The No. 1-ranked Oklahoma Sooners (18-2), the Big 12’s top scoring team, will go head-to-head against the TCU Horned Frogs (10-11) at Lloyd Noble Center. Action begins at 8:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Feb. 2 and can be seen on ESW and ES3.
The Sooners enter this game hoping for similar success after barely hanging on to beat LSU 77-75 on Saturday. Buddy Hield was the game’s leading scorer with 32 points on 11-for-22 shooting. The Horned Frogs, meanwhile, are coming off a 75-63 win against Tennessee on Saturday. Chris Washburn had a good game for TCU, accounting for 14 points, nine rebounds, and five assists.
Isaiah Cousins has taken his game to another level over the last five games for the Sooners. During that stretch, he has averaged 17.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 2.0 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 2.2 three-pointers.
The Oklahoma defense could make it difficult on the shooters from TCU. It ranks 22nd in the nation in forcing misses (opponents’ eFG% of 45.0%), while the TCU offense is 313th with a mark of 46.2%. Furthermore, getting to the line could play a crucial role for the Horned Frogs. They rank 18th in the nation in FTA rate (45.0). However, the Sooners are among the best in the nation at keeping opponents off the charity stripe (ranking eighth at 24.9).
This one isn’t expected to be close when Oklahoma, a substantial 19-point favorite, takes on TCU. According to the oddsmakers, the Over/Under (O/U) is currently 145 points. The Sooners come into this game 18-2 Straight Up (SU) and 9-9 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a solid 8-2 SU record over their last 10 games, but have not fared as well ATS (3-7). The Sooners are one of the best in Division I in terms of field-goal percentage, shooting an impressive .476 from the field. The rebounding edge goes to the Sooners in this matchup, who are one of the top rebounding teams in the nation with an average of 41.1 boards per game. Oklahoma’s defense has fallen apart in the past 10 games. Its average points allowed per game rose to 77.5 during that span, compared to its 71.5 season average. The Sooners have really locked down opponents on the defensive end, ranking 27th in the country with a .394 opponent field-goal percentage. Opponents have consistently had their shots rejected by the Sooners, ranking sixth in the country in blocks per game with 6.0.
In the other locker room, the Horned Frogs have records of 7-8 ATS and 10-11 SU.
This game marks the season’s first head-to-head clash between these conference foes. Their previous game was a Sooners victory, bumping their SU record to 7-1 over TCU in their most recent meetings. Furthermore, Oklahoma holds the advantage ATS with a record of 5-3. Over the last five matchups, Oklahoma held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers twice. TCU performed this feat one time.
Predictions: SU Winner – Okla, ATS Winner – Okla, O/U – Over
Notes
Oklahoma is 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games.
Oklahoma is 18-2 SU in its last 20 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Oklahoma’s last 6 games.
Oklahoma is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
Oklahoma is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing TCU.
Oklahoma is one of the top-scoring teams, averaging 85.3 points per game (ranked fifth). TCU allows 68.3 points per game (ranked 100th).
The Oklahoma Sooners rank 21st for their offensive rating of 116.1. The TCU Horned Frogs have a defensive rating of 98.7 (ranked 90th).
On average, Oklahoma has 73.5 possessions per game and scores 1.161 points on each possession. TCU has both fewer possessions (70.1) and scores fewer points during those possessions (.979).
Oklahoma is ranked eighth in the nation with an average effective field goal percentage of 56.6%. TCU has not won a game this season when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage (0-5).
On average, the Oklahoma Sooners attempt 24.0 three point field goals per game and the TCU Horned Frogs attempt 16.0. In games where they attempt at least 20 three pointers, Oklahoma has an outstanding record of 14-2, while TCU has a losing record of 1-2.
Oklahoma ranks 64th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.25. TCU is ranked lower at 300th with an A/TO of .86.
Ranked 23rd in the nation, Oklahoma averages 41.1 rebounds per game. TCU ranks lower at 221st with 35.8 RPG.
The TCU Horned Frogs make an average of 6.0 steals per game. When the Oklahoma Sooners give up 6 or more steals, they are a superb 14-1.
