Providence has arguably its biggest test of the young season as they travel to Oklahoma to face the nationally ranked Oklahoma Sooners. Oklahoma is 7-0 on the season and has been a really pleasant surprise in the Big 12. The preseason predictions had Oklahoma finishing TWELFTH in the Big 12. Ironically, they had BYU below them, who is now #14 in the nation. Seems like the Big Twelve coaches didn’t really do their homework, but I digress…
Oklahoma has had a relatively light non-conference schedule to date, with their highlight being a 2 point victory over now 5-3 USC. To their credit, the men of Troy were nationally ranked when they defeated them. They also defeated 5-3 Iowa by 12.
Undefeated is undefeated, and the metrics really like the Sooners. KenPom currently has Oklahoma at 25, while Providence is at 44. Friar fans have been calling for the Friars to be nationally ranked. If they win this game on the road, as well as taking care of Brown later in the week, you’ll see the Friars with a national ranking next to their name come December 11th.
Most important, this is a resume builder come NCAA bracket time. If Providence can leave their non-conference with wins over Wisconsin, Georgia, and Oklahoma, they’ll be positioning themselves extremely well come Big East conference play.
Suffice to say, this is a HUGE opportunity for the Providence Friars.
We break down the Oklahoma Sooners below and how the Friars can pull off the road victory.
https://www.si.com/college/oklahoma/mens-basketball/watch-oklahoma-hc-porter-moser-interview-12-4-23
Oklahoma Sooners: Overview
Otega Oweh: Sophomore from New Jersey averaging 16 and 5 rebounds. 6’5 bully of a wing
Javian McCollum: Junior averaging 14 and 36% from deep. 6’2 Guard
John Hugley IV: 6’10 Junior averaging 12 and 6 rebounds. Transfer from Pitt.
Jalon Moore: 6’7 Junior averaging 11 and 5 rebounds. Transfer from GTech.
Oklahoma Team Stats
Averaging 87.4 points per game, good for 15th in the nation
They have a deep rotation, with 8 players getting significant minutes and a handful of others earning spot minutes. This rotation will probably only be an 8 or 9 man against Providence.
Shooting 35% from 3 as a team
While they are 15th in the nation in scoring, they are tied identically with Providence at holding opponents to 63.6 points/game.
Keys to Game for Providence
Defensive Effort and Intensity – We talked on the last podcast about how the defense of Providence may be a shock to opponents who have never played them before. They play incredible man to man defense and don’t really give an inch. If anything, the Friars tend to be overaggressive.
While Oklahoma is undefeated, I’m not really sure they’ve been all that tested this year besides the SC game. If I’m English, I’m imploring them to set the tone early and be in the shirts of the Sooners to see if they are ready for this type of rugged match-up. Devin Carter on Oweh will be really fun to watch, and I’m sure Dual and Pierre will take turns on McCollum. If Providence can throw an opening haymaker with their defense and stifle the Sooners, it changes the trajectory of this game.
Oklahoma has the athletes and the physicality, but I’ll be curious if they can hold up to the wing defense of the Friars for 40 minutes.
Oduro Staying Out of Foul Trouble – Hugley IV will be a nice test for Oduro. While I hope the wings of Providence are incredibly aggressive against the Sooners, I want Oduro to play with a bit of caution on the defensive end. Providence needs him to play 30 minutes to have a chance at the win here.
If Oduro gets in foul trouble, English will have to give more minutes to Rafael Castro in a hostile road environment or settle with playing Hopkins at the 5. Neither of those options are ideal.
Get Out in Transition – With the full stable of core players healthy, I want to see Providence get out and run as much as possible. I’d like to see if Oklahoma has the athletes and the bodies to get up and down the court with the Friars. If Providence can get the ball in the open space in transition, I like the Friar’s ability to get open looks from deep while finishing around the rim.
Avoid Digging a Hole Early – This is the first true road test for the Friars. While Oklahoma isn’t Phog Allen or Cameron Indoors, I expect the atmosphere to be a lively and hostile one. To get the crowd out of the game, it is important to draw up some quality looks early for the veterans on this squad in Oduro, Carter, and Hopkins. Most important, this is where the leadership of players like Gaines comes into play to settle down the team when Oklahoma inevitably goes on a mini-run.
There will likely be some early game nerves being away from the AMP and getting a few good looks will tamper the crowd enthusiasm.
Predictions
BOC: The spread as of this writing is Oklahoma -4.5. I don’t think this Sooners squad is a 5 point favorite over the Friars. Providence has shown it can play with top tier squads (see the demolishing of the Wisconsin Badgers). I think the defense wins the game for the Friars, and the story heading out of this match-up is how Providence dragged Oklahoma into a street fight. 75-71 Providence.
Crier: First true road game for the Friars on the year I’m intrigued how they come out. PC has been pretty steady throughout the year not trailing by more than 4 in regulation this season. Part of me thinks PC can roll over Boomer Sooner considering OU was predicted to finish on lower end of Big 12 and wins over Iowa and USC are solid but don’t blow me away. Ultimatelyl life on the road is a battle but PC hangs on to win 74-69.