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Oklahoma basketball: What fans need to know about Bedlam Round II

By Chip Rouse

Oklahoma State Cowboys guard Avery Anderson III (0) goes past Oklahoma Sooners guard C.J. Noland (22) during a men's Bedlam college basketball game between the Oklahoma State University Cowboys (OSU) and the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla., Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023. Oklahoma State won 72-56.Men S Bedlam Basketball
Oklahoma State Cowboys guard Avery Anderson III (0) goes past Oklahoma Sooners guard C.J. Noland (22) during a men's Bedlam college basketball game between the Oklahoma State University Cowboys (OSU) and the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla., Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023. Oklahoma State won 72-56.Men S Bedlam Basketball /
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The men’s Oklahoma basketball team is riding its biggest high of the season and the Sooner players are hoping it is the spark they needed to finish out the final month of the season strong.of

Oklahoma (12-9, 2-6) captured its biggest win of the season and in several decades in not just beating but completely dominating No. 2-ranked Alabama over the weekend. Now they set their spirited sights on a Bedlam rematch with in-state rival Oklahoma State.

This will be the 246th meeting Oklahoma and Oklahoma State on the hardwood and the second of the season with the Cowboys. The Sooners own a 141-104 overall record in the all-time Bedlam series that dates back to early in the last century (1908). The highest number of those 141 victories have come in Norman, where OU is 88-28 against its in-state rival.

Oklahoma State also is coming off of a weekend win in the Big 12/SEC Challenge, routing Ole Miss 82-60. The Cowboys, who have the identical overall record as the Sooners, have won three of their last four games, including a 72-56 win over Oklahoma on Jan. 18.

Oklahoma State sits one spot above the Sooners, in seventh place in the Big 12 standings, with a 3-5 record. An Oklahoma win in the Bedlam rematch would allow the Sooners to move into a tie with the Cowboys with nine conference games remaining for both.

The Sooners obviously were elated at the giant win over Alabama and are hoping it will provide the spark they need to turn their season around. But they quickly turned the page as a new week dawned and to the business straight ahead preparing to face Oklahoma State.

It goes without saying that the Oklahoma players are hungry for revenge after their in-state rival took the Sooners to the woodshed, particularly in the second half, in the game a couple of weeks ago in Stillwater.

"“We turned the page right away (after the win over Alabama) to Oklahoma State,” OU head coach Porter Moser said in his weekly presser with the media this week. “In the second half (at OSU), they just took it too us. That’s in our stomach.”"

What fans need to know about 2023 Bedlam Round II on Wednesday

  • Tip-off in Wednesday’s Bedlam rematch is set for 8 p.m. CT. The game will be televisefd on ESPN2 with Mark Neely and Fran Fraschilla on the call.
  • The Lloyd Noble Center crowd, nearly 12,000 strong on Saturday, was a huge factor in Oklahoma’s performance in the win over Alabama. Because of the ice storm which has covered large portions of Oklahoma and Texas the past few days, OU is making Wednesday night’s game a Fan Appreciation Night, admitting all fans who can safely attend the game free admittance.
  • Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are the two lowest scoring teams in the Big 12, averaging just 68 points a game. But both also rank second and third in the conference in holding opponents to no more than 65 points a game.
  • Oklahoma State has three starters (Avery Anderson II, Kalib Boone and Bryce Thompson) who average at least 11 points a game. In the first game this season, those three players combined for 48 of the Cowboys’ 72 points.
  • OU’s Grant Sherfield is coming off of a 30-point performance against Alabama. The former Nevada transfer leads the Sooners with a scoring average of 17 points a game. Jalen Hill in next at 10.5. Hill had 26 points against Alabama.
  • Oklahoma leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage (48.2). Meanwhile, Oklahoma State leads the conference in field goal percentage defense (holding opponents to 37.9 percent shooting from the field).
  • Oklahoma State is 12-3 this season when the Cowboys shoot a higher percentage than their opponent. The Cowboys are 10-4 this season when the lead at halftime and 2-5 when tied or they trail at the half. One of those two wins when trailing at the half was in the first game this season with the Sooners. OU led 30-24 at the half.
  • Oklahoma State is a very good rebounding team, second in the Big 12 in that category. OSU outrebounded OU 37-32 in the first game this season, and nine offensive rebounds led to 11 second-chance points. The Sooners had no second-chance points in the earlier game.
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