Deep Dive Thread for Oklahoma

Gameday Poster Courtesy of AlabamaMBB

The Sooners are coached by Porter Moser, who is in his 5th season in Norman after taking Loyola Chicago to a Sweet 16 and Final Four. He looks to get the Sooners back to the tournament for the second time in a row. Oklahoma currently sits at 11-6 and 1-3 in conference after a 3-game losing streak; they do hold wins over Ole Miss, Wake Forest, and Oklahoma State, however.

Oklahoma is led by its back court with 5-10 Nijel Pack, the Miami transfer, tied for the lead in scoring. He is one of just 3 active players in the NCAA to have scored 2k points and does it with solid efficiency, decent passing abilty and a great shot from behind the arc. Pack is shooting just over 45% from deep on a ton of attempts.

Pack is seen as a 3pt shooter but is more than capable from anywhere. https://x.com/OU_MBBall/status/2010107416084656511?s=20

His backcourt partner is St Joseph’s transfer 6-2 Xzayvier Brown. Brown is the slightly better defender of the 2 leading the team in steals. He is not as effective from behind the arc at just under 35% shooting, but is more than capable of making them and will look to take quite a few in this game. Brown thrives, however, finishing around the rim and at the FT line, a place where he is the 15th-best shooter on the season.

Brown is a crafty finisher at the rim. https://x.com/OU_MBBall/status/2010112344546750636?s=20

Their 3rd leading scorer and one of the best rebounders on the team is 6-9 Tae Davis. Davis is a solid offensive rebounder and really thrives around the rim and getting to the FT line. He is not a shooter but has a ton of experience from his time at Seton Hall and Notre Dame.

Davis will try to get to the basket where he can finish or get his own miss. https://x.com/OU_MBBall/status/2011259741843177488?s=20

Their starter at the 3 is a guy Alabama should know well in 6-8 Derrion Reid from his time in Tuscaloosa last season. Reid is a defensive-minded wing who has done a good job of getting downhill and drawing fouls while also defending effectively without committing fouls at the other end. Reid is shooting better than he did last season from deep at just over 36% from behind the arc.

Derrion is a bit more consistent from 3 this season. https://x.com/OU_MBBall/status/2010093852561191155?s=20

Their starting center is another guy Alabama fans should know well, since he was on our Final Four team in 6-10, Mohamed Wague. Wague has gotten much better at blocking shots and currently sits at the top 25 in Offensive Rebounding percentage. His foul rate per 40 is still fairly high, so that's a place where Alabama may be able to take advantage.

Wague has a double-double in conference play and has been a solid rebounder this season. https://x.com/OU_MBBall/status/2007598200606413191?s=20

Oklahoma has some more rotational pieces you will see in this game as well, including: 6-5 Jadon Jones, 6-11 Kirill Elatontsev, 6-2 Dayton Forsythe, 6-9 Kuol Atak, and 6-10 Kai Rogers. Atak and Jones are the most offensive-minded of that bunch, with Atak shooting 40% from deep and Jones at 32%, both on solid attempts. Elatontsev was a midseason addition from Russia who gives them more experience in the front court in addition to Wague.

Oklahoma is a much better offensive team than defensive, and that's mostly due to how well they take care of the basketball on offense as well as them being a solid offensive rebounding team. This Oklahoma team I also 9th in the country in experience so they should be a team that will not get rattled no matter the score.

Alabama should be able to take advantage of a few things Oklahoma is not the best at. They have struggled running teams off the 3pt line and defending the 3, which, as we know, Alabama can exploit as well, and they have not been good defensively rebounding the basketball, so I think Alabama could take advantage there as well. Oklahoma has not played a ton of faster-tempo games, and their major reliance on their starters, I think, will be something Alabama can and will exploit with some extra tempo.

My player to watch is Amari Allen. Amari is shooting up potential draft boards and mocks with how well he plays on both ends of the floor. He has been our best rebounder all season and does a good job getting downhill and to the FT line, which is a place I think he can have success in this game. He also brings a toughness that will be great to help set the tone on the road, and I think Alabama will be ready to go for this game.

Alabama bounced back from its losses with a big win on the road in Starkville last game, but this is a place in Norman where Alabama basketball has never won. In fact, last time in Norman, Brandon Miller’s team got the court stormed on them when I was in attendance. I think that all changes today, as I think Alabama’s offense will be too much for Oklahoma to contain, and I have Alabama winning this game.

Prediction: Alabama 96 - Oklahoma 82

I gave even more thoughts on this game over on the podcast. Check it out and subscribe for more Alabama Basketball Content! https://youtu.be/W8Mdet_ai5M