Oklahoma vs. Wichita State
Tip: 11:00 AM (Central)
Location: Chesapeake Energy Arena (OKC, OK)
TV: ESPNU
Home Away From Home
The Chesapeake Energy Arena has been kind to the Sooners, especially under Lon Kruger. Oklahoma is 13-6 overall in the Thunder Dome and 4-1 there under Kruger. The only team to beat Kruger in OKC? Wichita State.
Slump Buster
Sophomore forward Brady Manek shot 5-of-8 from three-point range in Tuesday’s win against Notre Dame. Prior to that he was just 2-of-14 from long range in his previous four games.
OU is 16-4 when Manek scores in double figures and 8-0 when he hit four or more 3-pointers. He scored 21 points with five 3-pointers in last season’s matchup against Wichita State.
Rivalry Renewed
Oklahoma and Wichita State are 1-1 over the last two seasons with the Sooners winning in Wichita last year and the Shockers taking the game in OKC in 2016. Prior to that the two teams were on a 40-year hiatus from playing each other. Overall, OU has a 5-2 record against Wichita State.
Road Warriors
Saturday’s game against the Shockers is Oklahoma’s ninth of the season and seventh away from Lloyd Nobel. Ten of OU’s first 13 games this season are being played outside of Norman. The Sooners have won five games on the road or on neutral sites. No other Big 12 team has more than three wins away from home.
Close To Being Ranked?
The Sooners are No. 16 in the NCAA’s new NET Ranking (replaces the RPI), No. 10 in ESPN’s Strength of Record and No. 2 in CBS Sports’ RPI. As of the latest round of poll voting (before the Notre Dame game), Oklahoma received one vote in the AP Top 25 poll.
Leading The Big 12
Senior guard Christian James leads the Big 12 scoring race with 19.9 points per game. He has scored at least 18 points in all but two games this season.
Miles Reynolds is shooting 90% from the free throw line and leads the Big 12 in free throw percentage (minimum of 30 attempts).
Team Leaders
Christian James is shooting 52.9% from the floor to pace the Sooners with 19.9 points per game. No other team is averaging in double figure scoring for Oklahoman but Manek is close to averaging a double-double with 9.9 points and 9 rebounds per game.
Scouting The Shockers
Senior forward Markis McDuffie is averaging 19.6 points per game to pace the Shockers. Guards Samajae Haynes-Jones (13.1 PPG) and Erik Stevenson (10.9 PPG) round out WSU’s double-figure scorers.
Wichita State is shooting 43% as a team and scoring an average of 74.7 points per game, while allowing opponents to score 71.1 points each night.
The Shockers are coming to Oklahoma City on a two-game winning streak.