Aggie Guard Tandem to Test Cowboys’ Defense on Sunday

STILLWATER — Steve Lutz has challenged his defense throughout the season and often proclaimed that the Cowboys have a long way to go on that end of the floor.

Well, Oklahoma State’s defense will be challenged Sunday by a pair of Aggie guards who know how to fill it up. Oklahoma State hosts Texas A&M at 1 p.m. Sunday in Gallagher-Iba Arena.

It’s a new era of A&M basketball, with Bucky McMillan taking over after Buzz Williams left for Maryland. McMillian built heavily through the transfer portal this offseason, including bringing in a pair of guards who the Cowboys have a level of familiarity with in Pop Isaacs and Rylan Griffen.

“Both those guys are good players,” Lutz said. “I’ve known Rylan since he was a little bitty kid almost, it seems like. He obviously was a good player at Alabama, was a good player at Kansas. Last year at Kansas, I think he hit two or three, four 3s on us at their place. And then Pop, he’s just getting back from an injury from what I’ve been told and what I’ve read and what I’ve heard, but those guys at Creighton raved about him. They just talk so highly about his ability to make shots.”

Mike Boynton nearly landed Isaacs out of high school, but he signed with Texas Tech before spending a year at Creighton and then moving to College Station.  Isaacs has played three games against OSU, all coming at Tech. In those three games, he’s averaged 15.3 points a contest while shooting 9-for-19 (47%) from 3-point range.  In A&M’s opening two games, Isaacs has averaged seven points a contest and has gone 4-for-10 from 3-point range.

Griffen is another guy OSU pursued out of high school, but he elected to start his career at Alabama before spending a year at Kansas and then joining the Aggies.  He’s gotten off to a hot start this year, averaging 13.5 points through two games while shooting 44% (4-for-9) from 3-point range.  Lutz alluded to it, but Griffen played against the Cowboys last season as a Jayhawk. He scored nine points in that game, going 2-for-3 from 3.

While Lutz is know for his up-tempo style, so is McMillan. The Bucky Ball Aggies rank 14th in KenPom’s adjusted tempo thus far this season (OSU ranks second), so this game has track meet potential.

In order to come out on the right side of this sprint, the Cowboys will have to played defense like they did in the second half against Oral Roberts, where OSU allowed 25 points on 22% shooting, and stay away from the defense the Cowboys played in the first half, 46 points on 43% shooting.

“Those two guys, with the way that they play, if you don’t find them in transition, they can get going in a hurry and it can be a long afternoon,” Lutz said. “So, we’ve got to be great in terms of taking care of the basketball and getting a shot on the rim so that we’re not playing in transition defense the entire night and back pedaling. …

“They’re good players and can really, really shoot and score the ball, and they can score in a hurry.”