Oklahoma basketball: Notable numbers from another disappointing defeat

Twenty-seven total rebounds. That number alone fairly well tells the story of yet another disappointing Oklahoma basketball performance.

In Oklahoma State’s 71-60 win over the Sooners in the opening round of the Big 12 Men’s Basketball Tournament on Wednesday, the Cowboys outmuscled and outhustled OU 53-27 on the backboards. This is the latest disappoint in an OU basketball season that has completely come off the rails in the second half of the season.

Related Story: Sooners one-and-done in Big 12 Tournament

That rebounding margin is almost unheard of in major conference college basketball. When something like that happens, it means that a team is not making that many shots but it is getting second chances to score, and that is the biggest factor that did the Sooners in and sent them packing in the Big 12 Tournament game with their in-state rival on Wednesday.

This Oklahoma team has been on a one-way elevator trip straight down since the beginning of the new year. The Sooners have lost eight of their last 10 games and are in the midst of a 10-game losing streak away from the Lloyd Noble Center.

By beating Oklahoma in the opening game of the Big 12 Championship, Oklahoma State won the Bedlam basketball series this season, taking two of three against the Sooners. Oklahoma has now lost four of its last five against the Cowboys. Before that, OU had won seven consecutive games over its rival from Stillwater.

Here are some other notable numbers from Bedlam III and what likely will be Trae Young’s final game against a Big 12 Conference team:

0 – Oklahoma never led in the Big 12 Tournament loss to Oklahoma State.

0 – Points by Christian James in 30 minutes of action in Bedlam III. James has averaged over 12 points a game this season for the Sooners.

4 – The loss to Oklahoma State places Oklahoma firmly on the bubble insofar as an NCAA Tournament bid is concerned. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi currently has the Sooners as one of the last four teams in the tournament, but they could just as easily be one of the first four out.

6 – Offensive rebounds in the game by Oklahoma State’s Cameron McGriff, one more than the entire Oklahoma team.

6 – Six different Oklahoma State players made three-point shots in the win over Oklahoma, led by Cameron McGriff, who made four of five from long range.

8:00 – Time left in the game when Trae Young scored the last of his game-high 22 points

9 – Consecutive missed shots by Oklahoma from the 6:12 mark in the second half and the Sooners trailing Oklahoma State trailing by just five points, 58-53.

13 – Thirteen of Trae Youngs’ 21 shot attempts against Oklahoma State were from behind the three-point line. He made five treys in the game.

20 – Point margin by which Oklahoma defeated Oklahoma State in their first meeting this season, a 109-89 Sooner win on Jan. 3 in Norman.

37 – Oklahoma’s five starters combined for just 37 points in the game, with 22 of those coming from Trae Young.