Carroll, Cowboys Welcome Governors To Stillwater

Oklahoma State hosts Austin Peay on Wednesday night in the second-ever meeting between the schools. Opening tip is set for 7 p.m. in Gallagher-Iba Arena.

The Cowboys (5-1) are coming off their most complete game of the season, a 101-74 win against Houston Baptist. It wasn’t a flawless victory, but pretty close. OSU shot 31-for-33 from the free throw stripe and made its first 24 from the line, which broke a Big 12 record previously held by Missouri at 23 in a row.

The Pokes also assisted on 26 of their 30 made shots that tied for the fourth-best assist/field goal ratio in school history. OSU’s 1.54 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks 18th nationally.

Senior Jeffrey Carroll leads the Cowboys at 15.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. He’s one of four averaging double figures – joined by guards Kendall Smith (11.3), Thomas Dziagwa (11.0) and Brandon Averette (10.8).

Junior Davon Dillard saw his first game action against HBU, scoring nine points in 13 minutes.

Austin Peay (3-3) boasts a pressure defense that is designed to force turnovers and speed up their opponents. First-year coach Matt Figger has his Governors ranked ninth nationally in forcing 20.1 turnovers per game and they’re 13th in steals at 10.2 per game.

Freshmen guards Dayton Gumm – 13.8 ppg – and Terry Taylor – 13.5 ppg – lead the Govs’ backcourt and 6-foot-7 senior Averyl Ugba mans the middle. Zach Glotta is a sharpshooter to watch off the bench for Peay.

What to watch for: Can Oklahoma State deal with a high-pressure defense? Brandon Averette has been great as a sophomore, but he looked shaky against full-court pressure last year.

Sophomore Cam McGriff is making his case for most-improved player. He leads the team in rebounds and is shooting 92.3 percent from the free throw line.

Speaking of free throws, sophomore Thomas Dziagwa hasn’t missed one in his career. He’s also drained four threes in four of the Cowboys’ six games and is 20-for-36 on the season from deep.

Up next for Oklahoma State is a home date against Mississippi Valley State on Sunday.