OU Basketball: No. 11 Oklahoma Refocused on Texas Tech After Lackluster Texas Display

NORMAN — There’s no time to commiserate.

Oklahoma’s last outing was a disappointment, losing to Texas 75-60 at the Lloyd Noble Center mere days after stealing a Big 12 road win at Cincinnati, but the toughest league in the country delivers opportunity after opportunity.

No. 20 Texas Tech (15-3, 4-1 Big 12) lie ahead for the No. 11 Sooners (15-4, 3-3), providing Porter Moser’s team a shot at an immediate rebound.

OU took a mandated, but needed, day off on Wednesday before closing the book on Texas and getting locked in on the Red Raiders on Thursday.

“I thought we had a great practice (Thursday),” Moser said in his usual pregame press conference on Friday. “That shows me they care because we told them a lot of truths in that film session and how they responded was everything you’d want in how to respond.

“Everybody took ownership. Coaches, players, we all took ownership. And we had a great practice. And that means they care."

Steady execution of the game plan will allow the Sooners immediate gratification Saturday, but that’s all much easier laid out in practice than done on the floor.

Led by Pop Issacs, who boasts an expansive range that allows him to average 16.9 points per game, the Red Raiders have three other contributors adding 10 or more points per game, and three other players scoring at least seven points per outing.

Texas’ Max Abmas, who showed he can add a bucket from virtually any spot on the floor, killed Oklahoma Tuesday. OU’s defense will have to be better mentally to stick on Issacs to produce different results on Saturday.

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“He works really hard for the ball, just like Max did,” Moser said. “Can shoot from anywhere. No range… If you think you’re far enough out on him, get farther out. You’re not far enough to guys like Pop and Max.”

Issacs has plenty of backcourt help, too.

Joe Toussaint is a league veteran, playing key minutes for the Red Raiders after starring for West Virginia in the first chapter of his career.

“We knew him at West Virginia. He’s really good,” Moser said of Toussaint. “We watched him on when they beat Texas at Texas, how physical he was.”

Moser said he identified mistakes due to mental fatigue in guarding Texas, something that can’t seep in to Javian McCollum, Otega Oweh, Milos Uzan, Rivaldo Soares and Le’Tre Darthard defensively against Texas Tech.

Oklahoma must also rededicate itself to giving maximum effort on the boards.

Texas pulled down 14 more rebounds than the Sooners on Tuesday, limiting second chance opportunities for an offense that struggled to put the ball in the basket.

The Sooners have shown already in conference play they have the tools to be effective on the offensive glass, but they’ll have to prove that on Saturday — especially with 7-foot-0 center Warren Washington patrolling the paint for the Red Raiders.

“We gotta go get extra rebounds, extra possessions,” Moser said. “… We have been good rebounding the ball. We're gonna have to be very good against this team rebounding the ball with the way they offensive rebound and the size they have.

“So rebounding's always one of those things that we're nonstop talking about, addressing. It's a key to every single game.”

Keeping frontline big man Sam Godwin out of foul trouble could help turn the tides on the boards.

Godwin’s been an excellent offensive rebounder this year for OU, but he’s committed a batch of head-scratching fouls that have confined him to the bench at times in Big 12 play.

But despite the recent struggles, Moser backed Godwin to rebound in a big way on Saturday.

“I've just got a good feeling about Sam right now,” Moser said. “… For me, he was putting so much pressure on himself, and I think he's just taking a deep breath on his day off. He came back, had a great practice yesterday. He was bouncing, he was dunking, he was all over.”

An OU win would bring Texas Tech right back to the chasing pack in conference play, but it’s even more important considering Oklahoma faces a week away next week with road trips to Kansas State and UCF on the horizon.

The Sooners’ chance to get back in the win column will come at 1 p.m. on Saturday at the Lloyd Noble center, and the battle against Texas Tech will be broadcast on ESPN+.

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