Stormin in Norman
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Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State: ‘Big Monday’ Bedlam Basketball Preview

By Chip Rouse

Jan 28, 2017; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners forward Kristian Doolittle (11) shoots the ball over Florida Gators forward Devin Robinson (1) during the second half at Lloyd Noble Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 28, 2017; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners forward Kristian Doolittle (11) shoots the ball over Florida Gators forward Devin Robinson (1) during the second half at Lloyd Noble Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /
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Round one in Bedlam basketball – Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State – will unfold Monday night at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman.

Jan 28, 2017; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners forward Kristian Doolittle (11) drives to the basket between Florida Gators guard Chris Chiozza (11) and Florida Gators forward Devin Robinson (1) during the second half at Lloyd Noble Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 28, 2017; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners forward Kristian Doolittle (11) drives to the basket between Florida Gators guard Chris Chiozza (11) and Florida Gators forward Devin Robinson (1) during the second half at Lloyd Noble Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

While it is the first time this season that the two in-state rivals will meet on the hardwood, it will be the 232nd time the two Big 12 schools have squared off in the history of the rivalry. The Sooners have played no other team more times in basketball than they have the OSU Cowboys.

While Bedlam can be as unpredictable as any longtime rivalry series, at this particular point this season Monday night’s matchup features two teams that are trending in very opposite directions.

Lon Kruger’s Sooners were absolutely obliterated on Saturday, losing at home by 32 points to the Florida Gators in the Big 12-SEC Basketball Challenge. That was bad enough, but the fact that Oklahoma has now gone down to defeat in 10 of its last 12 games clearly does not bode well going up against a red hot Oklahoma State team.

Saturday’s beatdown was the worst loss an Oklahoma men’s basketball team has suffered at home going all the way back almost 100 years to 1922.

Oklahoma State 12-8, 2-6) comes to Norman sporting a three-game winning streak, the most recent of which was a 99-71 domination of Arkansas as part of the Big 12-SEC showdown.

“They’ve won the last couple, so they’re feeling good about what they’ve done,” said Kruger about the Sooners’ opponent on Monday night. “Even when they weren’t winning (the Cowboys lost their first six Big 12 games), I thought they were right there.

“They (Oklahoma State) were like a lot of our loses,” the OU head coach said after his team’s devastating defeat on Saturday. “They were right there, but not quite, and now they have won a couple.”

Jan 28, 2017; Stillwater, OK, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys guard Phil Forte III (13) drives while defended by Arkansas Razorbacks guard Jaylen Barford (0) during the second half at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Cowboys won 99-71. Mandatory Credit: Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 28, 2017; Stillwater, OK, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys guard Phil Forte III (13) drives while defended by Arkansas Razorbacks guard Jaylen Barford (0) during the second half at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Cowboys won 99-71. Mandatory Credit: Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports /

The Sooners (8-12, 2-6) are hoping to turn things back around on Monday night. The Bedlam basketball series has been mostly one-sided in recent years, with Oklahoma prevailing in the last seven contests.

Three Things to Know About the Sooners in This Game

  • Jordan Woodard has to be the leader of the OU offense. The senior guard lead the Sooners in scoring with a 16.2 average, but he hasn’t been himself in the past two games, scoring a total of just two points. If OU is going to be able to beat OSU, the Sooners must have a big contribution from their floor leader. Freshmen Kameron McGusty and Kristian Doolittle are exceptionally talented, but they cannot be expected to carry the load.
  • Oklahoma shot a pathetic 28 percent from the floor in the loss to Florida. They have to be able to knock down shots. As head coach Lon Kruger says, everything else is affected by the ability to hit shots. OU scored 52 points against the Gators, far off its season average. The Sooners have come close on several occasions to score that many points in the first half.
  • Junior big man Khadeem Lattin needs to avoid committing so many personal fouls and remain on the floor longer. When he is on the floor, however, he needs to contribute more offensively. The Sooners also desperately need his rebounding and rim protection.

Three Things to Know About the Cowboys in This Game

  • Watch out for the Cowboys’ back line. The Oklahoma State guard trio of Jawun Evans, Phil Forte and Jeffrey Carroll have averaged a combined 54 points, 32 assists and only nine turnovers in the Cowboys’ last three games, all wins. Carroll also leads the team in rebounds, averaging seven per game. Evans is the Big 12 Player of the Week after scoring 21.5 points in the Pokes’ win over Arkansas to go along with eight assists.
  • Oklahoma State is anxious to snap a seven game losing streak to the Sooners, and the Cowboys have a new head coach (Brad Underwood) and come in with a new system and a attitude. The Pokes are hoping to catch the Sooners still down from their humbling by Florida and turn the Bedlam series back in OSU’s favor. Did I mention that Oklahoma State hasn’t won at Lloyd Noble Center since 2004?
  • The Cowboys lead the Big 12 and are fifth in the nation in scoring, averaging 88.4 points a game.

Game Prediction

The Sooners are 1.5-point underdogs in this one (tell me, when was the last time Oklahoma was a “dog” at home?). I still like OU’s chances of bouncing back from a tough couple of losses, and at home in a rivalry game when things get a bit more juiced up.

Oklahoma 79, Oklahoma State 76

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