Going up against the Big 12 preseason favorite and No. 6-ranked Kansas Jayhawks is tough enough under normal conditions, but on Tuesday night at Lloyd Noble Center, the men’s Oklahoma basketball team will host a Kansas team that will be coming in loaded for bear.
Kansas (12-3, 2-1) has lost in their last two trips to Norman. But what no doubt angers them more than that is the 12-point home loss to Baylor last weekend. That got the then-No. 3-ranked Jayhawks’ attention and put their next opponent, which happens to be the Sooners, in their crosshairs even more so than would normally be the case.
The Jayhawks are 95-13 since head coach Bill Self has been at Kansas (now in his 18th season) following a loss, and that record after losses is even more impressive over the last six seasons. Since 2013-14, Kansas is 44-5 after a loss.
Oklahoma has defeated Kansas the last two times the Jayhawks have come to the LNC, but KU is also the only current member of the Big 12 with a winning all-time record over the Sooners. Kansas leads the overall series 148-68 and is 50-44 in Norman. Since 2017-18, Lloyd Noble Center is the only place in the Big 12 the Jayhawks have not won.
Kansas averages 77.8 point a game, while holding opponents to 61.4 points. The Sooners’ scoring margin, on the other hand is just plus-3.4 points.
Sophomore point guard Devon Dotson leads the Jayhawks and the Big 12, averaging 18.0 points a game. What makes Kansas so difficult to defend is how balanced the Jayhawks are on the offensive end of the floor. Five different Kansas players have scored 20 or more points at least once this season.
The Sooners have three players who average at least 14.2 points, the only team from a major conference that can make that claim, but beyond that, the scoring from the support has been very limited. Senior Kristian Doolittle is averaging a team-high 16.9 points a game. Wichita transfer Austin Reaves averages 15.2 and Brady Manek is scoring at a 14.6 clip.
OU is going to need more than those three to step up on Tuesday if the Sooners are going to hold off what is certain to be a very dialed-in KU bunch. The Sooners also are going to face a definite size disadvantage, which has been an issue most of this season. Points in the paint, with the Jayhawks’ size and shot-blocking ability, will be in short supply, which will place a premium on perimeter shooting and shooting percentage in general.
Oklahoma is 10-0 when it shoots a higher field-goal percentage than its opponent.
The Sooners will hold an advantage at the free-throw line (76 to 66 percent), but that is one of the few areas where OU has an edge in this game.
Sorry Sooner fans. Three will be charm for the angry birds from Kansas. Jayhawks by 15