It just wasn’t Oklahoma’s day.
The Sooners had a must-win on the road at Oklahoma State on Saturday, and instead fell flat when they needed it most.
Head coach Lon Kruger got abysmal performances from two of his best players and hardly any of the supporting cast helped out. This makes the final four games even that important to keep the NCAA Tournament hopes alive.
Here are three reasons why Oklahoma lost to its in-state rival 83-66.
LACK OF INTERIOR DEFENSE
Oklahoma, who held its own against the Baylor’s and West Virginia’s of the world inside the paint, could not keep its in-state rival out of it.
The Cowboys got whatever they wanted against the Sooners inside. Oklahoma got outscored 36-22 in the paint.
That just won’t get the job done.
POOR SHOOTING
Everyone knows Oklahoma needs Brady Manek, Kristian Doolittle and Austin Reaves on to be running at full speed.
The Sooners shot a combined 7-of-26 from the 3-point line for 26.9 percent shooting and 38.2 percent shooting total.
That, too, just won’t get it done.
NO MANEK, NO DOOLITTLE
The Sooners got what it needed from one of its trio that it hadn’t in awhile.
Austin Reaves scored 22 points on 6-of-14 shooting and went 9-of-11 from the free throw line. Reaves, though, went 1-of-5 from beyond the arc.
For some reason, Lon Kruger can’t get a combined effort from his big trio. Kristian Doolittle and Brady Manek combined for 5-of-19 shooting, including 1-of-9 from three, for 15 points.
That, also, won’t get it done.