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Oklahoma Sooners – Oklahoma State Cowboys Preview – 01.13.2016

Big 12 foes will lock horns when the Oklahoma State Cowboys (9-6) play the No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners (13-1) at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Action begins at 9:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Jan. 13 and can be seen on ESU and ES3.

The Cowboys are hoping to rebound after their 77-60 loss to West Virginia on Saturday. Jawun Evans was the team’s leading scorer with 13 points. The Sooners, meanwhile, are coming off an 86-76 win against Kansas State on Saturday. Buddy Hield led the game in scoring by accounting for 31 points on 11-for-14 shooting.

Jordan Woodard and Hield have upped their production over the last five games for the Sooners. Woodard has averaged 19.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.8 steals, and 3.2 three-pointers during that stretch, while Hield has put up 32.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 0.6 steals, and 4.8 three-pointers.

It’s a matchup of two different tempos, as the up-and-down Sooners (ranked eighth in the nation in possessions per game) square off against the methodical Cowboys (323rd).

The Cowboys come into this game 9-6 Straight Up (SU) and 7-6 Against The Spread (ATS). The Cowboys are one of the best in Division I in terms of free throw percentage, shooting an impressive .737 from the free throw line. Turning to the defensive side, opponents have consistently had their shots rejected by the Cowboys, ranking 32nd in the country in blocks per game with 5.3.

Over on the other bench, the Sooners have 13-1 SU and 7-5 ATS records. The Sooners have controlled the glass with an average of 44.4 rebounds per game, fourth in the country. The Oklahoma defense has been a problem for competitors, allowing only .376 shooting from the field to its opponents.

These conference foes meet for what will be their first head-to-head battle of the season. Oklahoma won the last game in the matchup, bumping its SU record over their most recent meetings to 8-2. The Sooners also lead the matchup ATS with a record of 9-1. Oklahoma held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers three times in the last five matchups. On the other side of the court, Oklahoma State never accomplished this feat in that span.

Predictions: SU Winner – Okla, ATS Winner – Okla

Notes

Oklahoma State is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home.

Oklahoma State is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Oklahoma.

Oklahoma State is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Oklahoma.

Oklahoma State is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Oklahoma.

The total has gone OVER in 6 of Oklahoma State’s last 8 games when playing at home against Oklahoma.

The Oklahoma Sooners have a defensive rating of 94.2 (ranked 29th), while the Oklahoma State Cowboys have an offensive rating of 106.5 (ranked 158th).

With 65.8 possessions and 1.065 points per possession, the Oklahoma State Cowboys perform worse on both metrics than the Oklahoma Sooners. Oklahoma averages 75.9 possessions and 1.163 points per possession.

The Oklahoma State Cowboys average an effective field goal percentage of 49.5% this season. The Oklahoma Sooners are a perfect 2-0 in games where opponents have an eFG% of 49.5% or greater.

On average, Oklahoma State attempts 17.0 three pointers and Oklahoma attempts 22.0. Both teams have winning records when they have 20 or more three point attempts. The Oklahoma State Cowboys sit at 2-1 and the Oklahoma Sooners are 9-1.

Oklahoma ranks 52nd in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.29. Oklahoma State is ranked lower at 143rd with an A/TO of 1.10.

Ranked fourth in the nation, Oklahoma averages 44.4 rebounds per game. Oklahoma State ranks lower at 190th with 36.5 RPG.

The Oklahoma State Cowboys make an average of 5.8 steals per game. When the Oklahoma Sooners allow 5 or more steals, they are a formidable 11-1.

Written by GMS Previews

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