OU falls to Kansas, 67-64

January 18, 2022
NCAA Basketball: Kansas at Oklahoma
Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

Up next is No. 5 Baylor.

The Oklahoma Sooners showed a lot of fight against another Top 10 ranked team but couldn’t put it away down the stretch, falling to #7 Kansas 67-64 Tuesday night. The Sooners now sit at 12-6 on the season, 2-4 in Big 12 play and have lost three in a row.

The Sooners hung strong with the Jayhawks in the first half, trailing 34-32, despite turning the ball over eight times. KU came out of the break on fire, netting eight points in the first 1:38 to take a 10 point lead. Then it was Moser’s men who did the streaking, putting together a 20-2 run to retake the lead, 52-46. It was neck and neck down the stretch with neither team leading by more than four points in the final four minutes of the game. Coming out of a timeout with 29 seconds to go in the contest, KU’s Christian Braun hit a three from the wing to give the Jayhawks the three point lead, which would prove to be the difference.

Oklahoma was aggressive all night, only losing the rebounding battle by one but getting to the free throw line 18 times and hitting 12, compared to the Jayhawks six total free throws. But once again the three point shot wasn’t falling for the Sooners, OU just 4-17 (23.5%) from long range while Kansas was 8-18 (44.4%).

The Sooners did produce three double-digit scorers, Jordan Goldwire with 15 points, Umoja Gibson 11 and Jalen Hill 10, but it was another off game for leading scorer Tanner Groves who added in eight points on 4-13 shooting.

Oklahoma gave the Jayhawks everything they could handle, once again proving they’ll be a tough out for anyone they match up with, but to elevate and start winning these games the Sooners need more consistent play from their stars and to stop leaning on the three ball. If Oklahoma finds the open man, keeps it close on the glass and doesn’t force up shots from beyond the arc, we’ve seen they can play, and beat, anybody on their schedule, regardless of where, or who, they play.

What’s Next?

The Oklahoma Sooners will try to get back on track this Saturday and snap the three-game losing streak when they get another shot at #5 Baylor, this time in the Lloyd Noble Center. Tip is set for 2 p.m. on ESPN+.