Something has to give when undefeated teams Texas A&M and Oklahoma State square off on Thursday night in a clash between former Big 12 Conference rivals in College Station, Texas.
It’s a rare early season, home-court encounter between Power 4 teams, many of which prefer to build their resumes with mid-major opponents as a way to allow their players to mesh into cohesive units in advance of league play.
The Aggies (3-0), who moved to the Southeastern Conference in 2012, have been impressive so far, winning by an average of 36.3 points per game. Texas A&M’s most recent contest was a 108-67 victory at home over UL Monroe on Monday in a game in which PJ Haggerty racked up 22 points in 20 minutes and Jordan Pope had 19 points in 19 minutes.
Tyshawn Archie added 12 points off the bench for the Aggies in a game in which A&M never trailed, forced 21 turnovers and held the visitors to 33.8% shooting from the floor. The Aggies’ bench players scored 53 points.
“We want to play four phases of basketball, which is full-court D, half-court D, full-court offense, half-court offense,” Texas A&M coach Bucky McMillan said. “That’s why it usually takes our teams a little bit longer than most to get to where we’re going. But when we get there, it’s a problem for other teams.”
The Cowboys (2-0), still a member of the Big 12, have enjoyed a similar beginning to their campaign and on the heels of a 118-68 home win over Queens University on Friday. Andrija Grbovic led a balanced Oklahoma State attack with a game-high 17 points off the bench while making 5 of 6 attempts from 3-point range.
Parker Robinson posted 14 points, followed by Julius Halaifonua with 13, Latrell Allmond with 12, Jordan Burks with 11 and Ryan Crotty with 10 for the Cowboys. Oklahoma State finished 16 of 28 from beyond the arc (57.1%).
Oklahoma State coach Steve Lutz said he understands that his team will have to take a step up when it faces Texas A&M and its constant pressure.
“Anytime they press as much as Texas A&M does, it’s going to be different for us,” Lutz said. “We’re going to have to be able to embrace their chaos but at the same time be disciplined with what we’re doing and make sure that we get good shots.”