By Hunt Palmer
Saturday’s meeting between Oklahoma and LSU won’t feel like the last one.
In 2016, the No. 1 ranked Sooners came to Baton Rouge for a matchup that featured the future Naismith Player of the Year in Buddy Hield and the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft, Ben Simmons. Brent Musberger and Dick Vitale called the action.
As the two new conference foes meet Saturday evening, this time in Norman, they sport a combined conference record of 4-18.
Porter Moser is in his fourth season at the helm of the Sooners after taking Loyola-Chicago to the Final Four. During his time, Oklahoma is 15-32 in conference play (Big 12 and SEC). The Sooners lost their first four SEC games, then won three of four, and have now lost three straight.
Their last two games have been as bad as any two all season. Tennessee came to Norman and held the Sooners to 52 points in an 18-point drubbing. Then the Sooners hit season lows in field goal percentage (31%) and three-point shooting (23%) in an 82-58 loss at Missouri.
This could be a breath of fresh air, however, as Oklahoma hasn’t played an unranked team since January 28. However, the next five foes on Oklahoma’s schedule are ranked. That’s life in the SEC.
LSU is reeling. The Tigers are 1-10 in league play and have lost seven in a row. LSU has just one true road win on the season, and it came a week before Thanksgiving at Kansas State.
The next two games are opportunities for wins, and those dry up pretty quickly after that. The rest of the way is No. 3 Florida, No. 5 Tennessee, at No. 22 Mississippi State, at No. 15 Kentucky and No. 8 Texas A&M.
Buckle up.
MILLER TIME?
Where did Robert Miller come from? After three months of passive play in sparce minutes, Miller really showed some offensive game in Arkansas on Wednesday. The former Top 100 recruit used some nifty footwork and patience to navigate a tough Arkansas frontcourt.
At this point, he’s worth 25 minutes of action to see if there’s more where that came from. LSU hasn’t had any real post production all season, and Miller might be able to provide some of that, so the pressure comes off the guards to a degree.
FRESHMAN FEARS
When I was a college freshman, my fears included overdrafting my checking account and sleeping through a test. But that’s not what we’re talking about. Jeremiah Fears, the freshman phenom for Oklahoma, is a more pertinent topic today.
He was a top 25 high school prospect last cycle and could be a first-round pick in this summer’s NBA Draft. When he’s good, Oklahoma is good. He averages 18 points per game in Sooner wins. When he’s not? Trouble. He averages just 9.6 points per game in Sooner losses.
He’s a 6-foot-4 win with good quickness and a great stroke from the free throw line. He’ll be a key for both teams in this one.
GOODINE BEHIND THE LINE
When someone shoots around 40 percent from three-point range, you better not leave them alone. When Bryce Goodine shoots 52 percent from behind the three-point line, he’s labeled “Do Not Help Off”.
Dead eye shooters space an offense so well, and the Sooners have one. LSU can’t let Goodine get quality looks at the rim early. He can heat up quickly and cause serious problems.
Tipoff Saturday is set for 5:00 central time on SEC Network.
