Oklahoma Sooners Basketball vs. Kansas State: Preview, Thread & How to Watch

After a gutsy victory over TCU this past weekend, the Oklahoma Sooners will look to get above .500 in conference play as they face the Kansas State Wildcats at the LNC.

No. 20 Oklahoma (13-3, 2-2) vs. Kansas State (12-4, 2-2): 6 p.m. CT at Lloyd Noble Center (Norman, Okla.)

TV: ESPN2

Commentary: Mark Neely and Chris Spatolas

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Radio: Sooner Radio Network (KRXO 107.7 FM “The Franchise” in Oklahoma City; KTBZ 1430 AM in Tulsa), Toby Rowland and Kevin Henry announcing

Line: Oklahoma -5.5 (as of 3:45 p.m. CT)

About Kansas State

• With an adjusted tempo ranked 313th nationally, and adjusted offensive efficiency ranked 211th and an adjusted defense efficiency ranked 6th, Kansas State is accustomed to rock fights. The Wildcats came out on top in once such game this past weekend, as K-State grabbed a 59-58 win in over Iowa State in Ames.
• Forward Dean Wade missed six consecutive games with a foot injury, but he returned to the lineup and played 22 minutes in Saturday’s win. The Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year is averaging 12.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists per contest this season.
• K-State has been led by senior guard Barry Brown, who is averaging 15.2 points and 1.9 steals. Senior guard Kamau Stokes and junior forward Xavier Sneed are averaging double-figures scoring at 10.9 and 10.1, respectively.

Storylines

• The Rise of Doolittle - Edmond native Kristian Doolittle led his team to a close victory over TCU with dominant play down the stretch, but this run of form began back in late December. Over the past six games, he has averaged 14.7 PPG and 8 RPG, and it’s readily apparent that the junior is turning into the guy we all thought he could be at the end of his freshman season.
• Tentative Play? - Jamuni McNeace was able to start at center and play 22 minutes on Saturday, but he just hasn’t quite shown the same explosive and energetic play since suffering that ankle injury back in early December. Part of it could be that the ankle is still recovering, but it’s also possible that there’s still a mental hurdle for him to overcome. I’d imagine that it’s a combination of the two, but OU will be even more of a handful for opposing teams if he can get comfortable again.
• Three-Point Shooting - Oklahoma hasn’t had a game with a three-point shooting average over .333 since its Dec. 8 win over Wichita State. Part of that is due to leading scorer Christian James cooling down from deep, as he’s connected on only 14.9 percent of his three-point attempts during that seven-game span. If he can get that turned around, OU will likely be able to beat good teams by wide margins instead of having to slug it out (as has been the case lately).