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Oklahoma basketball: Sooners at Texas Tech Saturday seeking first Big 12 win

By Chip Rouse

Mar 11, 2022; Kansas City, MO, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders guard Terrence Shannon Jr. (1) drives around Oklahoma Sooners forward Jacob Groves (34) during the second half at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 11, 2022; Kansas City, MO, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders guard Terrence Shannon Jr. (1) drives around Oklahoma Sooners forward Jacob Groves (34) during the second half at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oklahoma basketball heads to West Texas this weekend for the first of a two-game road swing that will take the Sooners to Texas Tech on Saturday and Kansas on Tuesday.

OU is looking to respond from back-to-back home losses to top-25 Big 12 opponents and pick up its first conference win. The Sooners are coming off consecutive one possession losses to Texas (70-69) and Iowa State (63-60). They probably won’t get much sympathy from Texas Tech, which itself is reeling from a pair of losses, 75-72 to No. 3 Kansas on Tuesday and 67-61 at No. 17 TCU last Saturday.

That should make for an exciting contest on Saturday with both teams fighting to get in the win column after an 0-2 start to the Big 12 season.

Neither team is ranked in the top-25 nationally; however, Texas Tech (10-4) is No. 44 in the NET rankings and Oklahoma (9-5) is No. 61 this week

Oklahoma leads the overall hoops series with Texas Tech 41-31, but the Red Raiders are 18-15 at home in the series and have won eight of the last 10 games in the series.

Both head coaches, Porter Moser of OU and Mark Adams at Texas Tech, are in the second season at their respective schools. Moser is 1-2 against Adams and the Red Raiders. The two teams split the regular-season contests last season with each team winning on its home court. Texas Tech defeated Oklahoma 56-55 in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament.

Five Texas Tech players average in double figures in scoring for a team that averages a Big 12 third-best 79.1 points a game. Kevin Obanor leads the Red Raiders with a 16.5 points a game. He had 26 points in the loss to Kansas on Tuesday. Daniel Batcho averages 11.8 points and a team-high 8.2 rebounds per game. Former Oklahoma Sooner De’Vion Harmon, in his first season for Texas Tech is averaging 11.6.

Oklahoma is averaging a Big 12-worst 68.4 points per game, but the Sooners make up for it on the defensive end allowing opponents just 61.5 points per contest, second-best in the conference. OU is the only team in Division I basketball that ranks in the top 20 in both field-goal percentage offense (38.8) and field-goal-percentage defense (28.0).

Both teams shoot the ball very well, ranking first and second in the conference (Texas Tech 50.2 field goal percentage; Oklahoma 49.9 percent). Nevada transfer Grant Sherfield is the Sooners’ big gun, averaging 17.3 points per game. He also leads the Big 12 in three-point field goal percentage (50.0) and second in free-throw percentage (88.0). Sooner center Tanner Groves averages 11.0 points and a team-best 7.0 rebounds per game.

One statistical factor to keep in mind: The Sooners are 6-1 this season when they shoot a field-goal percentage of 50.0 percent or better in a game.

The OU-Texas Tech game will not be televised over commercial or cable networks. It will be available, however, on ESPN+ with the opening tip scheduled for 6 p.m. CT at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. Shawn Kenney and Bryndon Manzer will be on the call.

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