Oklahoma State’s first two games gave Steve Lutz plenty to like, but Thursday night in College Station is where the real evaluation begins.
The Cowboys are 2-0 heading into their matchup with Texas A&M, a 3-0 team that has already shown it can light up the scoreboard. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m., and it will be Oklahoma State’s first game against a power conference opponent. It’s also the first of three such games the Cowboys will play in November.
That makes the status of Kanye Clary even more important. The veteran guard missed the season opener and logged only a few minutes against Queens while working through a groin injury that has lingered since the exhibition games. Steve Lutz did not offer a firm workload for him, but he did sound optimistic that Clary will be available.
“I don't know,” Lutz said. “I mean he's practicing.
We'll just manage it as the training staff and the doctors, you know, say. I expect him to play, and the minutes- I hate to put a timetable on him.
He played against them last year and played really well. So his experience will be invaluable to us.”
Clary’s return would matter for more than just depth. He gives Oklahoma State another steady hand at point guard, and the Cowboys are about to face a Texas A&M team that wants to push the pace just as much as they do. The Aggies have scored at least 97 points in every game so far and have topped 100 in each of their last two.
Texas A&M’s offense has been driven by PJ Haggerty, who played at Kansas State last year and is averaging 18 points, and Jordan Pope, who is also putting up 18 per game. That kind of firepower is a different level of challenge from the blowout wins over Incarnate Word and Queens.
Lutz said he has liked what he’s seen from his defense through the first two games, but he knows this matchup will ask more of his group. He also doesn’t see any reason to try to turn the game into something slower than it naturally wants to be.
“You have two teams that play an exciting brand of basketball, and there's no reason to slow it down, right?” Lutz said.
“We've always taken what the defense has given us. If they're going to put two on the basketball or three on the basketball, then we've got to be able to be strong enough to withstand that and get the ball moving.”
Oklahoma State’s scoring has been spread around early, with five players averaging double figures or close to it. Andrija Grbovic leads the way at 13.5 points per game, while freshman Parker Robinson is averaging 12.5. Three other Cowboys are also scoring more than 10 a night.
Even with that balance, Lutz said the rotation is still a work in progress. Thursday may be the first time he starts trimming it down, but he’s still gathering information on who he can trust when the pressure rises.
“I’m just collecting information - who I can count on, who’s going to flip out on me, and who’s going to maintain their discipline and their focus?” Lutz said. “But that’s going to be the next 10-12 games probably.”
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