaker,” Eaton said. “We’ve been practicing against each other for so long, we’re ready to quit going against each other and put everything we have together and go against the other team.”
Harris agreed.
“We’ve been beating up on each other for a couple weeks so we finally get to beat up on somebody else now,” Harris said.
The Cowboys have the added advantage of playing in one of the toughest environments in college basketball.
“[Gallagher-Iba] is 10 to 20 extra points,” Harris said. “It’s really hard for teams to come in here and play. It’s so loud they’re not used to it.”
Eaton used an analogy to describe the advantages of his home court.
“If you were playing a [video] game and you were playing somebody at your house you’ve already got your game set up you have home court advantage,” Eaton said. “You don’t have to travel so it’s like a regular day for you, you just have to go to the office and have fun.
“The fans cheer so loud it’s like 20 points we already have.”
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