Oklahoma looks to respond from a road loss to Alabama in its SEC season opener, back home to host former Big 12 foe Texas A&M at Lloyd Noble Center on Wednesday.
The 17th-ranked Sooners (13-1, 0-1) are coming off their first loss of the season, and in humbling fashion, losing 107-79 to No. 5 Alabama on Saturday. The 28-point loss was the biggest margin by the OU men's basketball team since a 91-63 loss to West Virginia in Feb. 2023.
Texas A&M (12-2) had a much different experience in its conference opener over the weekend, posting an 80-60 home win over longtime rival and SEC newcomer Texas. The Aggies are ranked 10th in this week's Associated Press Top 25.
Oklahoma leads the all-time series with Texas A&M with a 32-10 record, and the Sooners have dominated the Aggies in Norman, owning a 15-3 advantage. OU has won the last three games against Texas A&M, but the two teams have not played each other for nine seasons.
How to watch
When: 8 p.m. CT Wednesday
Where: Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Oklahoma
Watch: SEC Network
What fans need to know
The Sooners are going to have to be more efficient on the offensive end against Texas A&M. The Sooners got off to one of their frequent slow starts in the loss to Bama and didn't really find their offensive rhythm until the second half. By that time, though, the Crimson Tide were up by more than 20 points.
OU lacks frontcourt size and length, and is one of the worst rebounding teams in the SEC, especially on the offensive boards. That poses a problem against the best offensive rebounding team in the SEC (We saw how that played out at Alabama, which is ranked third in the SEC in offensive rebounding).
Jalon Moore and Sooner freshman sensation Jeremiah Fears rank seventh and eighth in scoring in the SEC, respectively, both averaging 17.9 points per game.
The Sooners rank first in the SEC in team free-throw percentage (80.9), fourth in 3-point shooting (36.2%) and No. 2 in the conference in defending the 3-point line (27.4% 3-point defense).
Texas A&M is a good but not great offensive team, averaging 76 points a game, but the Aggies play strong defense.
Opponents have averaged just 62 points a game against the Aggies, which is second-best in the SEC through 14 games. Opponents are shooting just 37.7%, which also is second-best in the conference.
Oklahoma has had difficulty against strong rebounding teams, especially on the offensive glass. The Aggies are one of those teams. They lead the SEC in offensive rebounds, averaging 16 per game, and rank second in rebounding margin at plus-11.
Alabama was a wrecking crew on the offensive glass against the Sooners on Saturday. That led to numerous second- and third-chance scoring opportunities and ultimately a 28-point Alabama blowout.
The Aggies are led offensively by senior Wade Taylor IV, who averages 15.7 points and five assists per game, and SMU transfer Zhuric Phelps with a 13.8 average.
Texas A&M doesn't shoot as many 3 balls as the rest of the SEC teams, but when the Aggies do put it up from long range, it is mainly Taylor who pulls the trigger. Last season, Taylor set a program record for both 3-point attempts and made 3-pointers. He is also 90% at the free-throw line.
Texas A&M's two losses this season were by three points to UCF in the early going and by 10 to Oregon in late November. The Aggies have won eight straight games since that loss to Oregon, including a 70-66 win over then-No. 11 Purdue.
Prediction
The Sooners are 8-0 at home this season and will likely be playing with a bit of a chip on their shoulder after being completely dominated in their previous outing at Alabama.
To register a win on Wednesday, OU needs to be the team with more energy and do a much better job blocking out on the offensive and defensive glass. Oklahoma rebounds from the Alabama loss and records its first SEC win in a close game.