Oklahoma has played over 60 games in its basketball history against teams from the SEC not named Missouri, Texas or Texas A&M, all former Big 12 teams, but on Saturday, the Sooners will be in Athens, Georgia, to play the Georgia Bulldogs, a team it has played just one time previously.
Georgia is the only current SEC team the Sooners have not played more than once in men's basketball. Moreover, the two programs have played only one other time in football (in the College Football Playoff during the 2017 season).
The only other basketball game between OU and Georgia was a nonconference tournament game in 1987 in Hawaii. The Sooners won that game, 93-90, behind 30 points from Mookie Blaylock.
Both teams come into Saturday's game with identical 13-2 overall records. The one glaring difference is that Oklahoma is ranked 17th this week in the latest Associated Press Top 25, while Georgia is unranked and not receiving any top-25 votes. That might change, however, next week following Georgia's 82-69 upset of No. 6 Kentucky earlier this week.
The upset of Kentucky occurred at Stegeman Coliseum, where the Sooners will play on Saturday. Unlike Georgia, the Sooners are still looking for their first SEC win after suffering consecutive losses to Alabama and Texas A&M.
The game at Georgia will be just the second true road game for OU this season.
Neither OU or Georgia received much love in the SEC preseason poll. The Sooners were picked to finish 15 out of 16 teams, and Georgia 12th.
The Oklahoma-Georgia game will be televised on ESPN2 at 5 p.m. CT. John Schriffen will do the play by play with Perry Clark providing analysis.
What fans need to know
Oklahoma
Two Oklahoma starters average at least 17 points a game. Freshman Jeremiah Fears averages 17.6 a game and senior Jalon Moore is at 17.4.
Fears has scored in double digits in all 15 of his games, with a season high of 26 in a win over Arizona. Moore has had eight games with 20 or more points, but managed just 11 in the loss to Texas A&M earlier this week.
Although the Sooners were beat by a 3-point dagger in the closing seconds of Wednesday's game against Texas A&M, they are one of the better teams in the SEC defending the 3-point shot. Oklahoma ranks third in the conference, holding opponents to 28% on shots behind the 3-point line. On the other side of the court, OU also ranks third in the conference in 3-point percentage offense (37.6%).
Reserve guard Brycen Goodine made a strong statement to break into the starting lineup with a season-best 34 points against Texas A&M. He might be more valuable, however, coming off the bench.
The Sooners have started the same lineup in each of their last 12 games (Sam Godwin, Jalon Moore, Jeremiah Fears, Kobe Elvis and Duke Miles). That OU starting five averages 65 points a game.
Oklahoma should have an advantage in close games late. The Sooners are the best free-throw shooting team in the SEC and sixth nationally, shooting 81% from the foul line. Three Sooner starters (Fears, Moore and Miles) shoot 84% or better.
Georgia
Georgia's two losses this season were to No. 7 Marquette (80-69) in late November and at Ole Miss (63-51) last Saturday.
The Bulldogs rank third in the SEC in scoring defense, holding opponents to an average of 64.4 points a game, and field goal percentage defense (38.6%). They also rank fourth, just behind Oklahoma, in defending the 3-point line. Georgia's opponents are shooting just 28.2% on the 3-ball.
Like Oklahoma, Georgia is led in scoring by a freshman. Asa Newell averages 15.5 points, along with nearly seven rebounds per game. Five Georgia players, including two other starters (Silas Demary Jr. and Tyrin Lawrence) average double figures in the scoring column.
Offensive rebounding has been a big problem for Oklahoma in its first two conference games. Georgia is another one of the top rebounding teams in the SEC, averaging double digits in offensive boards per game (12.4).
Prediction
Oklahoma is a 4.5-point underdog going up against a Georgia team that humbled No. 6 Kentucky earlier this week. The Sooners were completely overmatched at Alabama a week ago and definitely let a game in which they led by as many as 18 points in the second half get away at home against Texas A&M.
Georgia is a game Oklahoma can win, but I'm not sure where the Sooners' confidence level is at the moment. My brain tells me that Georgia has better mojo going right now, and the Dawgs are playing at home. My heart tells me OU will find a way and come up with its first SEC win on the road in Athens.
Sorry, Sooner Nation, my brain is the right play in this one.