3 keys for Oklahoma basketball against Stanford

Oklahoma (5-0) heads north to take on Stanford (6-0) as part of the Hall of Fame Classic.

Oklahoma (5-0) heads north to take on Stanford (6-0) as part of the Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City, Kansas.

Both the Sooners and the Cardinal have two common opponents, with both beating William & Mary and Maryland Eastern Shore handily. With both teams coming in undefeated, here is what Oklahoma needs to do to keep their perfect record in tact.

START HOT

The Sooners have had a tough time getting into rhythm early. For Oklahoma to hang with a highly talented PAC-12 team, they need to hit shots early and match the energy that the Cardinal come out with from the start.

Head coach Lon Kruger and his staff have done a fantastic job of adjusting at halftime so far this season, but the Sooners have had to battle for wins that they should easily have cruised through over the first month of the 2019-20 campaign.

BE PHYSICAL

Playing physical is something that Oklahoma will have to do eventually, once Big 12 play begins. The Sooners have yet to show that they can use their size and athleticism on either end of the court.

Guys like Kristian Doolittle, Victor Iwuakor and Kur Kuath will be players to watch beginning tonight as they build towards becoming more physical.

REBOUND, REBOUND, REBOUND

In hand with playing physical, Oklahoma has to rebound well. The Sooners average 41.0 boards a game to the Cardinal’s 35.2. Tonight will be a much better test as to what Oklahoma will face the rest of the season.

Oklahoma and Stanford will tip-off at 8:30 p.m. CT on ESPN 2.

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