The Missouri Tigers were walking into a test of focus after coming off a win against another top 10 opponent in the Kansas Jayhawks. The nation had already been shocked once in let down as the Tigers fell to the Oklahoma St. Cowboys. However, this time around, Mizzou barely passed as Coach Frank Haith made a call most coaches won't.

Up three with under a minute to play, Haith made the call to foul Oklahoma putting them on the line. Of course this is the smart decision as it allows for two points to be scored free of charge with no time coming off the clock while hanging on to a single point lead. Romero Osby misses both tries while Steven Pledger collects the offensive board and fires a three ball that was off target in the closing seconds to send it into overtime.

If there were a check list of things Lon Kruger and his squad needed to do, this would be them.

1) OU had to win the rebounding margin...Check! The Sooners learned from their past mistakes and dominated the glass 31-18 along with 10 second chance boards.

2) Steven Pledger had to find his rhythm...Check! Pledger found his shot from range hitting 5-9 from range which helped to spread the floor. He would finish with a team high 22 points.

3) The supporting cast had to contribute...Check! Sam Grooms stepped up in a big way dishing out 10 dimes to go along with 17 points. While Grooms is not a "normal" scoring option, he protects the ball and makes good decisions with the ball in his hands. Andrew Fitzgerald hit the double digit mark with 12 points. Now, if you remember correctly, I said the Big 3 would have to all hit double digits for Oklahoma to keep this one respectable. Romero Osby contributed 9 points, but when Grooms gets it going like he did early, someone will hit a slump.

The one thing that was not accounted for in the preview was free throws, something that was not a concern because the team was shooting 74.6% from the charity stripe. However, if this game had to be summed up in a quick recap, it would be the dismal performance from the line. Oklahoma shot a mere 39.1% in tonight's loss from the stripe after both teams scorched the nets. In a close game, FTs are a major factor and 9-23 just isn't going to cut it.

Tip: 6:03 PM (CST)

Location: Lloyd Noble Center

Television: ESPNU

Web: watchespn.com

Radio: Sooner Radio Network

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January 3rd is not a date any basketball fans want to remember from this season. The Oklahoma Sooners traveled to Columbia, MO to take on a highly ranked Missouri Tigers squad in their conference opener. The end result was getting bounced to the tune of 87-49 setting the Sooners lowest point total of the season.

This time, Oklahoma will be looking to reverse that trend as the big three have got a nice rhythm going. So, what makes first year Head Coach Frank Haith's team so tough to beat?

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In what can only be described as quite possibly the most overdue victory in the history of of sports, the Oklahoma women's basketball team's win against Oklahoma State Saturday afternoon was the first win for the Sooners in the 2011-12 Bedlam Series. The Pukes, as their affectionately known outside of Stoolwater city limits, are enjoying one of the best athletic years in their history against the rival Sooners but for at least one day things were restored to their rightful order.

The final margin of victory, nine points, doesn't quite tell the whole story of the game as the lead would switch hands for most of the games. OU was able to pull away late thanks to a near heroic effort of freshman guard Sharane Campbell. The former Star Spencer Bobcat was the team's leading scorer, racked up a double-double, and as she has been all year was the spark off the bench the team needed. Campbell scored a game high 20 points and pulled down a career high 12 rebounds.

It was a game for career highs evidently as the Sooners also got a career game from Jelena Cerina (16 points) and Whitney Hand (13 rebounds). Despite her 6'5" frame, Cerina has never been a source of scoring for the women's team so the unexpected outburst was certainly a pleasant surprise while the Sooners await the return of starting post Joanna McFarland (out with a broken jaw). Hand was unusually quiet on the offensive end only scoring five points on 2-8 shooting, playing more of a facilitator role on both ends of the floor. The only other OU player in double figures was Aaryn Ellenberg who also scored 16, but continues to struggle to do so after making just 4-16 of her shots to get those 16 points.

At the end of the day, it was a much needed win for a Sooners team both from the rivalry stand point as well as the ladies' next game looming on the schedule. We talked about the Bedlam Series and OU's poor showing thus far, but the Sooners also face the #1 and undefeated Baylor Bears in Waco on Monday night. A team that beat OU in Norman by 31 points, so needless to say Monday will be a tall order.

The Iowa St. Cyclones were red hot coming into Norman and looked to continue their streak. The Oklahoma Sooners were looking to jump start the rest of their season by cooling down Royce White and the perimeter shooting we all knew was coming into town in an attempt to build confidence that would carry into the remainder of the season.

While these were the two main keys to victory for the Sooners, only one of them was upheld as the Cyclones continue to do what was once thought impossible, win and win again. Many picked them as well as the Sooners to finish near the bottom of the pack. This was certainly a battle of the Cinderellas so to speak but only one would prevail. The Cyclones dashed the dreams of confidence building for the Sooners and left them wanting more.

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Tip: 5:05 PM (CST)

Location: Lloyd Noble Center

Television: ESPN2

Web: watchespn.com

Radio: Sooner Radio Network

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The Iowa St. Cyclones are certainly the surprise team of the Big XII this year even though the Sooners have challenged for that title. While wins over the Kansas St. Wildcats and Kansas Jayhawks along with close losses to teams like the Missouri Tigers bode well for the Cyclones, they have certainly had their ups and downs. Taking a quick glance at their non-conference schedule, their tournament resume is blemished with losses to the Northern Iowa and the Drake Bulldogs. It would appear that the Cyclones struggled to find their identity through the first portion of the season but once conference play hit, they found what they were looking for.

For the Oklahoma Sooners, this is a must win. After facing ranked opponents in 6 of the first 9 conference games, the second half of the season will be watered down as there are only 2 currently ranked teams left on the schedule. The Cyclones have been one of the hottest teams recently and a win over them right now will only boost the tournament resume the Sooners are currently building on.

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The Oklahoma Sooners traveled to Lawrence, KS to take on the Kansas Jayhawks. While the Sooners had begun surging with a monster performance by Steven Pledger on Saturday, the Phog still proved to be too much to handle as the Sooners haven't won there since 1993. However, if you watched the first match-up between these teams, you would have gotten the exact same story this time around.

Oklahoma hung tough for the first half of this game, but the talent of Kansas shined in the second half as it turned into a jam fest for Thomas Robinson early with the crowd ready to blow the roof off of Allen Fieldhouse. The Phog is certainly a tough place for anyone to play as the Jayhawks make it 18 in-a-row on their home turf.

Still goes to say, that the road to the Big XII Championship will once again run through Lawrence. More to come later