Stormin in Norman
Fansided

Oklahoma basketball: Sooners can’t sleep on struggling K-State

By Chip Rouse

Jan 4, 2020; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma Sooners forward Jalen Hill (1) drives to the basket around Kansas State Wildcats guard DaJuan Gordon (3) during the first half at Lloyd Noble Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 4, 2020; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma Sooners forward Jalen Hill (1) drives to the basket around Kansas State Wildcats guard DaJuan Gordon (3) during the first half at Lloyd Noble Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports /
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On Tuesday, the men’s Oklahoma basketball squad will host Kansas State, a team that on paper and in the standings the Sooners are better than.

Kansas State (5-9) won its conference opener this season against Iowa State, but has lost to five straight Big 12 opponents since then. Three of those league losses were against ranked teams (Baylor, Texas and Texas Tech).

The Sooners are 3-3 in the Big 12 and 7-4 overall and haven’t played in a week since blasting TCU 82-46 at Lloyd Noble Center last Tuesday. Oklahoma’s scheduled game at Oklahoma State on Saturday was postponed because of COVID-19 issues within the OSU program.

The Wildcats played at Texas over the weekend, losing 82-67 to the fourth-ranked Longhorns.

While Oklahoma owns a considerable homecourt advantage against K-State all-time (64-28), that has not been the case during the past decade. OU is just 6-4 against the Cats at Lloyd Noble Center since 2010. A year ago, the Sooners won 66-61 in Norman but dropped a 61-53 decision in Manhattan.

A side story to this game is the Kansas State connection of Oklahoma head coach Lon Kruger. The Sooner head coach, who is in his ninth season at Oklahoma, is a former Kansas State player and head coach. His jersey number 12 hangs in the rafters at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan.

Kruger played at K-State in the early 1970s and was a two-time Big Eight Player of the Year. He coached the Wildcats from 1986-90, compiling a record of 81-46.

What fans should know about Oklahoma vs. Kansas State

  • Kansas State averages a Big 12-worst 64.4 points a game and an average losing margin of minus-seven points. The Wildcats are not a good shooting team, averaging 42 percent from the field, nor are they good at defending opponents’ shot. Teams are averaging nearly 50-percent shooting against K-State.
  • The Wildcats have three starters scoring in double figures, led by senior guard Mike McGuirl, who averages 12.4 points a game.
  • Oklahoma averages a Big 12 second-best 77.8 points a game. The Sooners are 6-0 when they score at least 78 points.
  • The Sooners are 23-1 over the past two seasons when the shoot a higher percentage than their opponent.
  • Austin Reaves leads Oklahoma in scoring, averaging 15.8 per game. Fellow senior Brady Manek, who missed OU’s most recent game because of COVID-19, averages 13.2 points. He could be back for Tuesday night’s game with Kansas State.
  • No small part of the Sooners’ success this season is because they have been able to limit turnovers. OU averages 10.5 turnovers per game. That’s best in the Big 12 and ranks ninth among major conference teams. They’re also creating offense on the defensive end of the floor, averaging 7.5 steals per game.
  • The Sooners also lead the conference in free-throw percentage (.793) and rank 12th nationally in that category.
  • Lon Kruger is 7-11 against his alma mater as the Oklahoma head coach.
  • Oklahoma has won four of its last five home games against Kansas State.
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