Oklahoma (11-4, 2-1) will have to wait another year to get Lon Kruger his first win at Iowa State (8-7, 1-2) after losing 81-68. The Sooners have not won in Ames, IA., since 2012.
Here are three reasons why Oklahoma dropped its first conference game of the season.
EARLY & NOT SO OFTEN
Oklahoma took shots very early in the shot clock without much success. Shooting well overall, the Sooners settled early for shots, scoring just 22 points in the paint.
Aside from the lack of paint production, Oklahoma was bodied on the glass with just 3 offensive boards to Iowa State’s 23 defensive boards.
TURNOVERS KILL
With the exception of baseball, the longer you keep possession of the ball, the better off you are. The Sooners could not hold on to the rock tonight, coughing it up 15 times, allowing the Cyclones to score 32 points off of the turnovers.
THE HILTON CURSE?
Oklahoma is win-less in the Lon Kruger era in Ames, IA. With Iowa State being win-less through two conference games, the Cyclones may have simply been due for a win. It’s a rarity that a team shooting 48% from the floor loses a game, but the Sooners proved the exception to the rule. Both teams shot 48%, however, the Cyclones outshot Oklahoma 67 to 44 and made 32 shots to the Sooners’ 21.
Both coming off of losses, Oklahoma takes on No. 3 Kansas on Tuesday as Top Daug makes his much-awaited return. The game can be seen on ESPN at 8p.m. CT.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3]