Ahead of Saturday's rematch between Oklahoma and Kansas, our basketball writers took a stab at the final score.
Spenser Davis — Oklahoma 95, Kansas 93
In another instant classic, the Sooners pull one out late behind the heroics of Buddy Hield. It sounds like a repeat of Monday's game against Texas, but it's hard to expect anything different from Hield and these Sooners.
John Walker — Kansas 70, Oklahoma 66
Kansas has played stifling defense lately, allowing just 60 points per game in its last three games. The Jayhawks sport the best interior defense in the Big 12 Conference and have held their last four opponents to 25 percent from three.
For Oklahoma, look to establish guard Buddy Hield early and often to jumpstart the offense and ignite the sellout audience. Oklahoma, however, will need to fare better on the glass against the Big 12's best rebounding team. Since conference play, the Sooners have been outrebounded by a margin of 18.
Trent Crabtree — Oklahoma 72, Kansas 70
The second edition of Oklahoma vs. Kansas is here and there is no reason to believe it won’t be as fun as the first. We know that both team like to push the tempo and really overwhelm their opponents from beyond the arc.
The Sooners come into this game as the favorites, but I do have my concerns about them, concerns that were evident in Lawrence. One is depth. The entire KU bench can really score the basketball and plays with a ton of poise. OU’s bench, on the other hand, can struggle just to get any momentum going on either end of the floor.
Another worry for OU is KU’s size. It’s going to be very difficult for Ryan Spangler and Khadeem Lattin to deal with the blend of size and athleticism that the Jayhawks present in the post.
Still, I think OU fans should feel very comfortable about their team’s chances in this one. Not only have the Jayhawks struggled in Norman recently, but I think the Sooners know they had every chance in the world to win the game in Lawrence. I don’t think they will let that chance slip away again.
