Oklahoma basketball: Four-game skid snapped; now it’s No. 1 Auburn at their place

You could almost hear the collective sigh of relief coming from the Oklahoma basketball team after its convincing 10-point win at West Virginia on Wednesday.

But by Thursday morning, the celebration was long over because next up is yet another top-ranked opponent in Auburn (19-1. 8-0) and the fourth time the Sooners have faced a team ranked No. 1 at one point this season. And it will be the second time Oklahoma has played the top-ranked team in the country on the latter’s court.

Oklahoma and Auburn meet on Saturday as part of the one-day, 10-game Big 12/SEC Challenge series. It will be just the third game all-time in basketball between the two schools.

The Sooners are 1-2 in those two games. Auburn won the initial game with OU 78-70 in 1978 in the Big Sun Tournament in St. Petersburg, Florida. The two teams played again in the 1988 NCAA Tournament, with the Sooners prevailing 107-88. The most recent contest between Oklahoma and Auburn was in 2016, a 74-70 win by the Tigers.

OU has posted a 6-2 overall record in the Big 12/SEC Challenge and has won eight straight games against SEC teams, including a 74-67 win earlier this year over then-No. 14 Florida. Auburn is 2-4 in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.

Oklahoma’s leading scorer Tanner Groves found his scoring rhythm again on Wednesday night after a three-game lull. Tanner scored a game-high 21 points and his brother, Jacob, got his first start of the season and added a dozen.

The Sooners will need another strong contribution from Tanner and his teammates on Saturday against No. 1 Auburn.

Oklahoma shot 51.1 percent for the game against West Virginia. The Sooners are 10-1 this season when they shoot 50 percent or better from the floor. Conversely, when they shoot below 50 percent, they are 3-6.

The game will tip off at 1 p.m. CT and be televised on ESPN. Tom Hart and Carolyn Peck will provide the play-by-play and commentary.

What you need to know about Oklahoma vs. Auburn

• Auburn has three starters who average at least 12 points a game: Jabari Smith (15.2), K.D. Johnson (13.3) and Walker Kessler (10.9). Wendell Green Jr. averages 12.7 points per game off the bench.
• Auburn has won 16 consecutive games and is the sixth ranked team Oklahoma has faced in its last eight games and the fourth top-10 team.
• Auburn leads the nation in blocked shots per game (8.2) and ranks in the top 25 in seven statistical categories.
• Tanner Groves and Umoja Gibson are Oklahoma’s two leading scorers, averaging 13.1 and 12.4 points per game, respectively.
• The Sooners rank eighth nationally and first in the Big 12 in field-goal percentage (49.4 percent). The last time an OU team shot at least 50 percent for the season was in 1984-85, a team led by Wayman Tisdale.
• While Oklahoma is one of the better shooting teams in the county, they squander too many possessions on the offensive end with costly turnovers. The Sooners rank 326th out of 350 Division I teams in turnovers per game.
• Auburn ranks 20th in the country this season with 9.2 steals per game.
• Oklahoma is 7-16 all-time against teams ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press poll. The last time the Sooners beat a No. 1 team was in 2002 when OU beat Kansas 64-55 in the Big 12 Tournament.

Prediction

Despite having to face the No. 1 team in the country on their court, the Sooners are capable of making this a competitive game, but with a very thin margin for error. They must shoot the ball well and not allow Auburn to create offense out of Oklahoma miscues on the Sooners’ offensive end. Two road wins within three days may be asking too much. Auburn over the Sooners, but by single digits.