The Sooners are back in Norman this evening, but they’ll still be facing their toughest test of the season as former OU Basketball frontman Kelvin Sampson returns to the Lloyd Noble Center with his top-ranked Houston Cougars (25-3). OU finds itself as a 6.5-point home underdog, with the ESPN matchup predictor giving the Sooners just a 16% chance of winning.
Oklahoma vs. Houston
Date: Saturday, March 2
Tip Time: 7:00 p.m.
TV: ESPN2
Location: Lloyd Noble Center
The task may be tall, but it’s not impossible. Oklahoma holds a 77-28 record at Lloyd Noble Center since 2017. The Sooners have won 82.7% (610-128) of their games at LNC since the building opened in 1975. OU’s winning percentage at Lloyd Noble Center is second in the Big 12 only to Kansas’ 87.9% at Allen Fieldhouse (853-117). However, there’s also some positive history for Oklahoma when top-ranked teams visit. The Sooners are 6-3 when the nation’s No. 1 team comes to Norman.
So, knowing that there’s a glimmer of hope, here are three things OU must do tonight in order to pull the upset.
Secure Defensive Rebounds
Houston lives on second chance points. If you were to compare key statistics between the Sooners and Cougars, you’d see a lot of similarities. That is until you got to the offensive rebounding category. On the season, Oklahoma has grabbed 275 offensive boards. Houston, on the other hand, has recorded 400 offensive rebounds on the season. That’s a huge indicator of the offensive philosophy. Crash the boards!
Limiting Houston’s offensive rebounds not only prevents the opportunity for second chance points, it may also pave the way for the Sooners to use their athleticism to get out and run. If the Cougars “pack the pain” to crash the offensive glass then Oklahoma should have an outlet to push the pace should they grab the defensive rebound.
Team Stats
| TEAM | PTS | PA | FG% | REB | AST | BLK | STL | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HOU | 73.9 | 56.2 | 43.4 | 38.7 | 13.1 | 4.8 | 10.4 | W6 |
| OU | 75.1 | 66.9 | 46.5 | 36.0 | 13.5 | 3.4 | 6.0 | L1 |
Limit Turnovers
Once again OU is facing a team that produces nearly 11 steals per game. Kelvin Sampson’s teams are always going to be tough defensively and this Cougars squad is no exception to that. The Sooners come into the game averaging 12.3 turnovers per game. If they’re above that number on Saturday night then they’re likely to be on the low end of the scoreboard.
Make The Cougars Earn Everything
Each player gets five fouls. Use them!! No easy baskets. Be physical in the paint and force the ball back outside. Houston has a poorer field goal percentage that Oklahoma, so force jump shots over layups. If they end up at the free throw line then so be it. When you’re looking for a criticism of Houston (Trust me it’s difficult to find. They’re the top team in the nation for a reason) it’s in their 68% conversion rate from the free throw line. Make them earn it at the stripe rather than giving it to them under the basket.
Notes
- Junior Javian McCollum ranks sixth among active career leaders in free throw percentage (90.0%).
- McCollum needs 27 points to reach 1,000 NCAA DI career points.
- Senior Sam Godwin is 15th among NCAA DI active career leaders in field goal percentage, making 62.9% (256-407) of his shots
- Godwin is 45th nationally and first in the conference in offensive rebounds per game (3.0 RPG).
- Milos Uzan is 94th in assists (123) and 99th in assists per game (4.4 APG).
- Oklahoma is 16-2 this season when scoring 70 or more points and also 16-2 when holding its opponents to 70 points or less.
- Oklahoma ranks in the top 60 nationally in four categories. The Sooners are 10th in three-point percentage defense (28.9%), 39th in field goal percentage defense (40.9%), 46th in scoring defense (66.9%) and 58th in scoring margin (8.2 PPG).
- Houston head men’s basketball coach Kelvin Sampson led the Sooners from 1994 to 2006, finishing second in program history with 279 wins and first in winning percentage (.719). Sampson guided OU to the postseason in each of his 12 seasons at the helm (11 NCAA Tournaments).
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