Among the in-state rivalry games in college basketball on top for Wednesday is the battle between the Oklahoma Sooners and Oklahoma State Cowboys. Despite being on the road, the Sooners are 3-point favorites.
After going 11-1 during the non-conference part of their schedule, it’s been tough sledding for the Sooners during Big 12 play. After a close loss to Texas over the weekend, Oklahoma is now 2-4 in conference play, including a 0-3 record on the road. On the bright side, one of their wins came against the Oklahoma State team they’ll face on Wednesday.
As for the Cowboys, they struggled against a challenging non-conference schedule and haven’t found much better success against Big 12 opponents. Following back-to-back losses to Baylor and Iowa State, Oklahoma State is matching Oklahoma’s 2-4 conference record. The difference is that the Cowboys are 8-10 overall, likely taking them out of the NCAA Tournament picture barring a minor miracle.
A Lot Short-Handed
For Oklahoma State, just fielding a team has become difficult. Last week, the Cowboys dismissed three players from the program, including four-leading scorer Michael Weathers. With grad transfer Mike Cunningham leaving the program in December, the Cowboys are down to seven available scholarship players, so depth has quickly become a concern, as is the overall talent on the roster.
The one thing the Cowboys have going for them is their outside shooting. Both Lindy Waters III and Thomas Dziagwa are shooting over 40% from the perimeter. Top scorer Cameron McGriff is also a capable outside shooter at around 35%. However, with their recent roster turnover, the Cowboys are greatly undersized and prone to getting beat on the boards. If the Cowboys don’t have a strong shooting performance to overcompensate for their lack of size, they have slim odds of winning.
Not Keeping Up
The strong defense that helped Oklahoma to a few key wins during the non-conference part of their schedule hasn’t been the same in the Big 12. The Sooners are giving up over 70 points per game over their six league games, failing to keep opposing teams in check. With the loss of Trae Young and his 27 points per game from last season, Oklahoma just doesn’t have the offensive firepower to keep up in shootouts. They are a modest 7-5 when their opponents top 65 points in a game.
Senior Christian James continues to be a consistent force, averaging 17 points per game. However, second-leading scorer Brady Manek has just 14 total points over his last two games, both losses. Third-leading scorer Kristian Doolittle has just five games this year with double-digit scoring performances. Consistent scoring from Oklahoma’s supporting cast isn’t a given, and when it doesn’t come, the Sooners struggle to win games.
Sooner Sweep
When these two teams met earlier this season, Oklahoma out-rebounded Oklahoma State by 12. To make matters worse, players who accounted for over one-third of OSU’s rebounds in that game are no longer with the Cowboys. The Sooners are poised to dominate on the boards and limit Oklahoma State’s perimeter shooting enough to win and cover the 3-point spread. Bet on Oklahoma to win and cover on the road.
