Jayhawks look to get the sweep over the Sooners
Have we had enough time to recover and block Monday night from our memories? If not, perhaps a win this afternoon could help. As has been the case the past two months, Kansas comes into today’s matchup against Oklahoma looking for their first decent road win of the season. The Sooners are also coming off a big road loss, theirs coming at the hands of Baylor. Both teams seem to be in “1 step forward, 1 step back” mode, as neither have seized too much momentum in conference. A healthy Kevin McCullar could help KU find something though. He resumed practice this week and should be available against Oklahoma. Here’s a quick breakdown on what he and the Jayhawks will be facing in the Sooners.
Oklahoma Defense
The golden number for the Sooners is 70. They’re 16-2 when they hold their opponent under 70 points and 16-0 when they score 70 themselves. Their defense is 23rd on Kenpom, and they hold opponents to an effective field goal percentage of 45.7-15th best in the country. Their defense is unique in that it’s so good, but is actually last int he Big 12 at forcing turnovers. Remember that KU set a program record with just 2 the first time they played OU this season. The Sooners play smart, sound defense, and force opponents into tough shots rather than going for a bunch of steals. Most recently in Norman, they held the high flying BYU offense to just 66 points, while only forcing 6 turnovers. They’re a middle of the pack team in turning the ball over themselves, so Kansas will have to take advantage of whatever turnover margin they can get. When KU isn’t turning it over, they’re going to need a way to find looks against a defense that doesn’t give up very many good ones. Dickinson and Adams will certainly need to rebound after both having their worst games of the season against Texas Tech.
Oklahoma Offense
The Sooners are a much deeper team than Kansas (although who isn’t). They’ve got 6 guys who score at least 8 points per game, and 8 players who average over 17 minutes. Unfortunately, they’ll likely be without two of those players, as it doesn’t look like Rivaldo Soares or John Hugley won’t play. But that’s what depth is for after all, and Oklahoma is still a formidable opponent. On the offensive side, they’re lead by Sienna transfer Javian McCollum. The 6’2 guard scored 17 points his first time against Kansas, but did turn it over 6 times. He’s very shifty with the ball and sports a nice crossover that he’ll use to get to the rim. And most impressive, McCollum is perhaps the best free throw shooter in the country, shooting 93% from the line. KU will need to defend him and the rest of the Sooners when they get into the paint. Oklahoma is the 25th best team at the country when it comes to shooting 2s. And when they kick it out to the perimeter, KU will also have to watch out for Otega Oweh and Jalon Moore, who both shoot above 40% from 3.
Keys and Prediction
Keys for a KU win
- Win points in the paint battle
- Clean entry passes to Dickinson to get some good looks
- Force some turnovers
With Kansas getting healthy and Oklahoma going the other way in that regard, there’s never been a better opportunity for a good road win.
Prediction: Kansas 72 Oklahoma 68