Oklahoma is looking to earn its first conference win when the Sooners travel to Stillwater to take on Oklahoma State at 6 p.m. CT on Monday.
The Sooners are coming off back-to-back blowout losses to Missouri and Kansas after a 10-2 non-conference record. OU’s strong rebounding and good shooting, keys to their non-conference success, has left them early in Big 12 play. Their one constant has been defensive effort, which should give them an advantage heading into Bedlam.
The Cowboys enter the game at 8-7 overall (1-1 in Big 12). There’s plenty of unrest in Stillwater with point guards Reger Dowell and Fred Gulley leaving the team after Christmas leaving freshman Cezar Guerrero and Keiton Page to handle most of the ball handling duties. To top it off, OSU lost third-leading scorer J.P. Olukemi for the season after he suffered a torn ACL.
Both teams need something good to happen to get them moving in a positive direction, making for an intense Bedlam battle.
Key to OU win: Sam Grooms needs to win the point guard battle. If Grooms can control the game and the tempo it will allow Steven Pledger to get quality shots and Andrew Fitzgerald to do his work inside. Grooms will set the tone, particularly on defense, for the Sooners.
Key to OSU win: The Cowboys will have to win the battle on the perimeter with Page and Guerrero having terrific games. If the Cowboys come out and have a great shooting game, they will be tough to beat. Freshman LeBryan Nash will also need to step up with a great first Bedlam. A top 2011 recruit, Nash can be a matchup nightmare when he’s playing well.
Stat line that will tell the tale: OSU assists. The ball tends to stick in people’s hands on offense for OSU, meaning the Cowboys often go one-on-one instead of running the offense to get quality shots. If they share the ball, they’re a different team.
Sooners X factor: Andrew Fitzgerald. The junior forward is the best inside scoring threat in this game. He has quality post moves and the Sooners tend to try to get him involved early. If he has a good game, OU could be tough to beat.
Cowboys X factor: Phillip Jurick. A quality shot blocker, Jurick could have a big impact on this game if he is able to contain Fitzgerald and lessen the offensive rebounding of Romero Osby. He averages 2.3 blocks per game in 18.3 minutes of action.