Marcus Dove - Best Defender in NCAA Hoops?

Marcus Dove, a 6’9” junior, has the opportunity to showcase his defensive skills tonight against arguably the best NCAA freshman seen in many years - Kevin Durant - as Dove’s Oklahoma State University Cowboys travel to Austin, Texas - taking on the University of Texas Longhorns in a critical Big 12 battle. Dove has been shutting down high-powered offensive threats all year long – including an earlier match-up with Durant where Dove suppressed Durant until fouling out of the game late in the second half. A game Oklahoma State eventually won in three overtimes.

Dove has unique athletic ability as he’s often called upon to guard players ranging from point guard to post – very rare for any single individual to be able to effectively guard each of those positions. Developing great defenders is nothing new to the Oklahoma State University Cowboys. Previous years have seen great defenders such as Tony Allen, now with the Boston Celtics, Melvin Sanders, and many others. Tonight’s match-up will be a great game – if nothing else – just to watch the match-up between Dove and Durant.

E Lawrence Welch