The road hasn’t been very friendly to Oklahoma this season. The Sooners are just 3-4 in true road games, but are coming off a thrilling overtime win at Oklahoma State and are looking to gain some momentum as they head into the final four regular season games. They’ve got a big challenge tonight, though, in an Iowa State team that has surged all the way into the Top 10.
Oklahoma beat Iowa State (71-63) in Norman on January 6th, but since then the Cyclones have gone 10-3, losing to Houston, Baylor, and BYU. They’ll be looking to get back at the Sooners tonight on their home floor. ISU is undefeated at Hilton Coliseum this season, and if OU wants to change that the here are the three things they need to do.
Oklahoma at Iowa State
Date: Wednesday, February 28
Tip Time: 7:01 p.m.
TV: ESPN+
Location: Hilton Coliseum (Ames, Iowa)
Quiet The Crown Early
Oklahoma was able to go on a late run in the game played in Norman. The Sooners turned a 58-57 deficit at the 4:10 mark of the second half into an eventual 71-63 victory, thanks to big plays from Sam Godwin and Le’Tre Darthard as well as the team going 7-0 from the free throw line during that stretch.
The Sooners need to go on that type of run earlier in the game and then again after the half. Otherwise, the crowd at Hilton is going to get out of control and the Cyclones will feed off that energy.
Team Stats
| TEAM | PTS | PA | FG% | REB | AST | BLK | STL | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OU | 76.2 | 67.2 | 47.0 | 36.1 | 13.6 | 3.3 | 6.1 | W1 |
| ISU | 77.9 | 62.9 | 47.3 | 34.5 | 16.4 | 3.0 | 10.6 | W1 |
Javian McCollum Needs To Continue To Be The Hero
McCollum wasn’t just the hero of Bedlam. He was also the hero in Oklahoma’s first meeting with Iowa State. One of four players in double figures that night, McCollum scored a team-high 15 points and dished out five assists to lead the Sooners past the Cyclones. I get that things probably should run through Otega Oweh offensively but the impact McCollum has can’t be ignored.
Protect The Ball & Get To The Free Throw Line
Okay, I’m doing a two-for-one as Number 3 to close this out. Defensively the Cyclones are quick, able to anticipate, and have fast hands. They are averaging nearly 11 steals per game this season and that’s the reason why. They had six steals against the Sooners in the first game this season, but OU turned the ball over a total of 11 times.
Iowa State’s aggressive style of defense can also backfire. Against other athletic teams, who are also quick off the dribble, the Cyclones have been rung up for a lot of fouls. The Sooners had sixteen free throw attempts against ISU last moth. This is where Oweh should shine in the game plan. He attempted ten of those sixteen shots from the charity stripe for Oklahoma in the first game. Protecting the ball, driving, and drawing contact are going to be crucial to keeping the crown quiet and paving a path towards victory.
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