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Oklahoma and Kansas State are about to tip off Big 12 conference play in Norman, Oklahoma. Follow along here for live updates from the game.
Oklahoma (9-3, 0-0 Big 12) and Kansas State (7-5, 0-0) are about to tip off Big 12 conference play at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Oklahoma. The Sooners have three players in the top-10 of scoring in the Big 12 (Kristian Doolittle, Austin Reaves and Brady Manek). Oklahoma will need a strong conference play showing to make the NCAA Tournament. Follow along here for live scoring updates from the game.
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Making it through the first two months of play with just three losses, the Sooners face the toughest Power 5 conference in the nation.
Making it through the first two months of play with just three losses and a No. 45 NET ranking, the Sooners face the toughest Power 5 conference in the nation.
The Big 12 is never a walk in the park. With Kansas being the team to beat every year, the other nine teams in the conference have built tough, reputable programs in the shadows of Lawrence, Kansas. Over the past two seasons, 13 of 20 teams made the NCAA Tournament.
Oklahoma has made the Big Dance each of the past two seasons, missing the 2016-17 season after making four straight NCAA Tournament appearances from 2013-16.
The Sooners come into conference play with three of the top-10 scorers in the Big 12 in Kristian Doolittle (No. 6, 16.7 ppg), Austin Reaves (No. 7, 16.3 ppg) and Brady Manek (No. 8, 15.4 ppg). The trio will be key to Oklahoma’s success the rest of the way, but they cannot do it alone.
An unexpected role player has appeared over the suspected fourth and fifth options last Monday against Texas Rio Grande Valley. Kur Kuath started in place of Doolittle who was benched for a “situation”, per Lon Kruger. Kuath dazzled the crowd, slamming home dunk after dunk to start the game against UT-Rio Grande Valley. Finishing with a career-high 17 points and eight rebounds, Kuath still played within himself.
“It’s been a while since I’ve played, so it was a good experience,” Kuath told reporters on Thursday.
With Kuath’s emergence, both De’Vion Harmon and Jamal Bieniemy have yet to exceed expectations this season. The guard duo has combined for an average of 12.6 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.3 rebounds a game so far this season. Although underwhelming in the box score, Coach Kruger sees plenty to be happy about.
“Jamal’s (Bieniemy) come along, doing really well—I think he’ll make more shots,” Kruger said on Thursday. “De’Vion, I think is playing his best basketball right now. He’s really energizing us coming off the bench and has handled that really well. Great attitude and great work ethic,”
With six guys being somewhat consistent on a nightly basis, the Sooners should be competitive every night when facing a Big 12 opponent.
“It’s going to be tough,” Manek said Thursday after practice. “It doesn’t matter if you’re the bottom or the top of the Big 12, you’re coming to play every day.”
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Oklahoma (9-3) and Kansas State (7-5) face-off to kickoff Big 12 play on Saturday. Here are three keys for the Sooners against the Wildcats.
Oklahoma (9-3) and Kansas State (7-5) face-off to kickoff Big 12 play on Saturday. The two clubs have been voted No. 8 and No. 9 in the Big 12 pre-season poll, giving both teams plenty of fuel to add to their respective fire.
Here are three keys for the Sooners as they open up conference play.
The Sooners need to keep the ball in motion around the court to keep the Wildcats on their toes. Against UT-Rio Grande Valley, Oklahoma moved the ball efficiently for a season-high 21 assists as a team. If the Sooners can swing the ball around the arc, good shots are bound to make themselves appear.
Oklahoma needs more than three guys to play well not just to beat Kansas State, but to beat anyone in the Big 12. Starters De’Vion Harmon and Jamal Bieniemy need to realize their role just as much as guys like Kur Kuath and Alondes Williams. Either make shots or get out of the way of someone who will. With Kristian Doolittle, Austin Reaves and Brady Manek all in the top-10 of Big 12 scorers, everyone else needs to buy into their role.
Yes, both teams were predicted towards the bottom of the conference but the Sooners have more talent. If Oklahoma can keep the Wildcats off the foul line and force misses from the three-point line, the Sooners should be in good shape come the final four minutes.
The Sooners tip-off against Kansas State at 12:00p.m. CT on ESPN+.
