With a tilt between two 0-2 conference teams coming tonight at 6 p.m., we chatted with Bob Przybylo of SoonerScoop.com to get a feel for Oklahoma after its first two conference games that ended in a loss.
Both teams have had frustrating, closely contested losses to start conference play so it will be an important one to have for both teams, obviously.
How have the Sooners looked through their first two conference games?
Good enough to win but just bad enough to come up short. This was a very familiar tune for OU fans in the first year under Porter Moser, and the belief was this team had the pieces to be able to figure it out in the final five minutes.
But when you lose 70-69 vs. Texas and 63-60 vs. Iowa State in back-to-back home games to start the conference, you just don’t know if the Sooners can find the answers.
Four of OU’s five losses have come by a combined nine points. They’re there, but you have to finish the job. Or as Moser said after Wednesday’s defeat, ‘I’m not in it to be close.’
Things are never clicking at the same time. If the offense is rolling, the defense is faltering. If the defense is up to the task, there is offensive struggles.
It’s as much of a mental test right now. You can’t lament about being 0-2 when the next two games are in Lubbock and Lawrence. Good luck.
What's led to Grant Sherfield's great start?
All Sherfield really did was take the production he had at two years with Nevada and translate it to the non-conference portion of OU’s schedule.
OK, now he has to figure everything out because UT and ISU are letting Sherfield know it’s a whole different game when you hit the Big 12.
Sherfield did not adjust well vs. the Cyclones, scoring four points with zero assists. OU isn’t going to win any games if Sherfield has another performance like that.
He’s a great point guard, a quality shooter, but the usage rate has been ridiculously high in the first two months. It won’t decrease in conference play. He’s going to need to find another gear somehow.
How will the Groves’ brothers affect the game?
Tanner Groves absolutely will if he can stay out of foul trouble. That’s been his problem in each of his two seasons with the Sooners. And bad fouls, too. Not like ones you understand and can tolerate. But like being out of position and trying to compensate for not being in the right place.
Tanner is still the heart of the team, so it’s crucial he avoid those early fouls. Jacob Groves might be the most improved player on the team, especially when he’s making his 3-pointers.
Jacob has done a better job of still affecting the game when he’s not hitting, but OU’s offensive dynamic changes considerably when he is able to drain some from downtown and force defenses to come guard him that far away from the basket.
How do you expect the Sooners to play against the no-middle defense?
Moser believes he saw the blueprint with Tech against ISU. He feels it’s the same type of flooding and swarming style. What he’s been preaching is for OU to pass off of two feet. Do not get caught in the air trying to make something happen, or you’re going to be called for charging.
It’s about being smart and about OU valuing every possession. If the last two losses haven’t taught OU anything in that regard, then nothing will.
Prediction for how this one plays out?
Two incredibly desperate teams. It’s amazing to think one of these two teams is going to be 0-3 and essentially out of the conference race before it has even really begun.
The mental bounce back for both is going to be intriguing to watch. Who is able to push the disappointment to the side and move forward?
OU is healthy, so the Sooners might have an edge there if Tech is missing a couple of its key parts.
Still, it’s Lubbock. It’s a hectic atmosphere, and it’s hard at this point to trust this Sooners team to get it done when it matters most.
Close, competitive, and another head-shaking loss would be the biggest prevailing thought.
