Marcus Smart goes off for 39 points in front of Kevin Durant

Marcus Smart definitely noticed Kevin Durant sitting courtside in Gallagher-Iba Arena. And he put together quite a performance for one of the NBA's most gifted scorers.

Smart scored a career-high 39 points, and No. 7 Oklahoma State raced past No. 11 Memphis for a 101-80 win Tuesday night in a one-sided matchup of top teams.

Durant was one of many basketball fans across the country interested to see Smart's return to the national stage after he bypassed the NBA draft following the Cowboys' early exit from last season's NCAA tournament.

Smart responded by scoring 26 points in the first half. He finished 11-of-21 from the floor and hit five 3-pointers while easily passing his previous career high of 28 points, set last season against Oklahoma.

"We saw Kevin Durant, and we just wanted to go out there and put on a show," Smart said.