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Oklahoma (9-3) opens Big 12 play, hosting Kansas State (7-5) at the Lloyd Noble Center. Here is everything you need to know about the game.
Oklahoma (9-3) opens Big 12 play by hosting Kansas State (7-5) at the Lloyd Noble Center.
The Sooners come off a slow start to the season, capping off non-conference play with two drastically different wins over UCF and Texas Rio Grande Valley.
The Sooners and Wildcats can be seen on ESPN+ Big 12 NOW, the Big 12 conference’s streaming service that launches this past fall.
Both Kansas State and Oklahoma have been predicted to be bottom feeders of the Big 12 with the two teams coming in at No. 8 and No. 9 respectively in the pre-season Big 12 poll.
After making a run in the NCAA Tournament, the Wildcats are in a rebuilding year. As for the Sooners, they are also in their rebuilding year but much further along in the process thanks to Kristian Doolittle, Brady Manek and Austin Reaves all being in the top-10 in Big 12 scoring.
Here is how to watch, listen and stream the Big 12 opener.
WHERE: Norman, Okla. (Lloyd Noble Center)
WHEN: 12:00 p.m. CT
HOW TO WATCH: ESPN+ Big 12 NOW
HOW TO LISTEN: Sooner Sports Radio Network—KOKC AM 1520 and KRXO 107.7 FM in OKC, KMOD FM 97.5 and KTBZ AM 1430 in Tulsa (click here for more options if not in either of those markets)
HOW TO STREAM: ESPN+ Big 12 NOW
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The 2010s held a lot of success for Oklahoma’s athletic program. With 12 national championships, seven football conference titles…
The 2010s held a lot of success for Oklahoma’s athletic program. With 12 national championships, seven football conference titles, two Heisman Trophy winners, a men’s Final Four appearance and four College Football Playoff appearances, the Sooners have had one of the most successful and balanced athletic programs of the decade.
The greatest rushing performance in college football history took place on a cold, rainy day in Norman when Samaje Perine put the Sooners on his back, rushing for 427 yards breaking Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon’s record one week after Gordon broke LaDainian Tomlinson’s record of 407 yards.
Maybe the most iconic moment in Oklahoma football history, Baker Mayfield’s flag plant at Ohio State was one of the most controversial moments of his 2017 Heisman Trophy campaign.
As far as full games, the Sooners and Volunteers gave fans a rollercoaster ride and allowed Baker Mayfield to introduce himself to the world with help from Sterling Shepard. Down 17-3 at the half, Mayfield and company staged a dramatic fourth-quarter comeback, allowing Zack Sanchez to call game on a walk-off interception in double overtime.
Done just twice before, Oklahoma joined Ohio State and USC as the only schools to win back-to-back Heisman Trophy winners and the first school to win back-to-back Heisman Trophies with two different quarterbacks. Baker Mayfield won the 2017 Heisman his senior year allowing Kyler Murray to take over the college football world in 2018. The duo also made history as the only pair of quarterbacks to be taken No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft from the same school in back-to-back years.
Oklahoma owns the Big 12 with 13 conference championships and 49 conference titles in program history. However, the 2010s was one of the most dominant decades in Sooners football history. Oklahoma won seven titles and closed the decade with five straight Big 12 titles, leading to four College Football Playoff appearances.
Everyone thought Alabama was going to wipe the floor with Oklahoma. We all know the story. Plus Alabama was unmotivated, obviously.
With such electric play from beginning to end, it was hard to pick just one Buddy Hield moment. Hield’s senior season earned him the Naismith Trophy, joining Blake Griffin as the only Sooners to win the award. Leading the Sooners to their fifth Final Four appearance and first since 2002.
Patty Gasso’s Sooners were torching everyone in the softball world, cruising to the Women’s College World Series against Tennessee. Just weeks prior, Oklahoma had been ravaged with tornado after tornado, killing dozens in their wake. Playing with heavy hearts and an entire state behind them, Oklahoma won their first WCWS since 2000 with help from a game 1 walk-off homerun from Lauren Chamberlain.
After losing in the WCWS quarterfinals in 2014 missing the 2015 WCWS altogether, Gasso’s girls rallied to win back-to-back national titles in 2016 and 2017. The two World Series wins gave Gasso her third and fourth national titles as head coach.
