Oklahoma Basketball: Keys to beating Ole Miss in the Round of 64

Oklahoma basketball reached the NCAA Tournament relatively easily. What will it take to defeat Ole Miss and reach the second round of the Big Dance?

It’s no secret that the 8-9 matchup in the first round of the March Madness tournament is one of the hardest games to predict. This, of course, has to do with the fact that the committee has put two closely ranked teams together to duke it out in the opening weekend. That is once again the case with Oklahoma basketball looking to take down Ole Miss.

These games are notorious for being closely contended contests, and some people have so much trouble deciding that they just resort to chance by flipping a coin. This Oklahoma versus Ole Miss matchup has the potential to not only be one of the closest 8-9 games but could be one of the better games in the whole first round.

Both teams have had their highs. Ole Miss has beaten Auburn, the SEC champs twice, and has played Kentucky and Tennessee close only losing by two points to Tennessee and four to Kentucky. Oklahoma, on the other hand, has beat everyone’s Cinderella darling 7th seeded Wofford by 11, 10th seeded Florida by five, and also beat the fourth-seeded Kansas Jayhawks.

But with their highs, both teams have also had their lows. Ole Miss has only won six out of their last 12 games, one being an early SEC tournament exit by the hands of Alabama. Oklahoma didn’t have a storybook ending to their season, either, as they’ve lost eight out of their last 12 games, and also endured a painful early Big-12 tournament loss to West Virginia.

So we know we have two pretty inconsistent teams who have been sputtering near the end of the season, but let’s break down the numbers to know what both teams can bring to the table.

Oklahoma and Ole Miss are two completely different teams. The Sooners are more of a defensive minded team, ranking 23rd nationally in Ken Pom’s adjusted defensive efficiency category, and 73rd in adjusted offensive efficiency. The Rebels are polar opposites, as they rank 35th in adjusted offensive efficiency and 51st in adjusted defensive efficiency nationally. So what are some key things Oklahoma needs to do in order to advance to the round of 32?

1. Win the turnover battle.

In only three out of twelve Ole Misses losses did they not commit more turnovers than their opponent. This will be key for the Sooners since they are not nearly as effective as Ole Miss is on the offensive side of the ball. Any time Oklahoma can create a steal and take away a shot attempt the better, especially if some of those steals turn into some easy buckets on the other end for Oklahoma. The turnover battle only starts on the defensive end, however, as they also take care of the rock when on offense. The good news for Sooner fans although, is that the Sooners average fewer turnovers a game than Ole Miss. Oklahoma ranks 96th in the nation with 12.2 turnovers a game, to the Rebels ranking of 155 with 12.8 per contest.

2. Win the rebounding battle.

This one should be easy for Oklahoma to win. They rank 67th in the nation, grabbing 37.59 rebounds a game. Ole Miss ranks 233rd overall with 34.31 rebounds a contest. Oklahoma has the advantage not only size wise but just rebounding as a whole to give them a distinct advantage. Like I said earlier, limiting the number of times Ole Miss gets to shoot the ball the better. Forcing turnovers is one way of doing that, but winning the rebound battle is an underrated way to prevent that as well. Limiting offensive rebounds, while also creating scoring opportunities for yourself by grabbing extra offensive rebounds and getting more shots, is crucial for Oklahoma.

3. More consistent scoring threats.

OU’s leading scorer for the season is senior Christian James with 14.4 points per contest. James, however, has only two double-digit scoring games in his last five games. The senior guard needs to step up and take control of the offense for this Sooners team. The team’s lackluster offensive numbers are due to their lack of an identity or consistency on that end of the court.

The team’s second-leading scorer is Larry Bird… I mean uhh.. Brady Manek. He’s tallying an even 12 points per contest. Out of his 32 games played, Manek has only strung together a streak of FIVE straight games scoring double digits. Brady has scored 20 points or more in two of his last three games, however, including dropping in 21 in the 81-68 win over Kansas and 22 in their last game against West Virginia. The only problem is that he scored only four points in between those games in a loss to Kansas State. So if you can’t tell, its hard predicting which Manek will show up.  If Oklahoma wants to advance, Christian James and Brady Manek will have to touch the ball early and often. They will have to be AGGRESSIVE with those touches.

In my personal bracket, I have Oklahoma advancing into the Round of 32 to face off against Virginia. Part of my reasoning in doing so is that Oklahoma bests Ole Miss in two of the key factors I have circled in this game. Oklahoma is better defensively, forcing more turnovers a game, and can limit possessions by not only getting stops but by having a solid advantage in rebounding the ball as well. I think that even if the Sooners aren’t their best offensively, just like they haven’t been during the season, that if they can do those other two things well, that Oklahoma has a good chance in winning.

Another factor Oklahoma has going for them is their experience. They had the 16th toughest schedule this season, and this bunch has been apart of big games. From the Trae Young mania last season to their Final Four appearance in 2016, a run that the seniors of this team were apart of. Ole Miss, on the other hand, is rebuilding their program and were ahead of schedule by making the tournament this season.

I firmly believe this game is going to be a barn burner. This game will be decided within the last minute and will have fans on the edge of their seats. I’m excited to see how not only both teams play in this tournament, but I’m also excited to see how Ole Miss builds their program in the future, and how Oklahoma can continue to become a force in the Big 12!