Injuries, fatigue, and scheduling have combined to put Oklahoma Basketball in a slump. The Sooners have lost two in a row and three of their last five to drop their season record to 18-8, and 6-7 in Big 12 play. OU is still in the thick of the race for an NCAA Tournament berth, but they’re running out of time to turn things around. At minimum, they probably need three more wins to feel comfortable heading into the conference tournament, and Bedlam is going to be vital to accomplishing that.
In the two games prior, Oklahoma faced #11 Baylor and #9 Kansas. In the two games after Bedlam they’ll face #6 Iowa State and #2 Houston. This game, in Stillwater, is a much as a “must win” situation as we’ll see this season for the Sooners. Oklahoma State (12-14, 4-9) isn’t going to bow out quietly, especially in Bedlam. The Cowboys played the Sooners to within a 66-62 decision in Norman and, having won two in a row, certainly feel like they have more than just a puncher’s chance at home on Saturday afternoon.
Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State
Date: Saturday, February 24
Tip Time: 3:05 p.m.
TV: ESPN2
Location: Gallagher-Iba Arena
Oklahoma’s keys to victory are pretty simple. There’s really no need to overcomplicate things here. Just do these three things and all should be well.
Score 70 Points Or More!
Seventy seems to be the magic number for the Sooners both offensively and defensively. Oklahoma is 16-2 this season when scoring 70 or more points and 16-1 when holding its opponents to 70 points or less. Neither team reached that threshold in the first Bedlam meeting of the season, but OU still walked off the floor victorious after holding the Pokes to 62 points. The only games the Sooners have dropped this season when scoring 70 or more points were an 80-71 decision at TCU on January 10 and an 85-84 home loss to Texas Tech on January 27.
Team Stats
| TEAM | PTS | PA | FG% | REB | AST | BLK | STL | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OU | 75.9 | 66.6 | 46.8 | 36.2 | 13.8 | 3.3 | 6.2 | L2 |
| OKST | 71.7 | 71.1 | 44.3 | 34.3 | 14.0 | 2.7 | 6.3 | W2 |
Let Jalon Moore Have His Opportunities
Forward Jalon Moore is one of three Sooners averaging double figures for the season. His 24 minutes of playing time per game are the fewest among the top three scorers, but it’s undeniable the impact that he has when he’s on the floor.
Moore led the Sooners with 15 points as Oklahoma earned the Bedlam victory against Oklahoma State 66-62 on Feb. 10. He was the lone Sooner to record double figures, finishing 5 for 9 from the field and adding a team-high eight rebounds and four blocked shots.
Earn Trips To The Free Throw Line
They don’t call it the charity stripe for nothing. Oklahoma currently sits just outside of the Top 50 in free throws made per game (15.8). Let’s go ahead and round it up to 16 and say that they’ll need every bit of those to win a rivalry game on the road. Junior Javian McCollum ranks sixth among active career leaders in free throw percentage (89.9%) and has nearly been automatic this season with a clip of 93.8% which places him just ahead of legendary Sooner Hollis Price who shot 92.9% in 2003 which was a program record.
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