Texas A&M @ Oklahoma State preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 25, 2012 ) Texas A&M 42, Oklahoma State 60

Teams welcoming back star players meet Monday when a pair of undefeated teams, Texas A&M and Oklahoma State, tangle in the semifinals of the Legends Classic in Brooklyn, N.Y. The Aggies get back 6-10 sophomore power forward Robert Williams, whom many scouts felt would have been a lottery pick in the 2017 draft, while the Cowboys return 6-7 junior forward Jeffrey Carroll, who improved his scoring average 9.4 points per game last year over his 2015-16 campaign.

Williams, who was suspended for the first two games of this season for violation of university policy, averaged 11.9 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.5 blocks last season using his 7-3 wingspan. "After the season he made his own decision - which was pretty cool - to come back to school. The kid was strong enough to do what he thought was best for him," Aggies coach Billy Kennedy told Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook. "That's a tough position for anybody to be in at that age, but when Robert goes to the NBA he wants to be ready to play right away and not just (be) a developmental guy." Carroll is expected to make his season debut after being withheld pending a review of the program that stems from former associate head coach Lamont Evans’ involvement with a national corruption scandal. Carroll averaged 17.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game last season and became only the fourth player in Big 12 history to finish a season ranked in the league’s top 10 in scoring, rebounding and 3-point percentage.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2

ABOUT TEXAS A&M (2-0): In Williams absence, D.J. Hogg, who averaged 12 points and 5.1 rebounds last season, scored 19 of his 24 points in the first 10 minutes of the second half in A&M’s home-opening 84-65 triumph over UC Santa Barbara on Friday. Center Tyler Davis had 23 points and 13 rebounds in the opening win over West Virginia and 14 points, six rebounds and three blocks against the Gauchos. Junior guard Admon Gilder who is moving back to off guard this season after being forced to play the point last year, had 23 points against the Mountaineers and 13 points and seven assists in the home opener.

ABOUT OKLAHOMA STATE (3-0): Brandon Averette scored 21 points and added nine assists and four rebounds off the bench to lead the Cowboys to a 91-48 victory over Oral Roberts on Thursday. The Cowboys were wondering who would replace point guard Jawun Evans (19.2 points, 6.4 assists per game), who jumped to the NBA after two seasons in Stillwater, but Cal State Northridge grad transfer Kendall Smith and Averette, a 5-11 sophomore who backed up Evans last season, have filled in more than capably. Smith is averaging 12.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists in 26 minutes, and Everette leads the team in scoring (14.7 points) and assists (6.0) despite not starting a game yet this season.

TIP-INS

1. The winner plays Penn State or Pittsburgh in Tuesday's final after the losers meet in the consolation game.

2. Smith, who started his career at UNLV after being a top-100 recruit coming out of high school, led the Big West in assists last season (4.8 per game) and was second-team all conference after averaging 16.7 points.

3. Williams was the SEC’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2017-18 and his 77 blocks were the second highest single-season total in school history.

PREDICTION: Texas A&M 84, Oklahoma State 70