Oklahoma Basketball: Sooners Have a Big 12 Tourney History Facing Iowa State
By Chip Rouse
A new season of Oklahoma basketball tips off this week in the Big 12 postseason tournament.
It is one-and-done time in college basketball when one bad game can end your season.
Oklahoma will begin play in the Big 12 Tournament on Thursday night as the No. 3 seed, going up against the No. 6 seed, Iowa State.
The Sooners have been very successful under fifth-year head coach Lon Kruger, but that success has not translated to the postseason conference tournament. Oklahoma’s overall record since Kruger became head coach in 2011 is 106-55 (.658) and 52-38 (.577) against Big 12 opponents.
The Sooners have reached the 20-win level in each of the last four seasons to go along with four straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
Despite the recent regular-season success, though, the Sooners have managed to stub their toe come conference tournament time. Oklahoma is just 1-4 in the Big 12 Tournament over the last four seasons, and it wasn’t until last season at this time that the Sooners recorded their first tournament win under Kruger.
Oklahoma defeated in-state rival Oklahoma State in the quarterfinal round for the third time in the 2014-15 season. After that win, however, the Sooners came up short in a two-point semifinal loss to Iowa State. which went on to win the Big 12 Tournament championship for the second time in as many seasons.
No. 4 OU was matched up with No. 5 seed Iowa State again in the 2013 Big 12 Tournament. The Sooners had an eight-point lead at halftime and were up by a dozen with a little over seven minutes to go in the game. And that’s when the roof caved in.
I almost hesitate to bring this up, but in that 2013 Big 12 Tournament game against Iowa State, Oklahoma’s offense went into one of those ill-fated deep freezes. The Sooners scored just six points over the final seven minutes of that game, while Iowa State rolled off 25 of its own to win by seven.
The Sooners and the Cyclones have met four time in the Big 12 postseason championship, with Iowa State winning three of the four games. Since the Big 12 came into existence in 1996, the two teams have played each other 23 times in the regular season, with Oklahoma owning a 15-10 advantage.
Oklahoma and Iowa State split their two games this season, with each team eeking out a close win on its home court. In case you are wondering, Buddy Hield scored 22 points in the Sooners’ win over the Cyclones in Norman and 27 when the two teams played at Iowa State.
Here is a stat to ponder as we get set for Oklahoma’s opening game in the 2016 Big 12 Tournament: When the Sooners where their white home uniforms they are 15-1 this season, the lone loss coming at home on Feb. 13 Kansas.