Texas Rio Grande Valley @ Oklahoma preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 9, 2018 ) Oklahoma 91, Texas Rio Grande Valley 76

Shooting has been a concern for Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger this season, but his team found a way to eke out a win against Central Florida on Dec. 21. With Big 12 play set to begin after the new year, the Sooners have one last chance to get things ironed out when UT Rio Grande Valley visits Monday.

The Sooners shot just 32 percent from the floor against the Knights, but Brady Manek drilled a 3-pointer with 1:20 left to provide the Sooners with an eight-point lead and enough to snap a two-game losing skid. "It's very clear we have a lot of work to do and get things figured out," Kruger said. "We got to get a lot more flow offensively, but an unbelievable effort and a great response by our team when our shooting wasn't there. Brady hit that big shot late which was huge for us." Manek finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds and Kristian Doolittle produced 10 of his 12 points and seven of his eight rebounds in the second half.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, FSN

ABOUT RIO GRANDE VALLEY (4-8): The Vaqueros, who are ranked 270th by KenPom, lost their third straight, 68-58 at Texas A&M on Dec. 21, despite 17 points, seven rebounds and three 3-pointers by Quinton Johnson (7.9 points). Senior guard Jordan Jackson leads the team at 14.7 points per game but shoots only 38 percent from the field. Lesley Varner Jr. averages 12.1 points and a team-high 5.9 rebounds for a team that doesn't have a player taller than 6-9.

ABOUT OKLAHOMA (8-3): Doolittle is averaging a team-high 16.7 points and 8.9 rebounds to go with 1.9 assists, 1.1 steals and 47.1 percent shooting from the field, including 12-of-21 from the arc. Junior guard Austin Reeves chips in 16.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists but shoots just 39 percent from the floor and 28.1 percent from the arc. The Sooners shoot just 42 percent from the floor, 48 percent on 2-pointers and 32 percent from the arc, all three percentages ranking among the bottom 100 teams in the nation.

TIP-INS

1. Prior to scoring six points against UCF, Reaves had not scored fewer than 11 points in any game this season.

2. Manek has made multiple 3-pointers in five of his last six games.

3. Oklahoma's top three scorers all shoot at least 80 percent from the foul line.

PREDICTION: Oklahoma 84, Rio Grande Valley 58