The Oklahoma men moved up another rung on the SEC ladder with a solid 91-79 home win over Auburn on Tuesday, but can they keep the ball rolling in a weekend road test against struggling LSU, a team that can share in the Sooners' misery this season?
The early Saturday evening showdown in Baton Rouge pits two schools against each other that are widely acclaimed and celebrated in the world of college football, but much lesser so on the basketball hardwood. The two schools have combined to win 11 national championships in football, but not one national title in men's basketball despite having played in nine Final Fours.
Both teams are coming off of rare midweek wins. LSU defeated Ole Miss 106-99 in two overtimes to move into a three-way tie for last place in SEC standings with Ole Miss and South Carolina, all three with 3-12 conference records. That's just one game back of the Sooners, though, who are 4-12 in league play. OU and LSU were both 0-6 in mid-week games against SEC foes before this week.
LSU (15-13, 3-12) began the season going 12-1 in the nonconference portion of the schedule, but went off the rails once conference play began. The Tigers lost four straight to begin SEC play and eight of their first 10. During that same time frame, Oklahoma and LSU were on parallel paths with the Sooners nearly tying a program record with nine consecutive games after a conference-opening win over Ole Miss.
This will be the seventh meeting all-time in basketball, with the two teams splitting the previous six games. The Tigers edged the Sooners 82-79 last season in Norman in OU's first year in the SEC.
Saturday's game will be televised on SEC Network at 5 p.m. CT. Kevin Fitzgerald will be on play-by-play with Rodney Terry providing analysis.
What to know about LSU
Senior Max Mackinnon leads LSU in scoring with an average of 15.5 points per game (17.8 in SEC games). He has scored in double digits in 22 games this season, including a 34-point performance in the win over Ole Miss earlier this week. He can kill you on the three-point line if you leave him uncovered, shooting 40% from long range, and he's not the guy you want on the free-throw line late in the game, either. He shoots 90% from the charity stripe.
LSU is not a particularly strong three-point shooting team, but in the last three contests, the Tigers are shooting 47% from three-point range.
LSU was most successful early in the season when it was able to pound the ball inside and score in the paint. Interior defense has been an issue all season for Oklahoma. Don't be surprised if that is the LSU game plan on how to attack the Sooners, and if the defense collapses down low, kick it out to Mackinnon for an open three-point look from the perimeter.
Four of LSU's 12 conference losses this season have been by four of fewer points.
What to know about Oklahoma
Oklahoma's leading scorer, Nijel Pack, has averaged 17.6 points in his last nine games. He has scored 20-plus points in six of the Sooners' 15 conference games. The Sooners' second leading scorer, Xzayvier Brown (15.4 per game), has averaged just 8.5 in his past four games. The eight games before that he averaged 19.4 per game.
The Sooners lead the SEC in conference play with a 38% three-point average and are third in the league averaging 9.5 made three-balls per game. OU is shooting 48.3% from long range over the last four games. For the season, the Sooners are averaging 10 treys per game. The program record is 10.3, set in 2025-16 (Buddy Hield's final season).
Center Mohamed Wague is coming off his best two performances as a Sooner in the past two games. Against Texas A&M, the former Alabama transfer had 12 points, 13 rebounds and two blocked shots, and earlier this week against Auburn, he scored 19, pulled down nine rebounds and registered four blocks.
Reserve guard Dayton Forsythe is starting to make important contributions for the Sooners coming off the bench. Over a 10-game stretch earlier in the season, while battling through sprains in both ankles, the Oklahoma native averaged just 1.3 points per game and was a miserable 2-for-31 from the field. Over his last five games, however, the sophomore guard has averaged 10.6 points in 22.1 minutes of action.
Prediction for Oklahoma-LSU
LSU is not a very good team, pure and simple, and they are down two starters with injuries. But the Tigers are playing at home, and the Sooners do not have a good performance record playing away from Lloyd Noble Center. If LSU shoots as well as it did in registering a road victory Ole Miss this week (50%), the Tigers will win this game. I'm betting that they won't, and the Sooners escape with a narrow win.