Tag: Wildcats

In what may very well be their worst performance of the season so far, Oklahoma (13-7, 3-4) fell to below five-hundred in conference play with a 61-53 loss to Kansas State (0-11, 2-5). Here are the top reasons why the Sooners laid an egg in Manhattan, Kan.

 TURNOVERS

Easily one of the worst performances of the season as a whole, Oklahoma turned the ball over 19 times. Wasted possessions are one of the best ways to lose a ball game, no matter the sport. Accompanying the 19 turnovers were 18 Kansas State points off of turnovers. Cutting those stats in half would most likely see a Sooner victory.

ICE COLD

What’s cooler than cool? Ice cold. Oklahoma may want to personally check the rims when on the road to make sure there are no lids bolted to their basket. The Sooners went 18 of 51 from the floor. Outside of Alondes Williams and Austin Reaves’ combined 27 points, Oklahoma’s offense was hard to watch.

EFFORT

Simply put, Kansas State cared more. Neither team played well but Kansas State looked like they had something to play for. This young Sooners squad has to learn quickly that they cannot take any nights off in the Big 12. No matter what the opponent’s record is, they can play solid basketball and Oklahoma needs to bring their A-game each and every night.

The Sooners are back in action on Saturday when they host Oklahoma State for round one of Bedlam at 2p.m. CT on ABC.

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Oklahoma (13-7, 3-4) simply put together an abysmal performance against Kansas State (9-11, 2-5), losing to the Wildcats 61-53. Here is what the Sooners can salvage from the game.

LEARNING OPPORTUNITY

This team is young. Really young. Kristian Doolittle and Brady Manek are anomalies on this team. One positive Lon Kruger and his staff can take away from this? They now know what rock bottom is. Shooting 35.3% from the field for a full 40-minutes is arguably harder than shooting 50% as a team. The Sooners can only go up from here.

IS MANHATTAN CURSED?

Oklahoma has now dropped eight straight games in the Little Apple. Add that to the loss the football team suffered to the Wildcats this past season, Sooner fans may think that Manhattan, Kan., is simply cursed for the crimson & cream.

TURNOVERS KILL

Oklahoma had 19 turnovers against the Wildcats. It’s hard to win when you lose possession all the time. One of the worst performances of the season from Kruger’s men,  the Sooners may be dribbling their way to class tomorrow.

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Oklahoma ( 13-6, 3-3) and Kansas State (8-11, 1-5) just tipped off in a Big 12 battle. The Sooners are coming off a hard-fought win in the Big 12/SEC Challenge over Mississippi State while the Wildcats have been struggling over the past month. Follow along here for live scoring updates from the game.  

1h 15:37–k-state 8 oklahoma 2

The Sooners have started like this before. Trust the process.

Conference play is in full swing and all eyes are on who is in and who is out when it comes to March Madness.

Oklahoma, with a 13-6 record (3-3 Big 12), has been overachieving in some circles while others have them right on par at this point in the season. Lon Kruger’s team has taken No. 6 Kansas and No. 1 Baylor, down to the wire but has also been blown out by Iowa State, 81-68.

Maybe the only thing more confusing than this Sooners squad is bracketology itself. Currently, Oklahoma is projected as a 10-seed, per Bracket Matrix.  Bracket Matrix combines 105 bracketologists predictions for a singular composite bracket.

The Sooners are one of five Big 12 teams currently projected inside the 68-team field. Both Baylor and Kansas are projected as one-seeds, West Virginia is currently projected a two-seed and Oklahoma is joined by Texas Tech as a 10-seed.

The Sooners were listed on 101 of 105 bracket projections with their highest seeding being a seven and their lowest a 12-seed, giving them an average seeding of 9.92.

Oklahoma squares off with Kansas State (8-11, 1-5) at 7p.m. CT on ESPN+. For more broadcast details, click here.

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With one matchup already in the books, Oklahoma (13-6, 3-3) and Kansas State (8-11, 1-5) square off for the second and last time during the regular season.

To open Big 12 play, the Sooners came away with a 66-61 win with Austin Reaves and Kristian Doolittle combining for 40 points. This Sooners squad has changed a lot since the last time these two teams faced off on Jan. 4th. Oklahoma has taken both then No. 6 Kansas and No. 1 Baylor to the wire. The Sooners are better than their record indicates but make no mistake they still have some ways to go to ensure they make the NCAA Tournament.

The road to March continues tonight as Oklahoma heads up to the Little Apple to take on Lon Kruger’s alma mater.

INVOLVE DOO

While Kansas State is still a very respectable opponent, Kruger can get away with force-feeding certain players without making much adjustment and still leaving town with a win. He should do just that and feed Kristian Doolittle to get him back into the groove of the offense. Doolittle has been quiet offensively as of late. Still a top-10 scorer in the Big 12, Doolittle has been held to just eight points in each of the last two games.

INTENSE DEFENSE

The Sooners have played exquisite defense over the four games, holding their opponents to 66 points or less. The intensity on defense can be seen in practice and has paid dividends for Oklahoma as they have been in games against opponents they had no chance with on paper. No reason the Sooners should not hold the Wildcats to under 70 tonight.

LET ‘EM ROLE

With the emergence of Kur Kuath and Alondes Williams over the past month, Kruger has some options when it comes to who comes off the bench and when.  Jalen Hill has also held his own in his minutes off the bench as a true freshman. Using role players in a game like this can pay off big time when it matters most.

Oklahoma and Kansas State are set to tip-off at 7p.m. CT on ESPN+. For more broadcast details, click here.

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