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Oklahoma Basketball: Keys for the crucial bubble battle against Texas

By Jason Kinander

AUSTIN, TEXAS - JANUARY 19: Jamal Bieniemy #24 of the Oklahoma Sooners drives around Courtney Ramey #3 of the Texas Longhorns at The Frank Erwin Center on January 19, 2019 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, TEXAS - JANUARY 19: Jamal Bieniemy #24 of the Oklahoma Sooners drives around Courtney Ramey #3 of the Texas Longhorns at The Frank Erwin Center on January 19, 2019 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images) /
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LUBBOCK, TX – FEBRUARY 13: Brady Manek #35 of the Oklahoma Sooners goes up for the slam dunk during the game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders on February 13, 2018 at United Supermarket Arena in Lubbock, Texas. Texas Tech defeated Oklahoma 88-78. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TX – FEBRUARY 13: Brady Manek #35 of the Oklahoma Sooners goes up for the slam dunk during the game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders on February 13, 2018 at United Supermarket Arena in Lubbock, Texas. Texas Tech defeated Oklahoma 88-78. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /

No. 2: A breakout game from sophomore Brady Manek

The player that everyone will remember from last year’s Oklahoma freshman class in Trae Young. How can you blame them?

However, the only player left standing in Norman that matters on Saturday is Brady Manek.

Manek, a power forward, has put up solid numbers in his second season of college basketball, averaging 11.7 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.

Manek has played significant minutes all season long, and that certainly won’t change in the Sooners’ biggest game of the season on Saturday.

However, Manek will need to make the biggest impact possible in those minutes. James can put up big numbers, but he can’t do everything. That’s where Oklahoma went wrong last season.

Against a well-balanced Texas team, Oklahoma will need big games from more than just James in order to win.

Manek is the perfect candidate for a breakout game. Texas has size, so Manek will need to come through big on defense from the power forward position.

Past defense, his offensive game will need to be present too. Manek will probably need to drop more than 11 points in order for Oklahoma to win against Texas, so a breakout game will do the Sooners very well in accomplishing that feat.

Manek has played well under-the-radar all season, but Saturday is the perfect opportunity for him to breakout in a big way. I’d keep an eye on Brady Manek to have a big game on Saturday.

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