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Preview: OSU Takes on Texas A&M in Legends Classic in Brooklyn

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Oklahoma State takes on No. 16 Texas A&M on Monday night in the Legends Classic opener at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Both teams enter the contest with an unblemished record at a combined 5-0, the Aggies boasting a 2-0 mark with wins over West Virginia and UC Santa Barbara.

Let’s look at three things to watch in the 6 p.m. showdown in the Empire State.

Season debuts to watch

Oklahoma State announced Monday it will get its best player back on Monday evening in Jeffrey Carroll, who was withheld from competition pending the completion of an internal investigation related to the FBI probe. Carroll is without question OSU’s most integral piece coming off a season in which he averaged 17.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per contest as the second option in Brad Underwood’s system.

Carroll won’t be the only player in this game making his season debut, though. Texas A&M’s best player, Robert Williams, is also seeing his first action on Monday after serving a two-game suspension to begin the season. The 6-foot-10 big man who spurned the NBA (and a potential lottery selection) after a stellar freshman season in 2016 will be the straw that stirs A&M’s frontcourt mix.

Williams is as smooth as any in the sport around the rim and in the mid-range, and he was a shot-blocking, rim-protecting machine last season.

Frontcourt matchup favors A&M

Even without taking Robert Williams’ return into consideration, A&M’s frontcourt features 6-foot-9 versatile athlete D.J. Hogg, who can step out and play a stretch-four role, as well as big man Tyler Davis, a 6-foot-10 center averaging 18.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game this season. They’ve got dudes down low.

Against an OSU team that doesn’t have much size or strength down low, Texas A&M has the upper hand down low. The Aggies are fourth at KenPom in adjusted defensive efficiency, thanks in large part to being difficult to score on around the rim.

Don’t expect a shootout

Maybe the Cowboys will play a faster brand of ball with Carroll back in the fold, but thus far they’ve opted for slugfests over track meets under Boynton. OSU is 200th (out of 351) in adjusted tempo according to KenPom, and 277 (again, out of 351) in average possession length. A&M is 257th and 96th in those same categories, respectively.

Against Texas A&M’s length and strength in the frontcourt, Mike Boynton could aim to counter it by playing fast and pushing the pace with Kendall Smith and Brandon Averette. However the Aggies have a fairly stiff backcourt in Admon Gilder, TJ Starks and Duane Wilson, which could pose an issue if Boynton chooses that route.

Regardless, OSU might be in for a slugfest in Brooklyn. And given the talent disparity in the frontcourt, I’m not sure that favors Mike Boynton’s crew.

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