clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

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

The Sooners have only played one game since the last meeting with Iowa State, so OU will hopefully be fresh.

NCAA Basketball: Oklahoma at Texas Tech Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

The No. 9 Oklahoma Sooners have only played one game since the last meeting with the Iowa St. Cyclones, so OU will hopefully be fresh for today’s matchup in Ames.

No. 9 Oklahoma Sooners (13-5, 8-4 Big 12) at Iowa State (2-15, 0-12 Big 12): 5 p.m. CT at Hilton Coliseum (Ames, Iowa)

TV: ESPN2

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Commentary: Mark Neely and Tim Welsh

Radio: Sooner Sports Radio Network (KRXO 107.7 FM The Franchise in Oklahoma City; KTBZ 1430 AM in Tulsa; Tune In Radio App) with Toby Rowland and Kevin Henry announcing

Line: Oklahoma -12 (as of 10 a.m. CT)

About Iowa State

  • Since the last meeting, Iowa State has dropped games to TCU (79-76) Kansas (97-64, 64-50) and Oklahoma State (76-58).
  • The Cyclones are led by guard Rasir Bolton, who averages 15.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.5 steals per outing. However, Jalen Coleman-Lands has had the hot hand, as he’s averaged over 17 PPG since the last meeting and scored 20 in each matchup with Kansas.
  • After hitting 16 of their 31 three-point attempts in the last meeting, the Cyclones have cooled down significantly, hitting just shy of 27 percent of their attempts since then.

Three Things

Hilton skid - OU has lost nine straight at Hilton Coliseum, with the last win coming in Jeff Capel’s final season (2011). Iowa State is not its usual self in 2021, and the capacity will be limited, so now is as good an opportunity as any to end the streak.

Bracketology - ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has the Sooners as a No. 3 seed in his updated bracketology entry, while CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm has OU all the way up to the 2 line as of Saturday morning. Meanwhile, OU is currently No. 18 in the NCAA’s NET Rankings, which is one of the tools the selection committee utilizes to seed the field.

Umoja on fire - Transfer guard Umoja Gibson has hit 15 of his 29 three-point attempts over the last four games, averaging 15.8 points and hitting at least three threes in each of the contests.

Prediction

Austin Reaves has been nothing but clutch in his two games since returning from COVID-19 protocol, and his steady hand will be needed if Iowa State is able to keep this close once again. Fortunately, that likely won’t be needed, as a fresh OU team should come out firing on all cylinders.

Oklahoma 83, Iowa State 68