Playing down to their opponent
This season, Oklahoma has done a really nice job of not doing something that has been a problem in the past: playing down to their opponent. The opposite was true on Saturday.
After blowing out TCU and Kansas State, the Sooners let Iowa State hang around in this game all the way to the end only holding a four-point lead at the break and even trailing at one point in the second half. A large part of that was the fact the defensive intensity just wasn’t up to par with what we have seen the last several weeks.
The Cyclones got all the open 3-pointer looks that they wanted and they made Oklahoma pay for it. A rare let down spot in the Big 12 was presented here and they kind of fell right into it, which is something that needs to be avoided in the second Kansas State matchup and the rematch with Iowa State later in the season.
They do deserve credit for finishing strong and getting the win, but this was a scare that should have been avoided.