BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The annual Legends Classic saw Texas A&M ascend to the championship. They defeated Penn State in a championship game that was a good competitive test.
We have a few notes and quotes on this event staged at Barclays Center.
Semifinals
Texas A&M 72, Oklahoma State 55
Penn State 85, Pittsburgh 54
Consolation: Oklahoma State 73, Pittsburgh 67
Championship: Texas A&M 98, Penn State 87
There are observers questioning when Pitt has been worse. The Panthers are now 1-4 with the lone win coming over UC Santa Barbara. They were thoroughly dismantled by Penn State in the semifinals. In the consolation they came up short. Poor shooting from deep (4 of 20), turnovers in the early going and rebounding (44-28 on the short end) were the culprits.
As the Panthers struggle, the question comes up if Kevin Stallings is right for the job. Stallings is an excellent coach. However there are times a coach may not be a good fit for a situation. This might be the case as recruiting is often mentioned as his shortcoming. One observer pointed out Stallings has no presence in the New York area Pitt mined for years. One thing is probable: Pitt is going to struggle mightily in the ACC. Stallings could be on borrowed time.
It was a good comeback win in the consolation by Oklahoma State. Jeffrey Carroll, a 6-6 senior, put up an impressive 29-point effort for the Cowboys. For coach Mike Boynton, it was a homecoming ending on a positive note as he hails from Brooklyn.
“It was a good bounce back win after last night,” Boynton said. “It was great to come back to Brooklyn. I thought we did a nice job not letting Pitt settle into an offensive rhythm.”
Last season Texas A&M went 16-15 losing to Vanderbilt in the SEC tournament to end the year. Based on early returns and what was seen in Brooklyn, the Aggies could very well play deep into March.
Billy Kennedy has a nice senior guard in Marquette transfer Duane Wilson (team-high 22 points in the final) with experience and the ability to get in the lane.
The Aggies also have a big man, Robert Williams, who is able to do damage in the paint and run the floor like a deer in transition. “Williams makes a guard’s job easier,” Kennedy said. “They throw the ball inside and he grabs it for a dunk.” The 6-10 sophomore scored 21 points, adding 10 rebounds en route to tournament MVP honors.
Another positive sign is that leading scorer DJ Hogg (20 ppg) was limited to seven points and the Aggies still almost hit the century mark. “DJ can do more than just score,” Kennedy said. “He had seven rebounds, four assists and two blocks. A good all-around game.”
I was really impressed with Tony Carr of Penn State. The 6-5 sophomore is the Nittany Lions’ number one option (31 points in the final), yet he is very unselfish, constantly looking for his teammates.
Lamar Stevens, Carr’s running mate, added 25 points in the final, giving Penn State a nice one-two punch on offense.
Penn State coach Pat Chambers admitted it: in a game of this magnitude his bigs need to respond. Mike Watkins, a 6-9 sophomore, has the size, but on this night came up with just seven points, three rebounds. “I have to get all our bigs more involved,” Chambers said, without pinning it all on Watkins. “When we play high-level competition (as in the Big Ten), we need our big men active.”
Penn State fell behind by 17 midway through the second half. Texas A&M was almost in a celebratory mood when the Nittany Lions applied full-court pressure and stormed back. They cut it to a two-possession game but could never draw even. The Aggies were able to regroup and rebuild a lead down the stretch to close out their fourth win against no losses.
“There are no moral victories,” Chambers said. “Texas A&M is a team with big time talent. I thought we challenged them and did some good things.”
Chambers also added that in pregame if you told him his Nittany Lions would ring up 87 points and hold Hogg to seven, he would have loved the chances. Penn State did just that, but could not secure the victory. Naturally giving up 98 points is not conducive to getting in the win column, either.
Offensive efficiency was off the chart in the final. Texas A&M posted a 131, while Penn State checked in at 116. Credit deadly shooting and keeping turnovers low for the numbers.
After covering both classics, 2K and Legends, this much is certain: I would love to see a Providence-Texas A&M matchup. Maybe we’ll get one come March.
MVP: Robert Williams (TAM)
All Tournament
Jeffrey Carroll (OSU)
Lamar Stevens (PSU)
Tony Carr (PSU)
Duane Wilson (TAM)
