Oklahoma Basketball: Sooners Host TCU in Home Finale
By Chip Rouse
It will be Senior Day at Lloyd Noble Center on Saturday as the men’s Oklahoma basketball team plays its final home game in a season filled with growing pains but much to build on for a brighter future.
TCU is the opponent, a team the Sooners have beaten18 of the 21 times the two schools have played each other in basketball and all nine times the game has been played in Norman.
One of Oklahoma three losses to TCU came earlier this season. The Sooners led most of the game, but the Horned Frogs rallied late to pull out a three-point victory, 60-57. Alex Robinson had 18 points to lead TCU in the comeback win.
The Sooners go into their home finale with a 4-13 record in the Big 12 and 10-19 overall, their worst season record-wise since 1980-81, when Billy Tubbs first season at OU ended 9-18 (the following year, however, the Sooners jumped to 22-11).
TCU has lost its last two games by a combined total of two points. Since the Horned Frogs stood at 6-5 in Big 12 play, they have lost six of seven to drop to 7-11 in the conference, and are in danger of having to play on the first night of next week’s Big 12 Tournament. The seven conference wins this season are the most in TCU’s five seasons as members of the Big 12.
Three Things to Know About the Sooners in This Game
- No Oklahoma player ranks in the top-20 scorers in the Big 12. Freshman Kameron McGusty leads the Sooners with a scoring average of 10.6 points per game.
- A win over TCU would secure OU the nine seed in the Big 12 Tournament and, depending on the outcome of the Texas-Baylor game, would allow the Sooners to escape last place in the conference.
- Sophomore starter Rashard Odomes minutes per game are nearly five times more than they were in his freshman season last year (from 6.1 to over 27). His scoring has gone up by the about the same ratio. Odomes averaged 1.9 points per game a year ago, and that average is up to 10.3 this season.
Three Things to Know About the Horned Frogs in This Game
- TCU’s seven conference wins this season are as many as the Horned Frogs have had in the last three seasons combined.
- The Horned Frogs are 3-7 on the road this season and 14-2 when they lead at halftime.
- Junior Vlad Brodziansky leads TCU in scoring with 13.7 points per game and is second in the conference in blocked shots (2.4 per game). His scoring average ranks 10th in the Big 12.
Game Prediction
TCU is much improved this season under new coach Jamie Dixon. This could be the best TCU team Oklahoma has played in all five seasons the Horned Frogs have been members of the Big 12. The Sooners are a better team at home than they are on the road, and they almost won – and probably should have won – in the earlier game with the Horned Frogs played in Ft. Worth. It should be close, but I think OU will get it done at home and close out the regular season on a winning note.
Oklahoma 74, TCU 69