As junior guard Javian McCollum prepares for a game, he bypasses the typical pregame music and instead chooses a more soothing alternative.
His taste in peaceful music was inherited from his mother, who played it while McCollum was growing up, and he believes it helps him stay collected and in the right mindset before he hits the hardwood.
“I like to listen to calm music,” McCollum said. “I don’t want to get too hyped because I might go out there and catch a quick two fouls.”
Having to send McCollum to the bench early would be difficult for Oklahoma, who has relied on the guard to be one of its main offensive facilitators and playmakers this season.
After the Sooners’ (13-1, 1-0 Big 12) first conference win of the season on Saturday, where they defeated Iowa State (11-3, 0-1 Big 12) 71-63, former Baylor player and ESPN analyst King McClure labeled McCollum as the “top transfer point guard in the best conference in America.”
The former Siena guard is averaging 14.7 points a game, has dished out 55 assists and is shooting 38.1% from the 3-point line. Against Iowa State, McCollum finished the night with 15 points and five assists.
However, amid his success with his new team, he still credits his teammates, especially sophomore guard Milos Uzan, for being able to tackle a new system and learning curve with the Sooners.
“I believe in myself, I believe in my teammates, I believe in my coaching staff and we are all in it together,” McCollum said. “(Uzan and I) are always talking to each other, always trying to grow and always trying to learn from each other.”
Over the last 51 baskets OU has made, 38 of them have been generated off of assists, which is heavily credited to Uzan and McCollum, who are first and second on the team with 4.1 and 3.9 assists per game, respectively
During the 2022-23 season, the Sooners averaged 13 assists a game. In 14 games this year, OU is already averaging 14.7. The space, pace and rotation that the assists generate is what head coach Porter Moser’s system runs on and is what has led OU to its best start since 2015-16.
“With Iowa State, we had so many extra one more passes,” Moser said. “We did it against Monmouth and getting those high assist numbers … That’s really good basketball.”
As Uzan and McCollum continue to navigate through one of the toughest conferences in college basketball, McCollum knows there is little his team can’t do when he and his counterpart are sharing the ball.
“There’s been a couple games where me and him have had eight assists (each),” McCollum said. “When your point guards are playing like that, it is going to be hard to beat us.”
Sophomore guard Milos Uzan during the game against Green Bay on Dec. 16, 2023.
TCU preview
Oklahoma will travel for the first time in conference play this season and play TCU on Wednesday.
The Horned Frogs are coming off of a two-point loss to No. 3 Kansas (13-1, 1-0 Big 12) last Saturday. TCU is 7-0 at home this year, but have not been ranked in the AP Top 25 Poll this season.
Senior forward Emanuel Miller leads the Horned Frogs in points with 16.5 a game and rebounds with 6.1 a game. TCU’s team is the oldest in the country with 11 players of junior or senior standing, The Horned Frogs place emphasis on rebounding, pace of play and forcing turnovers.
“They’re really good,” Moser said. “What we have to do is take care (of the ball) in transition, just like Iowa State. They turn you over at such a high clip and then they capitalize.”
The Sooners look to win their second Big 12 game of the season against TCU (11-3, 0-1 Big 12) at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Schollmaier Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, on ESPN2.
