Oklahoma Preview: Can OSU Even up Bedlam against the Rebounding Sooners?

The short-handed Cowboys, currently trudging knee-deep through the best top-to-bottom league in college basketball, are still trying to find their way in the post-Jawun Evans era. For a rookie head coach and what’s become an increasingly-depleted roster, wins haven’t come easy.

Bring your boots, because it’s about to get deeper.

• When: Saturday, Jan. 20 at 1 p.m.

• Where: Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla.

• TV/crew: ESPN; Jason Benneti, Robbie Hummel

• Webcast: ESPN3.com or ESPN app

• Radio: Cowboy Radio Network (Dave Hunziker and John Holcomb)

• Satellite Radio: Sirius 81, XM 81 (OSU radio call)

The Cowboys lost big in Norman a couple of weeks ago on an off night from Trae Young but with OU’s supporting cast coming up big. Can the Cowboys defend home court against a Sooner team fresh of its own loss?

Let’s take a look at these two teams as they stack up by KenPom’s Four Factors.

Offense

The Sooners have 10 players shooting over 40 percent from the field, including their top three scorers in Trae Young, Christian James and Brady Manek. But everything flows through Young, who the Cowboys actually did a decent job of slowing down in Norman.

Oklahoma State will need to own the offensive glass and limit turnovers to have a shot at keeping up with No. 2 scoring offense in America.

Defense

OU is not an elite defensive team but they haven’t had to be for the most part. If OSU wants a blueprint for going 1-1 in Bedlam this year, they can look at Kansas State who just bested the Sooners 87-69 in Manhattan.

Pressure Young, try to force the ball out of his hands early and close out on shooters because his court vision is elite and if you give him a chance to make a play, more times than not, he will. And lastly, you just have to pray that Young and his cohorts miss a few shots they normally make. Hopefully, the Wildcats didn’t use up all of the anti-Sooner luck on Tuesday.

Key For OSU: The Other Guys

In Round 1 of Bedlam, the Cowboys actually did a pretty good job corralling the favorite for the John R. Wooden Award. OSU held Young to just 7 of 17 from the field and just 1 of 6 from 3 (tying a career-worst). And they forced the freshman into six turnovers.

But Young had 10 assists and a handful of those went to fellow in-state rookie, Brady Manek. Manek exploded for 28 points on 9-of-11 shooting, including 6 of 8 from beyond the arc. It’s something OSU can’t allow this Saturday if it wants a chance at a W.

“I think that’s a big deal,” said Mitchell Solomon about limiting guys like Manek. “Obviously, Trae’s going to get his points so anytime you can limit the other guys from contributing, that’s a big part of their game.”

Key for OSU: Consistency

It sounds simple enough, but the Cowboys have struggled to put together complete halves, much less complete games. Some of that is a product of having a depleted roster, and honestly, being outmatched from a talent standpoint most nights in college basketball’s best league.

But consistency and effort are controllable and Mike Boynton says his team can still improve on that front.

“It’s a matter of having a consistent focus and know that every team in this league is capable of making a 10-0 run on us and putting the game at a place where it’s hard to come back,” said Boynton. “So we can’t have those lapses on either end of the court. We’ve just got to find a way to play consistently for 40 minutes.”

Prediction

KenPom gives OSU just a 37-percent chance of earning its third Big 12 win against the Sooners. That’s probably about where I’d put it, as well. The Cowboys need to be more consistent and play a great 40 minutes. But unfortunately, even if Oklahoma State does all that and plays its best game, it may not be enough. Young and Co. can put up points in a hurry and I’m not sure the Cowboys can keep up.