There’s no time to dwell on Oklahoma’s Big 12/SEC Challenge defeat.
Fresh off dropping a game at No. 1-ranked Auburn, the Sooners have to refocus to face the TCU Horned Frogs on a quick turnaround Monday night.
OU (13-8 overall, 3-5 Big 12) has dropped five of its last six contests, but if the Sooners can avenge their loss to TCU (14-4, 3-3) from earlier this month, Oklahoma can roll into Stillwater next weekend with heads held high, attempting to get back to .500 in conference play.
The last time the two teams met, the Horned Frogs outlasted OU in overtime, sealing a 59-58 win back in Ft. Worth.
Oklahoma got off to a fast start, but then the Sooners’ turnover problems reared their ugly head. OU turned the ball over 20 times, tying what was at that point a season high, resulting in a lethargic offensive showing.
Since the loss, OU played host to No. 7-ranked Kansas, No. 5 Baylor and took a trip to top-ranked Auburn, experiences veteran guard Jordan Goldwire hopes will help improve the team as they embark on the rest of the Big 12 slate.
“I think every game that we've played, honestly since December, has made us a better team,” Goldwire said on Saturday in a Zoom press conference after the loss to Auburn. “… I think every game has made us better. We learn from each game, take the mistakes and just keep moving forward. I think eventually stuff is going to work for this group."
The Horned Frogs have had some more success than the Sooners, beating No. 23 Iowa State and No. 19 LSU, falling to Oklahoma State and Texas.
“We all got a job to do,” OU head coach Porter Moser said of how hard the coaching staff will have to work to get the team ready to play after the loss to Auburn. “… The players have a job to do. They’ve got a job to come together, get an edge. They have to walk into our film and our walkthrough tomorrow with an edge. That’s their job.”
The big task ahead of the players will be containing TCU’s two leading scorers in guard Mike Miles and forward Chuck O’Bannon Jr.
O’Bannon specifically hurt the Sooners in the first meeting between the two teams, pacing the Horned Frogs with 11 points on 4-of-9, while also adding four rebounds.
Thankfully for Oklahoma, Goldwire and leading scorer Tanner Groves are entering off of two of their better offensive performances of the season.
Goldwire set a new career-high with 19 points against Auburn in OU’s last contest, and Groves finished just three points shy of his season-high two games ago, pacing Oklahoma with 21 points in a road win against West Virginia.
Through the tough stretch, the Sooners are trying to keep their heads up, and Goldwire said the belief is still there within the team that they can get back on track and get rolling before tournament time.
“We've played with Baylor, Kansas and now Auburn,” Goldwire said. “I think those are all games that we could've won that didn't go our way. You just have to learn from it, watch film, see what we could've done better, cut down on the mistakes and keep forward.
“I think we have a good group, and I think everybody knows that we have a good team. We just have to finish games and lock in for the whole 40 minutes."
OU will get a chance to go on a Big 12 winning streak Monday night, as the Sooners host the Horned Frogs at the Lloyd Noble Center at 8 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
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