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The No. 17 Oklahoma Sooners will look to snap multiple streaks as they face the Iowa State Cyclones in Ames on Saturday. OU has lost two straight games overall, five straight games on the road and six straight games at Hilton Coliseum.
Oklahoma (16-7, 6-5) at Iowa State (12-11, 3-8): 1 p.m. CT, Hilton Coliseum (14,356)
TV: ESPN
Commentary: Doug Sherman 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 -5.5 (9 a.m. CT)
About Iowa State
- Iowa State sits in the Big 12 cellar with a 3-8 conference record, but this team has the talent to beat a lot of people - particularly at home. The young Cyclones have earned convincing wins over Texas Tech and West Virginia in Ames this season.
- Freshman guard Lindell Wigginton has led the way for the Cyclones this season, scoring 15.9 PPG while hitting 44 percent of his three-point attempts. Fellow freshman Cameron Lard is a force in the paint for Iowa State, carrying a .644 FG percentage and grabbing 7.6 RPG.
- The freshmen are typically complimented by a pair of seniors in Donovan Jackson and Nick Weiler-Babb. However, Weiler-Babb has missed the past few games with tendonitis and is possibly done for the season.
3 Things
- Hilton Magic - Oklahoma’s last win in Ames came all the way back on Jan. 29 of 2011. Jeff Capel’s final OU team was off to a 10-9 start, and the program had suffered 19 consecutive losses away from the Lloyd Noble Center. However, Steven Pledger went off for 38 points in a 82-76 OT win over Fred Hoiberg’s first ISU squad. Since Lon Kruger took over, OU has lost in pretty much every way possible - blown leads, heartbreakers, blowouts, etc. His team has a real chance to snap that streak today if it can break away from some bad habits.
- Trae Young’s teammates - In Oklahoma’s Monday loss to West Virginia, Trae Young recorded only one assist. That wasn’t his fault - his teammates were failing to capitalize on the opportunities created by Young throughout the game. However, a lot of that had to do with West Virginia’s defense, but opportunities were present inside and on the perimeter. When Young plays his usual game and the likes of Manek and James come through, OU simply doesn’t lose games. If the team doesn’t put forth a complete offensive effort, however, they can lose to anyone in this meat grinder of a conference.
- Defense - Oklahoma ranks eighth in the conference in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency rating. Who comes in last in that category? Iowa State. The loss of Babb certainly hasn’t helped them as of late.
Prediction
Part of me thinks I should pick against the Sooners for a number of reasons. Oklahoma has struggled on the road. Hilton is a very tough place to play. Young’s teammates have struggled lately. At the same time, this is potentially a golden opportunity to grab a road win against a team that’s experiencing plenty of its own issues at the moment. Will the Sooners piece it together? I think they’re due.
Oklahoma 87, Iowa State 84