Cincinnati Bearcats Players to Watch: No. 15 Oklahoma

The Cincinnati Men's Basketball team welcomes in No. 15 Oklahoma on Saturday for another top 25 showdown.

Author:
Neil Meyer
Jan 19, 2024 10:08 AM EST

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CINCINNATI — Wes Miller and the Cincinnati Bearcats (13-4, 2-2 Big 12) welcome in No. 15 Oklahoma (14-3, 2-2 Big 12) to Fifth Third Arena on Saturday, as they look to build off their 81-77 victory over No. 19 TCU earlier this week.

The Sooners are riding a dominant 77-63 victory over West Virginia on Wednesday that ended a two-game losing skid.

Players To Watch For The Sooners

Junior guard Javian McCollum leads the Sooners in scoring, averaging nearly 15 points per game on 46/39/93 shooting splits. McCollum doesn't have great size standing at 6-foot-2 but can really stroke the three ball, as he leads the team in three-point attempts (100). McCollum is the engine that makes the train go for the Sooners, as he is the lead scoring option, and will be someone to keep an eye on come Saturday.

Otega Oweh joins McCollum in the Sooners' backcourt, as the sophomore guard is second on the team in scoring. The 6-foot-5 guard averages nearly 14 points per game. Oweh is a very efficient shooter but is also someone who loves to attack and draw contact, as he leads the team in free throws while shooting 70% from the line. This should be the matchup for John Newman III, as Oweh is currently shooting 60% from three, despite just 25 attempts from deep. The sophomore guard is an explosive offensive talent that can hurt opposing teams in many different ways.

Senior forward Sam Godwin is a 6'10 forward to watch. He leads the team in field goal percentage (68%) and is the Sooners leading post player as he paces the Sooners in rebounds (5.8), and blocks (13). The Bearcats have to find a way to contain the big man in the front court. If not, he is capable of putting up very efficient numbers on both ends of the court with his long, lengthy frame.

Players To Watch For The Bearcats

Talented Russian forward Viktor Lakhin could go off for a 15-and-seven kind of afternoon in his latest home matchup.

Lakhin had a solid performance vs TCU on Tuesday, where he finished with 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting. It was great for him to get that swagger back following an off-night vs Baylor last weekend.

The Bearcats know for them to be successful down the stretch of Big 12 play, they'll need significant minutes from Lakhin, on both ends of the court. This could be another one of those clutch games for the junior, due to his ability to affect the game in multiple ways up against a lineup with just one player over 6-foot-6.

Check out another look at the matchup here.

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