OU basketball not a victim but must step up in Bedlam

It sounds a little absurd, but it’s true about OU basketball. Because when you looked at the schedule in the fall, you knew.

You knew that OU was going to be tested time and time again. And it was never ever going to come at the Lloyd Noble Center.

The sixth and final non-conference game for OU against a Power Five team and not in Norman is finally here.

It’s time for Bedlam and time for Oklahoma State at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.

OU (6-3) vs. OSU (9-0) (Paycom Center, OKC)
When: Noon on Saturday
TV: FOX

The key? Keep fighting. OU is 2-3 in that five-game stretch. And if you’re looking for a silver lining in those losses, look at the records.

OU has lost to Gonzaga, Nebraska and Arizona State. Their combined record? A whopping 27-3, including a 10-0 mark for the Huskers.

OU was up 16 points against Nebraska in South Dakota last month. The Huskers just whipped Wisconsin by 30 points Wednesday.

You didn’t want to lose three of these games, obviously. However, the path is absolutely still there.

“Thanks for bringing that up,” head coach Porter Moser told SoonerScoop. “It’s good. You know what I love? I received about four texts from the players the other night when Nebraska beat Wisconsin. I got like four texts from the players. It was like ‘that shaking head emoji, Nebraska.’ That’s the thing we’re chasing. We know we can be really good. We’ve had some tough spots at Gonzaga and at Nebraska. Those were tough, tough atmospheres, tough things that we were learning and getting better from. But the season’s so long.

“You’ve gotta be winning and learning. You cannot be hanging your head, you can’t be victim mindset, mentality. We walked out of the Nebraska game feeling that they were really good. But we were up 16, and they can really shoot it, they hit 16 threes. I was really proud… of how we fought in Wake Forest. The guys battled so hard on the road and kept with it. Our guys know we have work to do, but we really believe in each other, and that’s our thought process. It isn’t anything farther than tomorrow.”

Nine days, three games, three time zones, all on the road or ‘neutral’ sites. OU has gone 2-1 in this span with wins vs. Marquette (Chicago), at Wake Forest and a blowout loss to Arizona State (Phoenix).

A week off, now back home (or at least Oklahoma). Last time to make an NCAA resume impression in non-conference action.

“I was looking for a non-victim mindset,” Moser said. “Cannot let losses go in vain. For instance, our worst rebounding game was Gonzaga. We’ve been better there. Continuing to be a work in progress, but better.

“We’ve gotta be better through stretches of the game than we were against Arizona State. Huge challenge for us, it was great to get back and work on some things and practice for a week. That was really good as well.”

Scouting OSU

Don’t look now, but the Cowboys are 9-0 this season. Sprinkled in there are some quality non-conference wins vs. Texas A&M, Northwestern and Grand Canyon.

They’re averaging more than 91 points per game. Get ready for some fun Saturday in Oklahoma City.

OU got a look at OSU in person last weekend. Before OU lost to Arizona State, OSU gutted one out vs. Grand Canyon.

“I thought they were very intentional with how they wanna play,” Moser said. “(Kanye) Clary and (Jaylen) Curry, it’s jet speed. I think (Parsa) Fallah gives them a post presence. He ducks in really hard, how he can do that. I think they’ve got — (Vyctorius) Miller, they’ve got a lot of shooting with (Anthony) Roy.

“They got seven guys in the portal that fit really good roles for what they wanna do. They wanna play fast, get that thing up. That’s been what’s most impressive about watching them, is the multiple of weapons and pieces they have.”

Final word: Keep Bedlam going

“I said it right when we went to different conferences. People asked me right away, are you going to want to keep playing Oklahoma State? You can look back at anything I ever said. I said, absolutely, we should. Said that even before we announced we were going to get that thing going.

“I just think – everything I knew about it before I got here and watched it from afar. The proximity, the state, everything. Rivalries make for great sports. It makes for great basketball, great football. For us? I’ve been outspoken from the jump and so have they. When Mike (Boynton) was there, Steve (Lutz) right out the gate. Absolutely, rivalries are great for sport.” – Moser