OU men’s basketball (7-3) heads to Oklahoma City on Saturday to face undefeated Oklahoma State (9-1), closing a four-game road stretch before the Sooners return to Norman for the final leg of nonconference play.
It’s the second straight year the men’s teams will meet at Paycom Center. OU won last season’s matchup 80-65 and owns a 15-6 all-time record in the building.
“We know we’re in a gauntlet right now,” head coach Porter Moser said. “This is our sixth Power Five game, and none of them have been at Lloyd Noble.”
OU is coming off an 86-70 loss to Arizona State and faces an opportunity to hand OSU its first defeat. The Cowboys enter the weekend as one of eight undefeated teams nationally and feature a top-15 scoring offense, outscoring opponents by about 15 points per game.
“I just think it’s a great setup. It’s a great game,” Moser said. “It’s also going to be a great game for résumés … for us and them moving forward.”
The defensive challenge is significant for a Sooners team still searching for consistency. Senior guard Jadon Jones said OU respects OSU’s transition attack and multiple high-volume scorers.
“They’re obviously 9-0. They’re great in transition. They have four guys who average around 15 or more,” Jones said. “We have respect for them, and we’re going to go out there and approach it as such.”
Saturday will also be senior guard Jeff Nwankwo’s first Bedlam appearance after missing last year’s game due to injury. The Oklahoma City native grew up rooting for OU, while his twin brother backed OSU — a rivalry contrast he said made Bedlam “interesting” at home.
Nwankwo is one of three Oklahoma-born players on OU’s roster, along with sophomore guard Dayton Forsythe and senior guard Reid Lovelace. He said the group has emphasized the rivalry’s significance to teammates experiencing it for the first time.
“Just explaining what it means to the state,” Nwankwo said. “The guys have a pretty good understanding that it’s a very, very deep rivalry.”
OU has won three straight against OSU and leads the all-time series 144-106. Saturday will be the fifth neutral-site Bedlam in Oklahoma City, with the teams having split the previous four. The Sooners are 8-9 all-time in neutral matchups against the Cowboys.
Tipoff is set for noon Saturday at Paycom Center. The game will air on FOX.
This story was edited by Laurie Jones.
