Cowboy Set To Battle The Aggies In Brooklyn

Monday, November 20

Brooklyn, N.Y.

6 p.m.

Oklahoma State University

Texas A&M

November 18, 2017 | Cowboy Basketball

Game Center
Opponent: No. 16 Texas A&M Aggies (2-0, 0-0 SEC)
Date / Tipoff: Nov. 20, 2017 / 6 p.m. Central
Site: Barclays Center (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
Series: OSU leads 31-17 (5-2 on neutral courts)
Tickets: Start at $15 at gazellegroup.com/main/legends/
TV: ESPN2 (Bob Wischusen & Sean Harrington)
Web: WatchESPN or ESPN3.com
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network (Dave Hunziker & John Holcomb)
Satellite Radio: Sirius 119, XM 384 (OSU radio call)
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats

Oklahoma State Game Notes

• The Basics
Oklahoma State head coach Mike Boynton is bringing the Cowboys back to his hometown of Brooklyn to face their toughest test to date in No. 16 Texas A&M in the Legends Classic opener at the Barclays Center.

• On the Air
The matchup between the Cowboys and Aggies will air on ESPN2 at 6 p.m. Central. Bob Wischusen and Sean Harrington will handle the on-air duties. The WatchESPN app and ESPN3.com will carry the webcast. As always, Dave Hunziker and John Holcomb will have the Cowboy Radio Network call.

• Cowboys On Point
Thanks to their leading scorers Brandon Averette and Kendall Smith, the Cowboys have received outstanding play from the point guard position so far this year. Averette owns an 18-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, and has reached double-figures in scoring in all three games this year. He is coming off a career-best 21-point, nine assists game that featured zero turnovers. Smith, a graduate transfer from CSUN, has started both games and is second only to Averette with 12.7 points per game and 14 assists. The two point guards are combining for 27.4 points, 10.7 assists, 8.4 rebounds and just 3.0 turnovers per game on 45.1 percent shooting.

• Cowboys in New York
While this is OSU's first appearance in the Legends Classic, the Cowboys are no strangers to the Big Apple. Oklahoma State has played 33 games in the state of New York, and owns a 16-17 record when playing in the Empire State. The most notable of those games include OSU's wins in the 1945 and 1946 NCAA Championship games in Madison Square Garden against NYU and North Carolina. OSU has played in nine National Invitational Tournament (NIT) games in New York, and has also played in Syracuse, Buffalo, Queens and Long Island.

• Back Home In Brooklyn
Oklahoma State head coach Mike Boynton is bringing the Cowboys back to his hometown of Brooklyn. Boynton is from the Clinton Hill area of Brooklyn and played his high school ball at Bishop Loughlin, which is located blocks away from the Barclays Center. In fact, Boynton is one of just 16 members of the 1,000-point club in Loughlin history, and his name is inscribed in a banner in the gym.

• The Series Against The Aggies
This will be the 49th meeting between Oklahoma State and Texas A&M, but the first since the Aggies moved from the Big 12 Conference to the Southeastern Conference following the 2011-12 season. Oklahoma State leads the overall series 31-17, including a 5-2 edge in neutral court meetings. The Cowboys won 17 of the first 18 meetings after the two programs joined the newly formed Big 12 for the 1996-97 season, and OSU would enjoy a 23-10 overall record against the Aggiest as Big 12 foes over the next 15 seasons.

• OSU Against Ranked Opponents
Oklahoma State will have its first crack at an AP top-25 opponent in the No. 16 Aggies. For what it's worth, the Cowboys have an 11-3 (.786) all-time record against teams ranked No. 16 in the AP poll. OSU is 116-237 (.329) all-time against top-25 teams, and 2-6 when facing a ranked Texas A&M squad. Those two OSU victories came in 2007 and 2008.

• High Expectations In Aggieland
A pair of Aggies garnered preseason accolades and Texas A&M was predicted to finish third in the Southeastern Conference after voting by a select panel of both SEC and national media members. Robert Williams stood out in the voting as the Aggie sophomore was selected First Team Preseason All-SEC as well as Preseason SEC Player of the Year, a distinction he shared with Yante Maten of Georgia and Michael Porter, Jr., of Missouri. Joining Williams on the list of honorees was junior center Tyler Davis, who garnered a spot on the Preseason All-SEC Second Team, giving Texas A&M one of the top front courts in the country heading into the 2017-18 campaign.