STILLWATER, Okla. -- It was a rough start for Oklahoma State's basketball team in Big 12 Conference play.
The Cowboys lost their first six conference games under Coach Brad Underwood, who led Stephen F. Austin to 101 victories the previous three seasons.
After having notable nonconference victories over Connecticut, Georgetown, Tulsa and Wichita State, the Cowboys started 0-6 in the Big 12 with losses to No. 11 West Virginia, Texas, No. 2 Baylor, Iowa State, No. 2 Kansas and Kansas State.
"I think a lot of people were surprised they started out in last place, but someone had to in this league and we don't have a bad team," TCU Coach Jamie Dixon said. "Someone had to lose some close games, some tough ones, and they were the ones.
"But they're playing as good as anybody right now."
The Cowboys (12-8) have won their past two games over teams with 14-6 records -- 83-64 at Texas Tech and 89-76 over TCU at home -- going into their Big 12-SEC Challenge matchup against Arkansas (16-4) at 3 today in Gallagher-Iba Arena.
Underwood said the Cowboys had chances to win five of their first six Big 12 games, with the exception of a 92-75 loss at West Virginia.
"We'd been in those games until the last three or four minutes, but we were't making the plays necessary to win," he said. "We kept working. We kept our heads up.
"Every game is so close and you have got to do the little things to win, and we weren't doing those. We've started doing those things. We're taking charges. We're diving on the floor for loose balls."
Underwood said the Cowboys have tightened up their defense and have a better flow offensively.
"We're executing better and being more unselfish,g making the extra pass," he said. "I think it's a lot more of the intangibles than anything schematically.
"That's led to better efficiency and, quite simply, it's not anything more than that."
Oklahoma State is led by sophomore point guard Jawun Evans, who is averaging 18.2 points, 5.4 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 2.1 steals.
Evans scored a career-high 42 points against Oklahoma last season. This season he has scored 35 against Connecticut, 30 against North Carolina and 27 against TCU on Monday.
"They've got an All-American candidate in Jawun Evans," Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson said. "His vision is unbelievable. He can score in many, many different ways. No question he puts that team on his shoulders."
Anderson compared Evans to Chris Paul -- the Los Angeles Clippers' star point guard -- with his ability to make plays passing and shooting.
"This guy is instinctive," Anderson said. "He's got eyes in the back of his head, and he makes his teammates better."
Underwood said Evans "played with a great feel" for the game.
"I think he's one of the outstanding point guards, not just in our league but in the country," Underwood said. "I think he's very good at reading what the defense gives him.
"He can dominate a game without scoring. He can also do it with scoring."
Arkansas senior guard Dusty Hannahs said he's watched Evans play.
"We're going to have to be ready," Hannahs said. "He's got a little bit of everything in his offensive game."
Arkansas hasn't played at Gallagher-Iba Arena since the 2002-03 season when the Cowboys beat the Razorbacks 71-45, but Anderson and Hannahs have experience there.
Anderson -- who was 2-2 in games at Gallagher-Iba Arena when he was Missouri's coach with victories in 2007 and 2009 -- said it reminds him of Barnhill Arena, where the Razorbacks played before Walton Aren opened for the 1993-94 season.
"The fans are right there," Anderson said. "It's a tight arena, and I think it's a great place to play basketball. The fans, they get into it. It's a home-court advantage for them, no question about that."
Hannahs played on Texas Tech teams for two seasons that were 1-4 against Oklahoma State, including 0-2 in Gallagaher-Iba Arena, which has a capacity of 13,611.
"There's some better ones in the Big 12, but this one's a really good environment," Hannahs said. "We've got to be ready to go on the road and take one."
Arkansas is 3-1 in SEC road games this season, including a 71-70 victory at Vanderbilt on Tuesday night when the Razorbacks trailed by 15 points with less than six minutes to play. Junior guard Daryl Macon hit three free throws with 1.6 seconds left and Vanderbilt leading 70-68 to put Arkansas ahead.
"That's the toughest thing to do, is to win on another team's home floor," Macon said. "We've just got to stay together and stick to the game plan and I think we'll come out with a big W."
Underwood said Arkansas senior center Moses Kingsley is an imposing player on defense, and he is impressed with the Razorbacks' depth and athleticism.
"It's a typical one of Mike's teams," he said. "They play extremely hard and they're never out of it. That was evidenced in their last game."
Sports on 01/28/2017