Carroll leads OSU
OSU’s Jeffrey Carroll had 29 points to lead the Cowboys past Pittsburgh 73-67 in the thirdplace game of the Legends Classic in Brooklyn.
On cue, Jeffrey Carroll returned to being Jeffrey Carroll on Tuesday at the Legends Classic.
The Oklahoma State star guard, whose season debut Monday was a struggle, turned it on Tuesday, scoring a career-high 29 points to lead the Cowboys past Pittsburgh 73-67 in the third-place game at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Carroll’s performance was actually predictable.
After managing just four points on 2-of-11 shooting in 22 minutes of OSU’s loss to Texas A&M in the tournament opener, Carroll had history, as well as a renewed calmness, on his side. The senior guard was held under 10 points only five times last season, and each time he followed with a big performance, averaging 21.6 points on 58.6 percent shooting his next time out.
This followup was even better.
Carroll went 10-of-17 from the floor and 7-of-7 from the foul line, while adding a game-high nine rebounds and three assists. And he scored 13 points over the final 7:18, when the Cowboys were struggling to put the Panthers away.
“It was a pretty good day for me,” Carroll said. “I give a lot of credit to my teammates, because they gave me all the support I needed to bounce back today and play really well and win.”
OSU, improving to 4-1 with the win, got help throughout the rotation, as all nine players who played, scored. Thomas Dziagwa provided 12 points on four 3-pointers off the bench and four players — Carroll, Kendall Smith, Brandon Averette and Lindy Waters
— provided three assists each, part of the Cowboys’ 16 for the game.
For this OSU squad to succeed, it’ll take balanced production on a regular basis.
And it’ll take the Tuesday version of Carroll.
“There’s a reason he was a unanimous All-Big 12 pick preseason,” said Cowboys coach Mike Boynton. “Last night — I’m not saying he won’t have another bad shooting night this season — but he hadn’t played a game since the NCAA Tournament last season.
“I expected him to have some jitters, be a little tight last night, but ... yeah, I think we have a lot of guys that can help us. I don’t expect (Jeff) to have 30 points every night, but it gives us a different element that people normally don’t have to prepare for.”
Dziagwa dialed in
OSU’s run of premier perimeter shooters may continue, with Dziagwa perhaps next in line to follow the form previously set by Keiton Page and Phil Forte III.
Dziagwa, known for engaging Forte in shootoffs last season, has fired in 16-of-29 shots from the arc this season, a 55.2 percentage.
“Well that’s my job,” he said. “My teammates get me open, I’m supposed to hit open shots.”
Up next: Houston Baptist
The Cowboys return home Sunday to face Houston Baptist.
Tip time is 2 p.m.
The game against the Huskies begins a four-game homestand, with Austin Peay, Mississippi Valley State and Wichita State — the feature attraction of the nonconference schedule — following in a span of two weeks.
JOHN HELSLEY, FOR THE OKLAHOMAN