East Texas A&M @ Oklahoma preview
Lloyd Noble Center
Jalon Moore is off to quite a start for the Oklahoma Sooners.
Moore poured in 21 points in Oklahoma's 85-64 win over Stetson on Saturday.
He is the first from the Sooners (3-0) to start the season with three consecutive performances of 20 or more points since Buddy Hield did it during the 2015-16 campaign.
Moore and the Sooners take on East Texas A&M on Thursday night, and Oklahoma will be aiming to improve to 26-3 in nonconference home games under Sooners head coach Porter Moser, who picked up his 350th career victory on Saturday.
One of Moore's biggest strengths is the way he plays in fastbreak opportunities, finishing them often with an exclamation point. In the win over Stetson, he had back-to-back dunks at one point.
"He's got to be in everybody's scouting report for transition," Moser said in a postgame interview Saturday. "He runs so hard. He outruns you. If he gets ahead, it's going to be a great dunk. His energy, running, really helps us."
If the Sooners are to continue rolling, Moore has to be the one leading the way.
"He really pushes everybody, every day in practice," Moser said. "He really has the spirit that cares for everybody, and he backs it up with his toughness."
Moore is averaging 22 points and 6.3 points per contest for the Sooners.
Jeremiah Fears ranks second in scoring at 14 points per outing for Oklahoma, which is set to play its fourth consecutive home game to start the season.
East Texas A&M (1-4) is coming off an 81-46 loss to No. 2-ranked Connecticut on Tuesday. Camerin James scored 18 off the bench for the Lions, who are facing their fourth Power 5 school this season and are 0-4 on the road.
He averages 7.2 points per game. Khaliq Abdul-Mateen is the Lions' leading scorer at 11.8 points per outing.
--Field Level Media