Marcus Smart gave Purdue a Thanksgiving Day present of 30 points.
Smart went for 24 points in the first half of No. 5 Oklahoma State’s 97-87 win in the opening round of the Old Spice Classic and is now averaging 31.3 points in his last three games.
Markel Brown added 25 points for the Cowboys (6-0), who came in averaging 100.2 points and had defeated their first five opponents by an average of 37.8.
Smart, an AP preseason All-American, spent considerable time on the bench in the second half with four fouls when the game tightened up.
“It was devastating to see that I wasn’t out there to help my team out,” Smart said. “Purdue was coming. They were making a run. I’m very proud of my teammates.”
A new Mock Draft at The Big Lead has Smart as the No. 5 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft to the Sacramento Kings.
Meantime, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski seems to think Smart’s storyline is getting lost amidst all the fabulous freshmen.
(The AP contributed)
