All signs point to Oklahoma getting a key piece of their team back this week.
After missing the last two games, and it would have been three if not for a game postponement, Brady Manek is expected to return to the team for the Sooners’ Tuesday night matchup with Kansas State.
Head coach Lon Kruger said it is still pending one more negative test, but should he get the result that they are expecting he will be able to practice Monday and then reintroduced to the fold against the Wildcats.
It is unclear at this point if Manek will dive right back into full minutes after being out for the lengthy period as it could largely depend on how his practice goes on Monday. Once he is back to full speed, it is mostly expected that he will slide back into the starting five as he has been for a long time although Kruger didn’t completely commit to that.
“We’ll proceed as we would any time in terms of putting the people on the floor that get us the best results,” Kruger said.
In Manek’s absence, the team employed a more small-ball defensive style that had good success with a near upset of Kansas in Lawrence and a demolition of TCU at home last week. How he will be brought back into the rotations while possibly trying to maintain that success will be interesting to watch play out.
Oklahoma hosts Kansas State Tuesday night at 5:30 p.m. CT.
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