IAlmost 24 hours before his team would face No. 20 Kansas State at Bramlage Coliseum, Oklahoma State coach Sean Sutton was riding a bus en route to Manhattan, casually discussing via cell phone what might be the most pivotal matchup for the Cowboys in today's game.

'It will be a great matchup to watch,' he said. 'One of the best offensive players in college basketball against arguably the best defensive player in basketball.... We haven't made up our minds just yet, but Marcus will be guarding him most of the game.'

By now, it's well-established the 'him' in every K-State opponent's game plan is freshman star Michael Beasley. However, the prospect of Beasley being handled by one player is hard to believe, even though Marcus Dove -- at 6-foot-9 and 215 pounds -- is a nuisance with his long arms and his next-level athleticism.

Speaking of which, he's on the NBA's radar -- despite averaging about 10 points and six rebounds.

According to draft express, here's the scoop on Dove:

'Defensively, Dove is still a standout. He is able to guard both small forwards and power forwards, proving to be effective against both kinds of players. His length combined with his quickness and aggressiveness makes him a headache for perimeter players; his great anticipation and quick hands have also led to more than two steals a game for Dove. Bigger post players in the past have been able to back him down with a fair amount of ease, forcing Dove to rely on his timing to alter or block shots.

'From what we've seen this season, though, he is able to hold his ground a little better against stronger players. While bigger bodies (like Oklahoma's Blake Griffin) will still be able to push Dove around, he is making it harder on opponents than in seasons past.'

In a 64-61 loss to OU on Jan. 28, Griffin finished with 15 points. He took 15 foul shots, though, and Dove fouled out defending the 6-foot-10 freshman. Still, Sutton complimented the effort, suggesting it was comparable to his past lockdowns of a couple of former national players of the year, Gonzaga's Adam Morrison and Texas' Kevin Durant.

The points may be there in the end -- Morrison went glass to hit an impossible 25-foot three-pointer at the buzzer and finished with 25 points in a 64-62 victory on Dec. 10, 2005, but he made 6 of 14 shots. Dove is going to make his foe scratch for everything.

For instance, Durant averaged 28 points in three games against Dove and the Cowboys, which was actually above his season average of 25.8 but slightly less than his conference mark of 28.9. But he also shot 45 percent in those three games, which was below his overall (47 percent) and conference (51 percent) field-goal percentages.

'He understands the importance of being a defensive stopper,' Sutton said. 'He's one of the best defenders we've ever had here.'

For that, his work in practice against talent such as Tony Allen, Joey Graham and John Lucas -- the first two are currently in the NBA while Lucas has been in and out -- helped hone Dove's skills to where they are now.

And where they are now is about to be on display, more than likely in single coverage against Michael Beasley, the nation's fourth-leading scorer and its leading rebounder.

To which Sutton, as the reception on his call begins to fade, all but stifles a yawn.

He's seen this before. He's not concerned.

'When Marcus goes up against a great player, he's not intimidated,' Sutton said. 'He has a lot of respect for Mike, and he understands he's a tremendously gifted offensive player.

'But he's not intimidated.'

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