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It's crunch time for the Frogs as they head up to Stillwater to try and pick up just their second road win of Big 12 play, needing to show a bit more to move themselves off of the NIT bubble. Today's opponent is moving in the opposite direction, as after a decent start and a great three game winning streak over Texas, Kansas and Baylor, the Cowboys had the wheels fall off in their visit to Fort Worth and they haven't won a game since. As a result, the Cowboys are finding themselves moving out of NCAA contention and onto a very precarious bubble at the worst time, and a senior night matchup against the team that started their downfall could prove to be a very vicious environment for the visiting frogs. Both teams are going to be playing with desperation, and both will need more than just a win over the other to assure their postseason position, but damn it would be good to get this one first. For more info on this one and analysis of both teams, check out Andrew's excellent preview and Q&A with the Cowboys Ride for Free staff, but I'll throw out my keys to the game as well.
1.) Survive the first five minutes- The Frogs haven't done particularly well on the road this season, and on senior night it's imperative to not be buried early- particularly against a team that has been developing some confidence issues. if the Frogs can hang on and stay within six after the first five minutes, we'll have a game on our hands.
2.) Get Amric Fields going- The Frogs ran away from the Cowboys last time thanks to a strong performance by their inside guys, and Amric Fields helped spark those runs with some clutch baskets and threes. Against Oklahoma though, Fields was absolutely impotent, going 2-10 and 0-4 for three. Feed Fields early and get him some confidence so that we can fight off the inevitable LeBryan Nash runs by the Cowboys.
3.) Make Free Throws- Because sometimes we don't, and when we don't we tend to lose.
This is your gamethread for live chat and analysis, let's pop some bubbles tonight!
Go Frogs.