The last Oklahoma basketball Bedlam was too close for comfort.
The Sooners escaped the earlier matchup with Oklahoma State this season in Stillwater, coming away with a two-point 74-72 win in a game in which the Sooners led by as many as 15 points in the early going.
Oklahoma State freshman Jawun Evans scored more than half of the Cowboys’ points in the earlier Oklahoma win, but he will not be on the floor for the rematch on Wednesday in Norman after suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in a game against Texas Tech earlier this month.
The Cowboys (12-15, 3-11) have won just once in five games since Evans’ injury. Senior guard Jeff Newberry has been the leading offensive contributor in Oklahoma State’s last several games. He is averaging 15 points in his last three games. Junior small forward Leyton Hammonds is the Cowboys’ second best offensive threat. He is averaging 11.1 point on the season.
OSU is operating at a severe disadvantage on the offensive end with its two leading scorers, senior Phil Forte and Evans, out for the season with injuries. As a result, head coach Travis Ford’s squad has been soldiering on as best it can with limited success in a conference that most experts believe is the toughest in college basketball this season. The Cowboys do have a win over league-leading Kansas this season, which is something the Sooners were not able to accomplish in two attempts so far in 2015-16.
On paper, this game should be a cakewalk for the Associated Press’ No. 4 team in America this week. But the games are not played on paper, and in a rivalry series as rich in tradition and competitive spirit as the Bedlam series, past performances and current records mean absolutely nothing.
This is why the Sooners cannot afford to let their guard down and just go through the motions, even if they are playing at home, because Oklahoma State is hungry enough to rise up and steal one from their heavily favored in-state rival, as the Pokes almost did in the earlier contest between these two teams.
Oklahoma had everything going their way in its weekend victory over No. 10-ranked West Virginia. It would be natural for the Sooners to suffer a letdown of sorts going up against Oklahoma State, and that is exactly what OSU coach Ford is hoping for.
“We’ve got to overachieve,” Ford said for an article posted on Tuesday on the Oklahoma State athletic website. “Dig deep inside and find more, that ridiculous effort, that unbelievable performance that will give us a chance at this point, because that is what it is going to take. Why not this game. It is Bedlam, after all.”
That is exactly what the Sooners must guard against.
Three Keys to the Game
- If Buddy Hield is able to play his game and hit or exceed his scoring average, you can pretty much put this game in the bank for the Sooners. But that is not a given, based on how the OU star has struggled a bit with his shooting touch in recent games. It will be important, however, that Buddy Buckets not rely solely on the three-ball. As efficient as he has been from three-point range this season, he can be just as prolific driving to the basket and converting the three-point play the old-fashioned way: with a high-percentage lay-in or short jumper and a free throw following a foul.
- The Sooners’ were monsters on the backboards on Saturday in the win over West Virginia, the best rebounding team in the Big 12. They must keep up that intensity. And while we are on the subject of the battle inside, OU will rely on the disruptive force that Khadeem Lattin has been this season – and definitely was on Saturday with 13 rebounds and six blocked shots – in shutting down Oklahoma State’s scoring opportunities at the rim. They Cowboys scored 42 of their 72 total points in the first game this season against the Sooners in the paint. Look for this total to be down considerably in Wednesday night’s rematch.
- Oklahoma prefers and has the confidence to shoot as many as half its shots in the game from long range. This is fine when it is working, but in preparation for more competitive play in the postseason, it will benefit the Sooners to look more for scoring opportunities down low. In its two losses prior to the win at West Virginia, OU scored a total of 34 points in the paint and 13 off of the fast-break transition game. In the victory over West Virginia, the Sooners totaled 32 points in the paint and 12 fast-break points. They will need more of this to go far in the postseason.
My pick: Oklahoma 83, Oklahoma State 69 – The Sooners need to get control of the game early and keep the pedal to the metal. OSU is not going to lie down and concede this game – far from it – which is why Oklahoma needs to take away their will and hope early and play a full 40 minutes.