Oklahoma (11-4, 2-1) faces off against No. 6 Kansas (12-3, 2-1) in a crucial Big 12 matchup for both sides.
The Jayhawks come off a rare home loss against now No. 2 ranked Baylor (13-1, 3-0), losing to the Bears 67-55 and will without a doubt be looking to get back to their winning ways against the Sooners.
As for Oklahoma, they return home after getting a road split, losing their first Big 12 game of the season against Iowa State, 81-68. The loss does not come in a great part of the Sooners’ schedule with a trip to Baylor next Monday and Mississippi State coming to Oklahoma to play next Saturday as part of the Big 12-SEC Challenge.
However, Kansas has failed to leave Norman with a win each of the past two years against less talented Sooner teams.
MAINTAIN POSSESSION
Oklahoma against the Cyclones last Saturday failed to keep possession, turning the ball over 15 times. The Sooners need to hang on to the ball and value their possessions to find good looks which can be hard to find against the Jayhawks.
CONTAIN AZUBUIKE
Much easier said than done, Oklahoma has to find a way for Kansas’ star player, Udoka Azubuike to be either the only player that beats them or keep Azubuike from being a factor. Obviously the prior would be the most realistic as the Sooners, nor any other team in the country has the size and depth to keep Azubuike at bay.
CHEW THE CLOCK
Oklahoma had a ton of empty possessions against Iowa State. One problem that stood out over others was how quickly the Sooners were taking shots in the shot clock. Taking the shot clock down inside 10 seconds as much as possible should bode well for Oklahoma. With that being said, if there’s a good look early in the clock, you best believe the Sooners are going to shoot it.
Oklahoma and No. 6 Kansas can be viewed on ESPN. Tip-off is set for 8p.m. CT.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3]