What to know as conference play begins
Oklahoma at a glance
The Sooners won’t be eased into conference play. Oklahoma’s Big 12 slate begins Wednesday night at Kansas.
Here’s what you need to know to get caught up with OU’s season thus far.
MVP: Christian James
James has broken out as a star in his senior season. The 6-foot-4 guard is averaging 17.9 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. He ranks as a top-10 Big 12 player in both categories. James served as a spotup shooter for most of his career. While he’s shooting 37 percent from three, his biggest improvement has come on the glass. James has notched a double-double in four of his last five games after not recording one in the first 104 games of his career.
Most surprising player: Miles Reynolds
Lon Kruger brought in two graduate transfers this season — guards Miles Reynolds and Aaron Calixte — and they’re both starting. Reynolds has been the biggest surprise, averaging 10.9 points per game while being a top perimeter defender. The transfer from Pacific is already a team leader despite being a firstyear Sooner.
Biggest win: Northwestern
Florida is the best team Oklahoma has beaten, but the Sooners’ best win was Dec. 21 at Northwestern. OU had notched earlyseason road wins at UT-Rio Grande Valley and UTSA, but Northwestern posed a much bigger test. The Sooners passed, needing overtime to secure a 76-69 win.
Three numbers to know
8: OU’s rank in defensive efficiency, according to KenPom. OU ranked 85th in the same metric last season.
4/5: Four out of OU’s five leaders in playing time are seniors. When Jamuni McNeace is healthy, four out of Oklahoma’s five starters are either graduate transfers or seniors with the exception of sophomore forward Brady Manek.
18: Where OU ranks in the NCAA’s new NET ratings. The NET has replaced the RPI as the primary evaluation tool for the NCAA Tournament selection committee. OU’s top-10 strength of schedule has contributed to its high NET rating.
Oklahoma State at a glance
Oklahoma State opens Big 12 play Wednesday against Iowa State, one of two teams the Cowboys swept in the regular season last year.
Here’s what you need to know to get caught up with OSU’s season thus far.
MVP: Cam McGriff
In 12 nonconference games, McGriff’s performance largely served as a barometer of OSU’s chances of winning. The Cowboys went 5-1 when McGriff scored at least 12 points and 1-5 when he didn’t. In OSU’s victories, McGriff averaged 17.5 points per game and shot 46.7 percent, compared to 9.0 points and 28.6 percent in losses. The junior forward leads the Cowboys in scoring and rebounding.
Most surprising player: Yor Anei
The results make sense when considering Anei’s 6-foot-10 height and 7-plusfoot wingspan, but the freshman out of Overland Park, Kansas, was a walking block party throughout nonconference play. Anei enters Big 12 play with 2.4 blocks per game, a mark that ranks third in the conference and 20th nationally. With 29 blocks — including an OSU freshman record six against Memphis — Anei is already only six blocks from entering the program’s top five for blocks by a freshman.
Biggest win: LSU
OSU wrapped up its stay at the AdvoCare Invitational in Orlando, Florida, with a 90-77 victory over then-No. 19 LSU in the tournament’s third-place game. McGriff led the way with 28 points, while freshman guard Isaac Likekele nearly posted a triple-double with nine points, nine points and eight assists. But the Cowboys followed that win with a four-game losing streak and enter conference play at 6-6.
Three numbers to know
300: OSU’s rank nationally in experience, per KenPom. Captains Lindy Waters, Thomas Dziagwa and McGriff are OSU’s only returning contributors from last season’s team.
48: Where OSU’s nonconference schedule ranks among the country’s most difficult, per KenPom. Seven of the Cowboys’ first 10 games came away from Stillwater, and before recent games against lighter opponents Central Arkansas and Texas A&MCorpus Christi, OSU had the 10th-hardest nonconference schedule, per KenPom.
39.4: OSU’s 3-point shooting percentage, a mark that ranks in the top 20 nationally. Dziagwa leads the way at 46.3 percent. Meanwhile, OSU ranks in the bottom 100 nationally in free-throw shooting, though Waters is second in the country at 94.6 percent.