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Oklahoma Sooners Basketball vs. UTSA Preview, Game Thread & How to Watch

Former OU assistant coach Steve Henson returns to the the Lloyd Noble Center as UTSA’s head coach.

By Jack Shields
University of Oregon v University of Oklahoma Getty Images

The Oklahoma Sooners will play at the friendly confines of the Lloyd Noble Center for the final time until Dec. 19, and a very familiar face will be on the other side of things.

Oklahoma (5-1) vs. UTSA (5-4): 7 p.m. CT

TV: FS Oklahoma

Live Stream: Fox Sports Go

Crew: Chad McKee, Bryndon Manzer and Jessica Coody

Radio: Sooner Radio Network (KRXO 107.7 FM “The Franchise” in Oklahoma City; KTBZ 1430 AM in Tulsa)

About UT-San Antonio

  • The Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners come into down with second-year head coach Steve Henson, who was Lon Kruger’s top assistant at Oklahoma until the offseason following the Sooners’ 2016 Final Four run.
  • Former Oklahoma Sooner Dante Buford is now on the UTSA roster after transferring this past offseason. However, Buford will not be on the floor, as he has to sit out this season due to NCAA transfer rules.
  • Freshman guard Jhivvan Jackson leads the Roadrunners in scoring with 16 PPG. Keaton Wallace, the only other active player averaging double-figures, has contributed 15 per contest. The floor general for this team is Italian sophomore Giovanni De Nicolao, who is averaging 9.3 points and 4.1 assists per game.
  • The Roadrunners have a record of 5-4 and are currently 235th in the KenPom Rankings.

3 Things

  • Perimeter defense - Oklahoma allowed nine three-pointers in the first half against North Texas last Thursday, and many of those came on open looks. The second half was better, but a complete defensive performance tonight would ease some concerns heading into a tough stretch.
  • Trae Young - Young has now scored 30-plus points in three consecutive games. Will he make it a fourth tonight? Additionally, Young leads the nation in scoring with 28.8 per game and is third in assists with 8.8, so hopefully he can at least hold onto those spots tonight.
  • Ball movement - Even when Oklahoma’s offense hasn’t been that great, the ball movement has been encouraging. The Sooners are 12th nationally in assists per game at 19.3, which is a stark contrast lo lats season’s ranking of 331 in that category.

Prediction - We’ve come to expect big games from Trae Young at this point, but look for someone else to have a breakout night as a scorer. My money is on Christian James to score more than 15 tonight in a more comfortable win than the one we saw on Thursday.

Oklahoma 95, UTSA 71

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