Sooners look to keep momentum rolling against Arizona State
It was not an ideal start to the season for Oklahoma with a road loss to Gonzaga, one of the best teams in the country, and a neutral site loss to Nebraska where the Sooners had a very poor defensive showing.
There were plenty of questions about this Oklahoma team heading into its matchup with Marquette last Friday. The first half performance against the Golden Eagles did nothing but amplify those concerns.
One of those questions surrounded Tae Davis. This roster was built around the idea of Davis being a hub offensively and one of Oklahoma’s best players, if not the best. That did not show early, not until a switch seemingly flipped in the second half against Marquette. That shift ultimately propelled the Sooners to a 75-74 win.
Porter Moser’s squad followed that up by going on the road and grabbing a convincing win over Wake Forest. It marked the second non-conference road win in the Moser era. Everything that appeared to click with Davis and the team as a whole against Marquette showed up again versus Wake Forest.
Oklahoma cruised to an 86-68 win in Winston Salem in the SEC ACC Challenge, powered by 18 points from Davis and 18 points from Derrion Reid. Mohamed Wague delivered a standout performance as well with 11 points and 14 rebounds in a career-high 33 minutes. The Sooners pulled away in the second half, a half that was arguably the most impressive stretch of basketball from an Oklahoma team in Moser’s time in Norman.
Now 6-2, Oklahoma needs to finish non-conference play 11-2 to feel good going into SEC play. That means going 2-0 in the next two contests. It starts Saturday night in Phoenix against 6-2 Arizona State at 9 pm CT on CBS Sports Network.
Bobby Hurley’s Sun Devils have losses to Gonzaga, a 77-65 defeat at home, and an 88-75 loss to USC in Maui. Their most impressive win came in Maui against Texas, an 87-86 victory on a buzzer beater three.
Here are three keys to the game for Oklahoma in what is a must-win non-conference matchup.
Defensive improvement continued
The biggest concern early was Oklahoma’s defense. The Sooners posted a defensive rating of 132.3 against Nebraska while giving up 105 points, the worst non-conference defensive rating under Moser.
But it is clear part of the reason Oklahoma has looked much better these past two games is due to defensive growth. Against Wake Forest, the defensive rating improved to 93.0, the program’s second best mark of the season.
This allowed Oklahoma to get out in transition and helped the offense generate rhythm. Moser mentioned that Friday morning: “I think we’re so much better when we’re in transition, and you can’t get in transition without getting stops. So we’re getting more stops. I think we can run more. We call them DCOs: our defense creates our offense. Look at the start of the second half. We had a couple great possessions.”
Bounce back game for Xzayvier Brown
Brown sprained his ankle against Alcorn State. He has not missed time, but against Marquette especially it was something to note. Brown struggled in that game, and the ankle injury probably had something to do with why he struggled.
Against Wake Forest his shot still did not look comfortable, potentially due to the ankle not being 100 percent, which is part of why it looks flat. But he still impacted the game in multiple ways. Despite shooting 3-11, he finished with 11 points, five rebounds, five assists, and three steals.
The impressive part of Oklahoma’s last two wins is they came without strong shooting nights from Brown. We have not seen a game where Davis is playing at this level, Pack is shooting it the way he is, Reid is contributing the way he has, and Brown is added scoring on top of it. It has not all come together at the same time.
Maybe this is the game where Brown bounces back. We know he can score. He has done it against Nebraska and Gonzaga. The question is what it looks like with Brown scoring on top of the level this team has played at the last two outings. It would certainly be nice to see him get back on track on Saturday.
Slow down Odum and Johnson
For the Sun Devils it begins with Moe Odum, a senior guard who transferred from Pepperdine. He is averaging 19.1 points and six assists. Odum had his breakout performance in Maui with 36 points on 6-12 shooting from deep, including the game winner against Texas.
“I think his NBA comparison is Kemba Walker. The way he scores and shoots off the dribble. The way he can draw fouls. He has a midrange game that is elite. His off-the-dribble three point game is what is really unique.”
Arizona State also has another older guard who can score it in Anthony Johnson, who averages 13.5 points off the bench. “Johnson is one of the most electric transition players we have scouted and he averages almost 14 a game in 23 minutes.”
Defending ASU’s guards will be a major key for the Sooners and a test for Nijel Pack, Xzayvier Brown, and Dayton Forsythe. This is a game where having Jadon Jones provides real value defensively, and Oklahoma will likely use him on Odum and Johnson.
Not a subscriber? Join OUInsider now and get your first week for just $1. No, this deal is NOT too good to be true! Take advantage today and get the market’s best Oklahoma football and recruiting intel!
Click HERE to subscribe today!