Oklahoma State and Mike Boynton Headed Back to Brooklyn for Legends Classic
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State (1-1 overall) is headed back to the Big Apple this week for a showdown with St. Bonaventure (1-1) in the semifinals of the 2023 Legends Classic.
Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. CT on Thursday, Nov. 16, and will be televised on ESPNU.
The winner will turn around and play on Friday at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN2 and will face the winner of the Auburn/Notre Dame game. The loser will also play on Friday, however against the loser of Auburn/Notre Dame, a game which will tip at 3:30 p.m. CT on ESPNU.
This marks the first time these two programs will have met on the hardwood and the second time the Pokes will have played in the Legends Classic (2017.) They also played in the 2019 NIT Season Tipoff, a tournament in which the Pokes won, and the 2022 Basketball Hall of Fame Invitational, both taking place at Barclays Arena.
The Cowboys are coming off their first win of the season this past weekend, an 85-70 win over Sam Houston in Stillwater. They matched a program record 17-made three-pointers, which was up drastically from the 5-of-23 shooting from beyond the arc in the loss to Abilene Christian the prior week.
On the season, the Cowboys are shooting 44% from the field and nearly 40% from 3-point range for a total of 72 points per game. On the other end, they’re holding opponents to 67 points per game on 41% shooting from the field and 34% from 3-point range. They’re led by senior guard Bryce Thompson, who’s averaging 18 points in his first two games, while shooting nearly 54% from the field and 62% from 3-point range.
As for the Bonnies, they’re averaging 70 points in their first two games of the season, holding opponents to 69.5 points, while shooting 43% from the field and just 29% from 3-point range. Grad student Charles Pride leads them in just about every statistic as he’s scoring 18.5 points per game on 54% shooting from the field and 50% from 3-point range. He also leads the team with 8.0 rebounds per game.
As OSU athletics media relations pointed out, this is a homecoming for nearly the entire coaching staff as Boynton is from Brooklyn and played at Bishop Loughlin, as did assistant James Barrett. Associate head coach Terrence Rencher grew up in the Bronx, video coordinator Kris Quintana is from Staten Island and director of player development Nelson Hernandez is also from Brooklyn.