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Oklahoma Basketball: Oklahoma Sooners 2015-16 Season Preview

By Matt Ostrowski

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Oklahoma Sooners

2014-2015 Record: 24-11 (12-6, Big 12)
Postseason: NCAA Tournament – Sweet 16

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There hasn’t been quite this much hype around Oklahoma Sooners basketball since that Blake Griffin guy was throwing down dunks in Norman. While they have had talented players stop in, guys like Khris Middleton, they haven’t really had a large culmination of talent play together. Until this year.

Big XII Player of the Year Buddy Hield returns for his senior season in Norman, and that should be enough to keep them in contention for the conference title. While the graduation of Tashawn Thomas and transfer of Frank Booker hurts, the backcourt of Hield, Isaiah Cousins, and Jordan Woodard should be one of the best in the nation.

Newcomers

G – Rashard Odomes (#183 247Sports Composite)
G – Christian James (#195 247Sports Composite)
G – Darrion Strong (JUCO transfer)
C – Akolda Manyang (JUCO transfer)

Key Non-Conference Games

Nov. 17 at Memphis – The Sooners open the season on the road this year, against an always-stingy Memphis team. Ryan Spanger, Khadeem Lattin, and the rest of the Sooners’ frontcourt will have their hands full with Shaq Goodwin down low. Will they be up to the test? Will Buddy Hield and company be enough in the backcourt?

Nov. 29 vs Wisconsin – This game will test the Oklahoma Sooners’ defense more than any other this year. Is anyone on this team versatile enough to guard Nigel Hayes? Can Jordan Woodard contain Bronson Koenig? On the offensive side of the ball, it will be interesting to see if either Spangler or Lattin could be a go-to post scorer against one of the shorter frontcourts in the country.

Dec. 7 vs. Villanova – On a neutral court, the Sooners will take on the Villanova Wildcats in a game that should feature two top 10 teams. Woodard, Cousins, and Hield will have their hands full with Ryan Arcidiacano, Josh Hart, and Jalen Brunson. Life will be tough in the paint for Spangler and Lattin going up against shot blocker Daniel Ochefu. Meanwhile, the inexperienced bench will be tested as the Wildcats have one of the better benches in the nation.

Key Players

Khadeem Lattin – As mentioned earlier, the biggest loss for the Sooners this year was Tashawn Thomas. As good as Cousins and Hield are, Thomas provided them with some post scoring when necessary. Can Lattin develop into that type of player? He is an absolute terror on the glass, so the Sooners might be best off just having Hield and Cousins put up whatever kind of shot they want, and relying on Spangler and Lattin to come up with a putback. He’s also fantastic on the defensive side of the ball, miles better than Thomas was, but had a propensity to foul a ton, putting him back on the bench. That needs to change.

Isaiah Cousins – Cousins is a bit of an awkward fit next to Hield since he is essentially a poor man’s Buddy Hield. He shoots a lot of threes, and connects on a lot of them as well (45% from three last season), but lacks a consistent off the bounce game, and doesn’t get to the foul line a whole lot for a guard.

If he can up his scoring to around 15 points per game this season, and provide a bit more off the bounce punch, that would take a lot of pressure off of Hield.

As good as his best performances were last season (22 points on 8/15 from the floor), his bad performances were equally as… bad, as he shot below 30% from the floor in 10 games for the Sooners last year. That’s well over 25% of their games.

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    • Season Outlook

    Oklahoma is met with expectations for this season that they aren’t use to having. Buddy Hield should be enough for them to meet the expectations, regardless of what everyone else does.

    Jordan Woodard will provide decent stability at point guard, and Cousins will be Cousins. Spangler and Lattin figure to be one of the better rebounding frontcourts in the country, but Lattin could struggle with staying on the floor. Their bench is largely inexperienced and unproven, which is why Frank Booker’s transfer hurts them more than it would seem.

    Regardless, look for them near the top of the Big XII again this season.

    Next: TCU Horned Frogs 2015-16 Season Preview

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