The Sooners are back in action tonight against the University of Texas at San Antonio. Coming off a tough win against North Texas last Thursday, the Sooners will have their hands full yet again when the Roadrunners (5-4) visit Lloyd Noble.
The Sooners have a tough stretch of games ahead of them and it starts tonight against the Roadrunners.
The Sooners come into tonight’s game as a 23.5 point favorite. If you’re into sports gambling, I wouldn’t put too much into that spread. The Sooners are 2-4 against the spread on the year.
The Sooners will have their hands full tonight with a very young Roadrunners team. The top three scorers for UTSA are freshman. All three average double-digit points on the season. The Roadrunners are an unselfish bunch and that has a lot to do with their head coach being a former point guard.
Story of the Game
The Roadrunners head coach Steve Henson is a familiar face in Norman. Henson came with Lon Kruger to Oklahoma in 2011 and stayed by his side until taking the UTSA job in 2016. Henson played point guard for Kruger at Kansas State and coached beside him for more than a decade. This will be the first head to head matchup between the two as coaches.
Keys to Victory
Get After Them – The Roadrunners run a smooth, unselfish style of basketball and the Sooners will need to keep them uncomfortable with their size advantage. The Sooners have had their issues on the defensive side of the ball, so they can’t allow the Roadrunners to run their highly efficient style of offense.
Master vs. Apprentice – This game will have an emotional feeling to it with the return of Henson. Kruger can’t take it easy on his former padawan. There’s a good chance Henson pulls some of Kruger’s own tricks on him, but Kruger will have to come in with a fresh game plan that Henson isn’t too familiar with.
Stick to What’s Working – Freshman point guard Trae Young is looking for his 4th consecutive 30 point game tonight. Young is Averaging 29 points and 9 assists per game. The winning formula so far has been to run the entire offense through Young and allow him to continue to be the elite floor general he is. Finding a second option will be a must, but for now, the Sooners success relies on Young’s ability to score points.
Prediction
Sooners 88, Roadrunners 71
When and Where?
Lloyd Noble Center – 7p.m. CT, Fox Sports Oklahoma.