OU Basketball: Oklahoma Opens Big 12 Play Against 'Phenomenal' Iowa State

The business end of Oklahoma’s season gets underway on Saturday.

Porter Moser’s No. 11-ranked Sooners (12-1) posted the best non-conference record at OU since Buddy Hield led Oklahoma to the 2016 Final Four, but Big 12 play is a different animal entirely.

First up, the Sooners will take on Iowa State (11-2), who boasts one of the nation’s best defenses.

T.J. Otzelberger’s Cyclones rank third in the country in scoring defense, allowing just 59.1 points per game, and are forcing 19.2 turnovers a contest on average.

Carelessness with the basketball killed Oklahoma in its only loss of the season, a 81-69 defeat at the hands of North Carolina on Dec. 20, as the Sooners made 18 mistakes.

A repeat performance of that simply cannot happen if OU wants to start this year’s conference slate out on the right foot.

“We can’t have that loss go in vain,” Moser said on Friday. “We had 18 turnovers, 18 turnovers and a two-possession game with two minutes to go. I mean do the math.

“… Now we’re playing the team that does it the best… No one does it better than Iowa State. That’s what they do. Turn you over and turn it into baskets.”

The work to cut down on offensive mistakes started right after the loss to the Tar Heels, and is a central focus of OU’s work in practice.

“Be intentional,” Oklahoma guard Le’Tre Darthard said of what it will take to limit turnovers against the Cyclones. “Don’t be loose. Just don’t throw like a one-handed, no-look pass. Just be intentional about all your passes.”

Limiting Iowa State’s chances to get out and run in transition will help slow down a potent attack.

Four Cyclones are averaging over 10 points per game, led by Tamin Lipsey’s 15.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game.

“They cut and they run their offense at an unprecedented pace,” Moser said. “They’re phenomenal.”

Lipsey gets plenty of help crashing the boards, too, as OU bigs Sam Godwin and John Hugley IV will have a full day’s work ahead at the Lloyd Noble Center to keep Iowa State off the glass.

Though the treacherous Big 12 slate is tough on every team in the league, Moser has plenty more experience to lean on this year.

All three of OU’s key contributors off the bench, Hugley, Darthard and Rivaldo Soares, are veteran players and the Sooners will know with to expect with so many members of the team having played major college basketball in their careers.

“Otega (Oweh) and (Milos Uzan) went through this last year,” Moser said. “(Godwin) went through it last year. And you know Jalen Moore went through the ACC… Experience does definitely help. It definitely helps.

“But I will say this about — it isn’t the end all answer because the bottom line is there’s nothing like the grind we’re about to go through. It’s the best of the best every single night and you’ve got to be ready every single night.”

Oklahoma enters Big 12 play ranked 16th in the country knocking down 50.1 percent of its shots, which will allow OU to show off plenty of firepower in conference play.

The Sooners’ final trek through the toughest conference in college basketball begins at the Lloyd Noble Center at 5 p.m. on Saturday, and the game against Iowa State will be broadcast on ESPN+.

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