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The Oklahoma Sooners have been excellent at home this season collecting five wins by an average margin of 26.4 points per game. Behind new found talent in the front court and experience in the back court, Lon Kruger has this team playing effectively and with pace. Forcing turnovers and scoring in transition make OU a tough test for anyone regardless of the 8-3 record. Wednesday evening's match-up against George Mason should be no different.
Consistently moving toward a more balanced style of play, the Sooners have four players averaging double-digits in scoring. Although the team is led by Buddy Hield, the star guard has struggled recently. That puts the attention on Isaiah Cousins who continues to progress making strides through the non-conference portion of the schedule. Needless to say, Cousins could be the player to watch moving forward.
On the other side of the court, George Mason enters Wednesday evening with a 5-6 record on the season. Already having played a Big XII conference member in West Virginia, the Patriots possess a good idea of exactly how physical the conference can be. Averaging 68.8 points per game GMU turns to three players, all pouring in 10+ points.
Leading the way, Patrick Holloway receives a ton of minutes and puts up 12.8 points per game. Shevon Thompson follows up with another 12.7 while Marquise Moore adds another 10.9 points per contest. However, much of the focus must be put on Thompson.
A Kingston, Jamaica native, Thompson stands 6-11 proving to have a height advantage over many opponents. Oklahoma will start two players who are considered undersized at 6-8 in the blocks. With the ability to bang bodies, Thompson has the potential to disrupt the strength of the Sooners...rebounding to get out in transition. That doesn't mean the task remains simple with Ryan Spangler taking the floor as one of the nation's premier rebounders.
Look for that pairing to decide a large part of this game. Tipoff is at 4 PM CST and can be found on FS Southwest.