Oklahoma vs. TCU Preview & Game Thread (Big 12 Tournament Edition): Can the Sooners Keep Their Season Alive?

Only four days ago, the Sooners won a thriller in Norman against the Horned Frogs. Tonight, Oklahoma takes on TCU in Kansas City in the opening round of the Big 12 Tournament. Barring a miraculous run, OU’s season may only be a game or two from its end. But let’s hope for the miraculous!

Viewing Information

Oklahoma vs. TCU will be aired on ESPNU and Watch ESPN, and the game begins at 6PM CT. Watch there, comment below here and Boomer Sooner!

This Season

OU and TCU split the regular season 1-1, with both teams protecting home court. Both games combined for a difference of just eight points, with Oklahoma winning with the wider margin of five points. What was the key in these games to winning?

It was not 3-point shooting because the winning team had a worse 3-point shooting percentage than the losing team in the games they won. It also was not turnover total because the winning team turned over the ball over more than the losing team in both games.

Strengths

Although both these teams do not have great records, they both do have some strengths, but most likely have more weaknesses.

Oklahoma has been very inconsistent the whole season. They have given up leads late into the game, whether it was a small lead or not. However, they are 44th in the country in rebounds per game and 31st in blocks per game.

Despite having a veteran roster, TCU has struggled once again in Big 12 play. However, TCU is 16th in the country in assists per game and 29th in the country in blocks per game.

Game-Changers

There really wasn’t any particular player that stood out in both games, however there were a couple of guys that helped their team in the game in which they won.

In the Oklahoma win, the freshmen-duo of Kameron McGusty and Kristian Doolittle were the x-factors. McGusty put up a game-high of 22 points with Doolittle adding in 19 points and 13 rebounds.

In TCU’s 3-point win, Alex Robinson scored 18 points with Brandon Parrish added 10 points.

Prediction

Oklahoma looked solid in its last outing against TCU, but TCU looked just as strong. Despite Oklahoma’s down season, they have not stopped competing in each game. OU will come out ready to play and will “upset” TCU.

Oklahoma 71, TCU 67