On Sunday, Virginia Tech basketball returns to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. to face Oklahoma State. It's one of four games in The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Invitational, and it's the second game of the quadruple-header. Mike Monaco and Noah Savage have the coverage at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
The Hokies (9-1, 1-0 ACC) and Cowboys (6-3) square off for the fifth time ever, and the first since 2012. Tech is undefeated in the series, and despite finishing 13-19 in 2012-13, James Johnson & Co. beat then-No. 15 Oklahoma State by 10, 81-71, in Cassell Coliseum that season.
It's the fifth different location the series has been played at, joining Anaheim, Madison Square Garden, Stillwater and Blacksburg. There are plenty of connections, too. Tech head coach Mike Young said he considers Oklahoma State head coach Mike Boynton a dear friend.
"Mike Boynton is from Brooklyn," Young said after Tech's win over Dayton on Wednesday. "I'm afraid he's going to have all of his neighborhood guys out there ready to get after me. He's a dear friend, a great coach. He was with me in 2007 and then went back to his alma mater, South Carolina."
Tech point guard Sean Pedulla is from Edmond, Okla. and his college decision came down to the Hokies and Pokes. But despite Stillwater being less than an hour north, he ultimately chose Tech. Pedulla and Oklahoma State guard Brooks Manzer also played together growing up.
"That's kind of always been a dream to play the hometown school, so it's going to be fun," Pedulla said. "I think it'll just be excitement more than anything."
There will be plenty of warm feelings, too. It'll be the first time Tech plays in the Barclays Center since winning the ACC Championship in March.
"Darn right it will," Young said when asked about the trip stirring up emotions. "I can't wait. ... That experience in March, that was pretty cool. Can't wait to get back."
Oklahoma State
As of Saturday morning, the Cowboys are a Quadrant 2 game for the Hokies. They're currently No. 53 in the NET — Tech is No. 36 — and a Quadrant 1 game on a neutral floor is 1-50. In Ken Pomeroy's metrics, though, Tech is 31 while OSU is 34.It's been an up-and-down season so far for Oklahoma State. The team's best win is its most recent one, a 65-51 win over Sam Houston State (No. 21 in NET). The Cowboys fell to No. 5 UConn by 10 on Dec. 1. A four-point overtime loss to UCF and a one-point defeat vs. Southern Illinois are their other two missteps.
Boynton is 93-76 (.550) in six seasons at the helm. The Pokes made an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2020-21 but were ruled ineligible from postseason play by the NCAA last season.
They're ranked eighth in D-I in field goal percentage defense, which tells a large part of their story. They average five blocks per game, much in part due to Moussa Cisse's 30 (fifth in D-I). He's a 7-1, 216-pound junior from Guinea who is averaging eight points and 11 rebounds per game. Cisse also ranks sixth in defensive rebounding rate and 16th offensively.
Avery Anderson III, the team's leading scorer with 12.6 points per game, often has the ball in his hands. At 6-3, 158, he's a senior from Justin, Texas, and he's scored in double figures in seven of the team's nine games. He's turnover prone, though, and has just 27 assists to 25 turnovers.
Oklahoma State has started the same five players each game:
John-Michael Wright (6-1, 190, Sr.)
Avery Anderson III (6-3, 158, Sr.)
Bryce Thompson (6-6, 194, Jr.)
Kalib Boone (6-9, 198, Sr.)
Moussa Cisse (7-1, 216, Jr.)
They're all solid shooters, but Wright and Thompson are the most dangerous from the outside. Along with those two, Caleb Asberry (6-3, 165, r-Sr.) is the only other player with double-digit 3-pointers on the year. In fact, 56% of Oklahoma State's points come from 2-point baskets, good for 61st in the country.
Key to the game
Just like many games this year, Virginia Tech needs to keep the Cowboys off the offensive glass. For the most part, the Hokies have been good in that area — only William & Mary, Charleston Southern and Dayton recorded double-digit offensive boards.Oklahoma State is No. 55 in adjusted offensive efficiency, but the defense, ranked 26th in adjusted defensive efficiency, often takes the lead. The Pokes will push the pace, but they're very turnover prone.
Defensively, the Hokies have been connected for most of the year. Their opponents are averaging 11 turnovers per game, and they've held two of their last three opponents below 37% shooting.
Tech's taken care of the ball better than anyone in the country. As of Saturday morning, the Hokies are No. 1 in turnover percentage (13%), according to KenPom, with 86 turnovers on 646 possessions. If Tech can continue that trend, score points in the paint like usual — the team scored 40-plus points in the paint in five straight games — and play well down the stretch, it'll be another successful day in Brooklyn.