Northwestern State @ Oklahoma preview
Lloyd Noble Center
Last Meeting ( Nov 9, 2021 ) Northwestern St. 59, Oklahoma 77
Oklahoma lost three starters from last season's 20-win team, but this Sooners squad might have plenty of depth, as well.
After an easy win in its season opener last week, Oklahoma will get another chance to showcase its new roster when it hosts Northwestern State on Monday in Norman, Okla.
The Sooners (1-0) enjoyed solid showings from their veterans and newcomers in their 93-60 home win over Lindenwood last Monday.
Jalon Moore led all scorers with 22 points, while fellow returning starter Sam Godwin had 11 points and a game-high 15 rebounds.
Perhaps more importantly, Oklahoma coach Porter Moser said the duo's poise helped the rest of the team shed any first-game jitters.
"That's the joy of having retention," Moser said. "Jalon and Sam, you could see in the shootaround ... they were totally sure of what we were doing. I thought they got us out of the gates."
As for the new arrivals, Jeremiah Fears had 16 points, six assists and five rebounds in his freshman debut, and High Point transfer Duke Miles buried 4 of 6 3-pointers and finished with 14 points.
"Duke looked like an older guard (Monday)," Moser said. "It was great to see him step in with confidence and (make) those shots. We need it. That's what we want to do ... space (the floor) and continue to use that 3-point line."
The Sooners will enter the game Monday on six days of rest, while the Demons (1-1) will be just two full days removed from their 86-65 loss at Texas Tech on Friday.
Jon Sanders II scored 18 points off the bench against the Red Raiders to lead Northwestern State. The transfer guard also paced the Demons with 16 points in their 96-55 win over Division II Dallas Christian College last Monday.
Sanders made all eight of his free-throw attempts on Friday, but his teammates missed nine of their 14 foul shots.
The wasted opportunities at the line irked Northwestern State coach Rick Cabrera, as did Texas Tech's 17-3 advantage in fastbreak points.
"Thirteen of 22 (from the free-throw line) on the road is unacceptable," Cabrera said. "Making a free throw doesn't have anything to do with who you're playing, whether it's Texas Tech or Dallas Christian. We lost the game at the line and in transition defense. I told the guys our transition defense was terrible. It will get fixed by Monday."
--Field Level Media