Oklahoma hung tough with No. 1 Baylor, and the Sooners are now presented with a great opportunity for a quality win.

After giving No. 1 Baylor a competitive game in Waco, the Oklahoma Sooners a presented with an opportunity for a quality win as the host No. 11 Iowa State.

Oklahoma (11-3) vs. No. 11 Iowa State (13-1): Saturday, 5 p.m. CT at the Lloyd Noble Center (Norman, OK)

TV: ESPNU

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Commentary: Rich Hollenberg and Tim Welsh

Radio: Sooner Sports Radio Network (KRXO 107.7 FM The Franchise in Oklahoma City; KTBZ 1430 AM in Tulsa; Varsity Radio App) with Toby Rowland and Kevin Henry announcing

Line: Oklahoma -6.5 (as of 3 p.m. CT Saturday)

About Iowa State

• Iowa State has picked up victories over Oregon State, Xavier, Memphis, Creighton, Iowa and Texas Tech thus far in 2021-22. Their lone loss came in the form of a 77-72 defeat to Baylor at Hilton Coliseum.
• The Cyclones currently sit at No. 21 in the NCAA’s NET Rankings, which is a tool the selection committee uses to seed the teams.
• ISU also ranks 36th in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency rankings, which includes a No. 4 national ranking in adjusted defensive efficiency. Offensively, they’ve left a bit to be desired, as they’re currently 161st in adjusted offensive efficiency.
• The Cyclones are led by senior guard and Penn State transfer Izaiah Brockington, who averages 16.8 PPG while shooting over 48 percent from the field and 40 percent from deep.

One Big Thing

Turnover trouble: A common theme throughout the season has been the issue of turnovers — particularly in the first half of games. A good example was Tuesday’s loss to Baylor, when the Sooners trailed by nine at the half in spite of the fact that they were shooting over 68 percent from the field. While far from the only factor, OU’s nine first-half turnovers were indicative of a trend. If they can buck said trend, the Sooners will have an easier time getting out to quick starts and will have a great chance to steal a few games during this brutal January stretch. Starting this reversal today is imperative, as Iowa State’s defense is about as suffocating as they come.

Prediction

Oklahoma’s ball movement was superb in its last outing, and continuing this will go a ong way in breaking down the Cyclones. It’s also something that should give OU the edge in a battle of quality defensive teams.

Oklahoma 64, Iowa State 60