Oklahoma basketball: What you need to know about 2024 Bedlam Round II

Oklahoma and Oklahoma State have met 248 times in basketball dating back 117 years to 1908. On Saturday, the Oklahoma basketball team will be in Stillwater, Oklahoma, to play the rival Cowboys in a 2024 rematch and what could be the final Bedlam basketball game.

This is the 97th straight year that Oklahoma and Oklahoma State have played a home-and-home series. The Sooners lead the overall series 141-107, but are just 3-7 in the last 10 games against their in-state rivals. Oklahoma won the earlier game this season, 66-62, in Norman, but has not won in Stillwater since 2019.

Saturday's game will be broadcast on ESPN2, beginning at 3 p.m. CT, with Mark Neely providing play-by-play and Fran Fraschilla analysis.

The Sooners (18-8, 6-7) held Oklahoma State to 31 percent shooting in the first game this season in Norman and 17 percent from long range. That was a huge difference in the game. These same Cowboys have shot better than 50 percent from the field in each of their last four halves.

Oklahoma State has lingered at or near the bottom of the conference the entire season, but after falling to 2-9 and last place in the Big 12, the Cowboys have found new life, winning two consecutive conference games, including a 10-point win at home over No. 19 BYU and an 80-76 victory at Cincinnati on Wednesday.

Next up on the schedule for Oklahoma after the game with Oklahoma State is a road game at Iowa State on Wednesday. The Cyclones are currently second in the Big 12 and No. 6 in the Associated Press weekly rankings.

Five things to know about what could be final Bedlam basketball game

• Oklahoma is averaging 76.0 points a game and allowing opponents 67.0 points this season. The Sooners are holding Big 12 opponents to 43 percent shooting, fourth-best in the conference, but OU will be severely tested by an Oklahoma State team that has shot better than 50 percent in each half of its last two games.

• The Sooners will be without John Hugley IV, who has missed the past two games with a knee, but are hoping to have back Rivaldo Soares, who did not play in last weekend's loss to Kansas. Soares has been Oklahoma's best player in recent games. The Sooners' leading scorer, Javian McCollum (14.0 points a game) was shaken up late in the Kansas game. OU has been off this last Saturday.

• Through games of Wednesday this week, Oklahoma is 39th in the NET rankings and 9th in the Big 12. Oklahoma State is 114th in NET and 13th in the Big 12, but the Cowboys are playing with great confidence right now (all five starters scored in double figures in the win this week at Cincinnati) and they are playing at home this weekend.

• Oklahoma has made the second most three-pointers in the Big 12 this season (303). The seven three-pointers the Cowboys made in the win over Cincinnati were the fewest they have made in 12 wins this season. Oklahoma leads the conference in opponent three-point field goal percentage (29.0 percent).

• Oklahoma State is 10-2 this season when tied or leading at halftime. The Cowboys are 5-0 this season when shooting 50 percent or better (which they have in their last two games) and 9-2 when shooting a better percentage than their opponent.