The Oklahoma men's basketball team hopes to rebound from a three-game losing skid with LSU -- a team, believe it or not, with even more current troubles than the Sooners -- coming to Norman for a Saturday showdown.
LSU is one of just two SEC teams with fewer conference wins than Oklahoma, which makes this a critical game for the Sooners, who are 16-8 overall, but are just 3-8 against SEC opponents.
ESPN's Joe Lunardi still has Oklahoma making this year's NCAA Tournament in his latest ESPN Bracketology as one of the last three teams to avoid a play-in game, but a loss to LSU would likely end all hopes of making the tournament short of a miracle finish to the season.
Five of OU's final six games are against teams currently ranked in the nation's top 25.
Saturday will be the sixth all-time meeting on the hardwood between Oklahoma and LSU, with the Sooners holding a 3-2 advantage. The last game between the two schools was in 2016. Buddy Hield scored 32 points in a 77-75 OU win over Ben Simmons and the Tigers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Oklahoma is coming off one of the most difficult five-game stretches in program history (three in the top 13 and two in the top four). It was only the second time the Sooners have faced five consecutive ranked opponents in the Associated Press Top 25. The other time was in the 1994-95 season (the Sooners won four of the five games that season and went from unranked to No. 16 in the country).
LSU (12-12, 1-10) has lost seven consecutive games. The Tigers' last and only conference win this season came a month ago at home, a 78-74 victory over Arkansas, a team Oklahoma defeated 65-62 at Arkansas.
Another factor that makes Saturday's game with LSU a must-win opportunity for the Sooners is the remaining schedule. OU finishes out the regular season with five of six games against ranked SEC teams.
The Oklahoma-LSU game is scheduled for a 5 p.m. CT tip-off on the SEC Network. Kevin Fitzgerald will do the play by play with with former Arkansas star Joe Kleine providing analysis.
What fans need to know
Oklahoma
- What's extremely concerning about Oklahoma's current three-game losing streak is not that the Sooners lost, but the manner in which they lost. All three were by an average of 23.3 points, with OU shooting no better than 33% from the field in any of the three games. "We need to win to get our confidence back, get our mojo back, get something on the board with it," OU coach Porter Moser said earlier this week after the 82-58 loss to Missouri. "We've beaten some good teams in the Power Four conferences (Arizona, Louisville, Michigan). You get in this league and it's just, it's a monster."
- The Sooners have shot nearly 50% (49.9) at Lloyd Noble Center, where they have won 10 of 13 games. OU once led the SEC in field-goal percentage, but have shot no better than 33% during its three-game losing skid.
- Former Georgia Tech transfer Jalon Moore continues to lead the Sooners in scoring, averaging 17.3 points per game, sixth-best in the SEC. Freshman point guard Jeremiah Fears averaged 15.3 and scored in double figures in 18 of his first 19 games but has failed to reach double figures in three of his last five games.
- Sixth-year senior Brycen Goodine is the Sooners' best 3-point shooter this season. The Fairfield transfer is shooting 43.2% from behind the 3-point line this season (43 of 95) and has averaged 46.2% over the past two seasons. Among the 216 active players nationally who have made at least 100 3-pointers over the past two seasons, Goodine's 46.2 average ranks second best.
LSU
- Three LSU starters score in double figures, led by senior Cam Carter, who averages 16.8 points per game. Carter is also the Tigers' most lethal 3-point shooter, making 40.6% of his 3-point attempts. Fifth-year senior guard Jordan Sears averages 13.3 per game and 6-foot-10 Jalen Reed averages 11.1 and 6.5 rebounds per game.
- LSU ranks 16th nationally in blocked shots, averaging 5.1 per game.
- The Tigers are 1-6 on the road this season and 0-6 in conference road games. LSU's only road win was a 76-65 win at Kansas State in November.
- LSU has committed the second most turnovers in the SEC and has been outscored by its 11 SEC opponents 179-112 off of turnovers.
Prediction
This is a game Oklahoma must win and should win, but you can expect LSU will not go down without a fight.
The Sooners have lost the identity and confidence they forged during the nonconference season. And their shooting percentage has fallen off dramatically in their recent losses.
Attendance hasn't been the best in the last few home games, but that won't improve until the product on the floor gets better. Oklahoma's losing streak ends, while LSU's grows to eight games, and the Sooners finally get a W.