Oklahoma basketball: Short-handed Sooners hold off Kansas State

Playing without its leading scorer and a depleted bench, the men’s Oklahoma basketball team fought off a spirited second-half comeback by Kansas State to ring in the new year with a 71-69 victory in the Big 12 opener for both teams.

The Sooners (11-2, 1-0) never trailed in the game and led by as many as 15 points in the first half, but it wasn’t until Umoja Gibson made four of four free throws over the final 17 seconds that the victory was secured.

K-State erased an 11-point halftime deficit and tied the game at 65-65 on a three-point equalizer by Ismael Massoud with 1:03 remaining in the game. Elijah Harkless, like he has done in several Sooner games this season, scored on a two-point floater 28 seconds later to regain the lead.

Nijel Pak missed a three-point shot on the Wildcat’s ensuing possession, and it became a free-throw shooting contest over the final 20 seconds to seal the Sooners’ 11th win of the season.

Oklahoma and Kansas State will not meet again until March 5 in Manhattan on the final weekend of the regular season.

Three takeaways from the Oklahoma win in its Big 12 opener:

Sooners managed the win without the availability of its leading scorer

Oklahoma was without the services of leading scorer Tanner Groves, Jacob Groves and Bijan Cortes, all out because of health and safety protocols. That meant the Sooners were going to have to find scoring production from other players. Tanner Groves averages 14.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. The OU offense was not as efficient as it has been in the nonconference schedule, shooting just 40 percent for the game, 10 points lower than its season average.

The Sooners made up for the lost production from Groves with a balanced offensive attack featuring five players in double figures, led by 21 from Elijah Harkless. Umoja Gibson added 19, Jordan Goldwire had 11, and Jalen Hill and C.J. Noland both finished with 10. Those five players accounted for all the Oklahoma scoring.

First-half defense, strong rebounding enabled Oklahoma to win this game

Oklahoma held Kansas State to 32-percent shooting (8 of 25) in the opening half, enabling the Sooners to jump out to a commanding lead. Although the Wildcats heated up in the second half, improving their shooting efficiency to 52 percent, OU was able to hold on with solid rebounding, including a season-high 13 offensive rebounds leading to 18 second-chance points. The Sooners also turned nine K-State first-half turnovers into 12 points.

Roughest stretch of the season dead ahead

The Sooner win on Saturday was a big one. Every win in a league as stacked with strong teams as the Big 12 is this season is big, but this one comes at a good time as the Sooners now head into perhaps the most difficult five game stretch in the entire season. Oklahoma’s next five games include a game Tuesday at top-ranked Baylor, followed by No. 8 Iowa State and No. 17 Texas. The Sooners then get a brief break with a game at TCU before returning home to go up against No. 6 Kansas and a rematch with Baylor.

Five Big 12 teams are ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 this week — including three in the top 10 — and Oklahoma is sitting in what would be the No. 27 position, based on voted received.