Oklahoma won their second men’s golf national championship in 2017 over Oregon at Rich harvest Farms, just outside of Chicago. The Sooners finished second in stroke play, earning the No. 2 seed in match play. Oklahoma beat Baylor 3-2, Illinois 3.5-1.5 and Oregon 3.5-1.5 en route to their first national championship since 1989.
To say Oklahoma is a gymnastics school is an underrated statement. Both the men’s and women’s programs have absolutely dominated college gymnastics.
The men’s program led by Mark Williams has two Nissen-Emmry award winners this decade in Steven Legendre (2011) and Yul Moldauer (2019), the gymnastics equivalent to the Heisman Trophy. From 2010 to 2019 the Sooners have won nine conference championships (2010, 2012-19), 14 individual NCAA champions and four consecutive NCAA national titles (2015-18).
The women’s program led by KJ Kindler has produced equally impressive stats. Maggie Nichols won the Honda Award in 2019 as just the third Sooner to win the award. Kindler has produced seven NCAA individual champions, nine conference titles (2010, 2012-19), 34 ‘perfect 10s’ over the past 10 seasons and four NCAA national titles (2014, 2016-17, 2019).
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Oklahoma (9-3) got a much-needed dominant win over Texas Rio Grande Valley (4-9), 91-72.
Oklahoma (9-3) got a much-needed dominant win over Texas Rio Grande Valley (4-9), 91-72. The game was a final tune-up before Big 12 play begins on January 4.
The Sooners were throwing them down early and often which was a big thanks to Kur Kuath who got the start in place of Kristian Doolittle who violated team rules. Kuath had 10 points at the half and was five of seven from the floor, including a beautiful backboard alley-oop from Austin Reaves.
REAVES ➡️ BACKBOARD ➡️ KUATH‼️ pic.twitter.com/ZnIyBSN0E6
— OUHoops (@ouhoops) December 31, 2019
“I heard him scream backboard,” Reaves said postgame. “If my big man’s going to run, I’m going to award him for it.”
Reaves was the main facilitator for big dunks with one for Kuath and another for Brady Manek.
Reaves with the behind-the-back pass to Manek for another one-handed slam. pic.twitter.com/ls6w9z1wZt
— OUHoops (@ouhoops) December 31, 2019
After poor shooting performances for the majority of the first half of the season, Oklahoma came out hot against the Vaqueroes 61.8% in the first half and 50.8% for the game.
With three starters in double digits, the Sooners looked like they finally hit their scoring groove.
Oklahoma looked to be more cohesive and played more fluidly without Doolittle in the lineup. Without their best player, the Sooners shared the ball more and played with a quicker tempo, running the floor against UTRGV constantly. Coach Kruger confirmed postgame that Doolittle will play Saturday against Kansas State.
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Oklahoma (8-3) will play host to Texas Rio Grande Valley (4-8) tonight at 6:00p.m. CT to close out the first half of the 2019-20 season.
2019 may be coming to an end, but basketball is just beginning in Norman.
Oklahoma (8-3) will play host to Texas Rio Grande Valley (4-8) tonight at 6:00p.m. CT to close out the first half of the 2019-20 season.
Last year the Sooners headed down to Edinburg, TX, beating the Vaquero’s 91-76. With Oklahoma’s season only getting tougher from this point on, here is what the Sooners must do to pick up another win before conference play begins January 4.
Oklahoma has yet to play a complete game this season. The Sooners need to jump out to an early lead and build on it continuously throughout the night. Oklahoma has gone cold in countless games this year which has led to their three losses and few close wins over teams in which they are much better than.
The Sooners have to put bodies on bodies in the paint if they want to compete in the Big 12. Being physical and dominant against the Vaquero’s will bode well for Oklahoma come conference play. Second-chance points are key when missing jump shots and the Sooners have yet to really show any growth there so far this season.
We all found out that Oklahoma can play really good defense in their last game against UCF, holding them to just 52 points. The Sooners need to replicate that effort again tonight to prove to themselves that they can be dominant.
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Oklahoma forward Kristian Doolittle was named Big 12 player of the week after averaging a double-double.
Oklahoma forward Kristian Doolittle was named Big 12 player of the week after averaging a double-double.
