This is a critical point in the season for head coach Porter Moser and Oklahoma men's basketball. It's still relatively early in the season, but it may be getting late early for the struggling Sooners, who are mired in a three-game losing streak and about to face their second ranked opponent this week in No. 18 Alabama.
The good news is the game on Saturday against Alabama will be played at Lloyd Noble Center, where Oklahoma is 8-1 this season. The bad news for hopeful Sooner fans is that the Crimson Tide is 12-5 so far this season against what ESPN's College Basketball Power Index rates as the toughest schedule in the country.
Previewing Oklahoma-Alabama
The Sooners (11-6, 1-3) have lost consecutive games to Mississippi State, Texas A&M and earlier this week to Florida.
Alabama snapped its own two-game losing skid with an impressive 97-82 road win earlier this week over Mississippi State, a team Oklahoma lost to 73-52 just a week before.
The two programs have met a total of 11 times on the hardwood, with Oklahoma holding a 7-4 advantage in the overall series and a 4-0 record in games played in Norman. The most recent game between the two teams was a year ago in Tuscaloosa, with Alabama winning handily, 107-79.
Saturday' s game will be televised on SEC Network beginning at noon CT.
What to know about Alabama
Alabama has two of the top five scorers in the SEC this season. Sophomore Labaran Philon is No. 2 in the conference with a 21.9 scoring average. Junior Aden Holloway is close behind at 18.4, fifth-best in the league. As a team, the Crimson Tide averages 93.7 points per game, fifth-best in the nation.
The Crimson Tide lead the SEC and ranks No. 2 nationally in made 3-point shots. They are shooting 35.3% from behind the arc and averaging 12.7 3-pointers per game. Holloway is Alabama's main 3-point sharpshooter, shooting 47% from long distance, seventh-best in all of Division I.
Alabama is also among the conference leaders in blocked shots. The Tide average 6.3 per game, fifth-best in the nation.
What to know about Oklahoma
The Sooners' two starting guards, Nijel Pack and Xzayvier Brown, lead the team both averaging 15.7 points per game. The problem too often has been when one is having a good scoring game, the other is having a down game. For example, Pack had a game-high 24 points against Texas A&M. Brown contributed seven points in that game. Brown led the team with 24 points on Tuesday against Florida, but Pack had just five points in the game. OU needs more consistent production from its two best scorers.
Heading into SEC play, OU led the conference in fewest turnovers, averaging 9.4 per game. In their last three league losses, however, the Sooners have committed 13, 17 and 11 turnovers, respectively.
The Sooners are a better team when senior center Mohamed Wague is on the floor. He averages 7.1 points and 7.2 rebounds a game. He also gives OU a strong presence down low and at the rim on defense. The problem has been that the former Alabama transfer tends to get into early foul trouble and, as a result, he is averaging just under 20 minutes per game in his last three starts.
Oklahoma has had the same starting lineup in all 17 games. By contrast, Alabama has started 10 different combinations in its 17 games this season.
Stat watch
Alabama is 11-1 this season when it holds the lead at halftime, 11-1 when it shoots the same or better than its opponent, and 9-0 when it attempts more free throws than the opposing team.
Prediction
This is another difficult matchup for the Sooners. Oklahoma cannot afford another slow start out of the gate or poor shooting performance. The Sooners must shoot well and with greater efficiency than they have in their three straight conference losses. OU is playing on its home court, but since the Sooners are averaging an SEC-worst 5,200 at Lloyd Noble Center for home games, I'm not sure that is much of an advantage.
Alabama wins by 9 or under