Oklahoma Sooners Basketball at Oklahoma State: Preview, Thread & How to Watch

The No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners are trying to right the ship following a tough loss at Kansas State, but the task won’t be easy against the Oklahoma State Cowboys in Stillwater.

Oklahoma (14-3, 4-2) at Oklahoma State (12-6, 2-4): 1 p.m. CT

TV: ESPN

Commentary: Jason Benetti and Robbie Hummel

Live Stream: WatchESPN

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

Line: Oklahoma -4 (as of 9 a.m. CT)

About Oklahoma State

• Since Oklahoma’s 109-89 win over Oklahoma State on Jan. 3, the Cowboys have picked up a pair of home wins (Iowa State, Texas) and a pair of losses away from GIA (Kansas State, Baylor).
• In the first edition of Bedlam 2018, Oklahoma State guard and Norman Native Lindy Waters was notably absent with a minor neck injury suffered in practice. Since returning, Waters is averaging 7.5 PPG and has struggled to find his shot.
• Oklahoma State is 11-2 at Gallagher-Iba Arena this season, with those two losses coming to teams currently ranked in the top 10 - Wichita State and West Virginia.
• Senior guard Jeffery Carroll was playing very well in conference play until his most recent outing against Baylor in which he was 2-12 from the field and 0-5 from beyond the arc.

3 Things

• Will Trae Young bounce back? - Probably, at least relatively speaking. His performance on Tuesday was his worst as a Sooner, but the solution is right in front of our eyes. Trae simply tried to do too much in Manhattan and did so in situations that were less than ideal. Trae is an unselfish player by nature, but he wasn’t doing quite enough to get his teammates involved at Kansas State. The Wildcats can be credited with a lot of that, as they were quite active in the passing lanes. When Trae did go the extra mile to get his teammates involved, he perhaps went a mile too far by trying to make the spectacular pass. Trae just needs to calm down and do what has worked all season — get his teammates going and pick the defense apart once his opponents are forced to respect them.
• Rashard Odomes - Odomes is someone who is a bit limited offensively due to the fact that he isn’t much of a shooter, but what I love about him is that he plays within his game and is usually efficient at what he does. When things aren’t going well offensively, I’d like to see OU get him involved offensively by providing him with opportunities to get to the basket. OU has done just that at times and it has usually been fruitful, as he moves very well without the ball and is a great finisher around the rim, where he often draws contact.
• The Bedlam Series - Oklahoma has won three of the last four meetings in Stillwater and nearly pulled off an upset in last year’s game. The series currently sits at 137-97 in favor of OU, with Oklahoma State holding a 63-45 advantage in Stillwater. This series isn’t quite as contentious as it was 15 years ago, but it’s always going to be important for the local guys. In-state freshmen Brady Manek and Trae Young demonstrated that on Jan. 3 when the two scored 28 and 27, respectively.

Prediction

If Trae Young keeps himself composed and doesn’t force things too often, Oklahoma’s chances are pretty great. If Young limits the turnovers and effectively gets Manek, James, Odomes and his bigs involved, Oklahoma State doesn’t have the firepower to match what Oklahoma brings to the table offensively. After a wake-up call earlier in the week, I expect Oklahoma to be a bit less sloppy offensively and a bit more sound defensively.

Oklahoma 92, Oklahoma State 86