Oklahoma (12-6, 3-3) was not supposed to be a factor for Baylor (16-1, 6-0) on the road, but they were.
The Sooners hung tough from the opening tip to the final buzzer but it just was not enough to upset the No. 1 team in the nation.
Brady Manek continued his scoring ways, finishing with 21 points on 7 of 13 shooting. Accompanying his 21 points were 10 rebounds, which were scarce against the Bears.
Just when things seemed in hand for Baylor, Oklahoma came back to cut the lead to a sweat-able margin. The Bears’ biggest lead of the second half was 11 while the smallest lead two when Manek made a layup with just 42 seconds left to make it a one-possession game.
Manek was just about the only bright spot on the Sooners offense, but there were flairs from others that make for a promising future. Victor Iuwakor and Kur Kuath gave the Sooners great minutes. Combining for just two points, their offense was not their motive. Kuath kept Baylor away from the rim blocking four shots and hauling in two boards in just eight minutes of action. Iwuakor grabbed four boards and an assist in his 10 minutes but gave a spark with his pure athleticism. Oklahoma looked to be flowing well on both ends of the court when he was on the floor.
Kristian Doolittle was once again not a huge factor on the offensive side of the court. He finished with just eight points alongside Austin Reaves. The duo are the fourth and eighth leading scorers in the Big 12 respectively but have been rather dormant over the past two to three games.
Despite losing three of their past four, the Sooners do look like a tournament team. With losses to Kansas and Baylor that have come down to the final minutes, Oklahoma should not be hard on themselves.
The Sooners are back in action on Saturday as they play Mississippi State as part of the Big 12 vs SEC Challenge. The game will be played in Oklahoma City at the Chesapeake Energy Arena and can be found on ESPN’s network. Tip-off is set for 1p.m. CT.
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