Stormin in Norman
Fansided

Lon Kruger Has Not Had Great Success Going Against His Alma Mater

By Chip Rouse

Feb 21, 2017; Waco, TX, USA; Oklahoma Sooners guard Kameron McGusty (20) dribbles as Baylor Bears guard King McClure (22) defends during the first half at Ferrell Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 21, 2017; Waco, TX, USA; Oklahoma Sooners guard Kameron McGusty (20) dribbles as Baylor Bears guard King McClure (22) defends during the first half at Ferrell Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /
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Lon Kruger and the Oklahoma men’s basketball team have not had much success going up against Kansas State, OU’s next opponent and the place where its head coach began his collegiate career.

Over the next four days, the Sooners will get a double dose of the Sunflower State schools. On Saturday, Oklahoma will host Kansas State, and that will be followed by a nationally televised Monday night affair against perennial Big 12 champion Kansas at venerable Allen Field House.

The Sooners have lost their last two games against Kansas State, including a 75-64 defeat earlier this season. Both of those losses were on the road at K-State. Oklahoma has come out on top in two of the last three played in Norman, however, and is 61-27 all-time at home against the Wildcats.

Oklahoma (9-18, 3-12) can expect a battle from K-State, which is fighting to earn a spot in this season’s NCAA Tournament. In his latest Bracketology projections of the teams that will make the tournament, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has Kansas State as one of the first four teams left out of the tournament field.

The Wildcats are in a battle with TCU, both with the same overall and league records (17-11, 6-9) for what is likely to be the sixth and final Big 12 team to get into the NCAA Men’s Tournament. The Sooners have games left with both teams, both at Lloyd Noble Center, and would like nothing better to play spoiler and derail the postseason hopes of one or both schools.

The other incentive Oklahoma has going into the Kansas State game on Saturday is the opportunity to deliver head coach Lon Kruger’s 600th win as a head coach, and do so against his alma mater.

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Saturday’s game is very winnable, but the Sooners are going to have to score some points and shoot better if they hope to do so, and the defensive effort has to be stronger.

Interestingly, in the first game earlier in the conference season, OU shot one of their best percentages in the entire season (52 percent). Unfortunately, the Sooner defense did not keep pace, and the K-State offense was even more productive, firing at a 54-percent clip from the floor.

Three Things to Know About the Sooners in This Game

  • The Oklahoma bench is averaging over 30 points per game in the four games since Jordan Woodard went down with a season-ending ACL injury. They will need that to continue if they are to win any of their three remaining regular-season games.
  • Freshman Kameron McGusty has scored in double figures in 15 consecutive Big 12 games and leads the Sooners in scoring (with Woodard out of the lineup) with a 10.6 average.
  • Oklahoma is a better rebounding team than K-State. The Sooners are second in the Big 12 in rebounds per game; the Wildcats are at the bottom of the league in that category. If OU is to win against K-State, rebounding will play an important role.

Three Things to Know About the Wildcats for Saturday’s Game

  • Four Kansas State players are averaging 11 points or more, led by senior Wesley Iwundu at 12.9. Kamau Stokes averages 12.2, Barry Brown 12.1 and D.J. Johnson 11.2.
  • In the game at Kansas State this season, the Wildcats forced 19 Oklahoma turnovers and scored 18 points off the Sooner miscues on the offensive end.
  • Kansas State shot 23 free throws to OU’s 16 in the first game between the two schools. Watch for that number to flip on Saturday in Norman.

Game Prediction

This game is vitally important for the visitors. Oklahoma will play a lot looser. The Sooners still have things to play for, but nothing to lose in the bigger scheme of things. I like Oklahoma to win this one, but they will have to play well for all 40 minutes and avoid a scoring drought late.

Oklahoma 72, Kansas State 66

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