Doolittle was the only #Big12MBB player to average 1️⃣5️⃣+ points and 🔟+ rebounds last week.
He leads the Conference in scoring during the month of December with 2️⃣0️⃣.8️⃣ points.
Kristian Doolittle (@kristiandoolit1) is the Player of the Week. pic.twitter.com/T5BK2xMwPZ
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) December 23, 2019
Doolittle is averaging 16.7 points per game for the season and 18.3 points per game over the Sooners’ last three games. Accompanied by an 8.9 rebound per game average on the season and 10 boards per game over his last three, Doolittle has been a bright spot in Oklahoma’s early-season struggles.
Doolittle was named most improved player in the Big 12 following the 2018-19 season and so far, it appears he has continued to build off of his award-winning junior season. Hitting double-digit points in all but one of his games played (Stanford, 4 points), Doolittle has been a huge factor in the Sooners offense.
Leading not only Oklahoma but the entire conference in scoring average in the month of December has validated Doolittle’s growth as a player. Averaging 9.1 points his freshman year, 2.9 in an injury-riddled sophomore campaign and 11.3 last year, Doolittle has exploded offensively, quickly becoming a guy opponents are forced to respect no matter where he is on the floor.
Oklahoma’s next game is Monday, Dec. 30 as they host Texas Rio Grande Valley at 6:00p.m. CT.
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Oklahoma (7-3) plays host for the first time in a month as Central Florida (9-2) trades warm, sunny Orlando for the chilly plains of Norman.
Oklahoma (7-3) plays host for the first time in a month as Central Florida (9-2) trades warm, sunny Orlando for the chilly plains of Norman.
Following a tough 83-73 loSs to Creighton (9-2) on Tuesday, the Sooners find themselves clawing for momentum as Big 12 conference play lurks at the turn of the new year. Here are three keys Oklahoma needs in order to get back on track.
It sounds obvious but if the Sooners could simply make shots on a consistent basis, they would be much better off. Oklahoma needs to get hot and get hot early. Being back home for the first time since Nov. 21, the Sooners should be able to shoot much better in their friendly confines. Shooting 33% as a team against Creighton and 37% against Wichita State, Oklahoma needs to find better looks in order to keep themselves out of a losing streak.
A large part of the Sooners’ woes of late is due to the lack of shots being knocked down by the guards. Jamal Bieniemy and De’Vion Harmon have to make shots in order for the ball to find the open man and good looks. Both Bieniemy and Harmon were ice cold against Creighton with Harmon going 1-7 (1-5 3PT) and Bieniemy chalking up an 0-8 shooting performance. Kristian Doolittle, Brady Manek and Austin Reaves can only take the team so far by themselves.
With the students out for the holiday break, the student section will be nearly barren. It will be important for the Sooners to bring their own energy to start hot. Just as Oklahoma has not played a game at the Lloyd Noble Center in a month, the Knights have not left Orlando in the month of December. If the Sooners can start hot, they have an opportunity to take UCF out of their element as the Knights knock the dust off their travel luggage.
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After losing by 10 to Creighton (9-2) on Tuesday, 83-73 the Sooners come home after a month of road games to take on their second…
After losing by 10 to Creighton (9-2) on Tuesday, 83-73 the Sooners (7-3) come home after a month of road games to take on their second American Conference opponent of the season in Central Florida (9-2).
After two consecutive shooting performances below 40% from the field, Oklahoma hopes to get back on track in the Lloyd Noble Center.
Against the Bluejays, the Sooners were ice cold outside of Austin Reaves, Brady Manek and Kristian Doolittle. The trio accounted for 61 of Oklahoma’s 73 points. The ball has to move around more if the Sooners want to build momentum towards Big 12 play which is lurking right around the corner.
If you cannot make it to the LNC, here’s how to catch the broadcast:
WHERE: Norman, Okla. (Lloyd Noble Center)
WHEN: 1:00 p.m. CT
HOW TO WATCH: Fox Sports Oklahoma / Fox Sports Atlantic
HOW TO LISTEN: Sooner Sports Radio Network—KOKC AM 1520 and KRXO 107.7 FM in OKC, KMOD FM 97.5 and KTBZ AM 1430 in Tulsa (click here for more options if not in either of those markets)
HOW TO STREAM: Fox Sports App
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