OU basketball vs. Oklahoma State: Score prediction, scouting report for Big 12 Bedlam game

NORMAN — Coach Porter Moser and OU have been resilient after losses, including Tuesday’s 82-66 victory over No. 21 BYU, but have struggled to stack wins in the Big 12.

The Sooners defeated West Virginia and Cincinnati on Jan. 17 and Jan. 20, respectively, but haven’t played consistently enough to muster back-to-back conference wins since. Moser and Co. have an opportunity to do just that at 6 p.m. Saturday when Mike Boynton’s underperforming Oklahoma State (10-13, 2-8 Big 12) squad rolls into Norman.

It’s a chance for the Sooners to learn how to keep winning down the stretch about a month before the Big 12 Tournament begins.

“That's what we’ve talked about,” Moser said. “We can't let winning change how we do things just like you can't let losing. … (After the UCF game), Sunday's prep was all about the next game. You can't let winning change that and it hasn't. You just can't let winning change your focus or your prep, especially in this league the way it goes. That's been a focus — how we handle winning.”

Another opportunity in front of OU (17-6, 5-5) is the chance to move up in the Big 12 standings. Moser’s team is currently seventh as it holds the tiebreaker over Kansas State, and could seemingly catapult as other dominoes fall on Saturday.

The Sooners played perhaps their best game defensively against the Cougars and are looking to emulate it against a similarly run offensive system. Moser was pleased with the aggression his team played with, particularly senior guard Le’Tre Darthard who he highlighted in the team’s film study.

“I think for our guys (the key is) that they're on the same page defensively,” Moser said, “and we’ve got to stack stops and let it dictate our offense and everything. … The guys know what we’ve got to do defensively against Oklahoma State.”

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Oklahoma State's weapons

With OSU senior guard Bryce Thompson out for the season after undergoing surgery for an injured right shoulder, former East Carolina standout Javon Small will be a focus for OU.

Small leads the Cowboys in scoring, averaging 14 points per game, and assists, dishing 4.6 a contest. He’s also a fraction off from leading them in rebounds and steals.

“Javon's playing as good as any guard in the league,” Moser said. “Look at what he's doing for their team. … Just an all-around both ends guard. He does a ton, he’s shooting it well, he’s distributing it well and he’s guarding well. Just a terrific guard, one of the best guards in our league.”

Moser also praised Cowboys freshman center Brandon Garrison, the No. 1 recruit from Oklahoma in the 2023 class, who he recruited out of Del City High School. Garrison is averaging 7.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 22.5 minutes per game, impressive for a first-year player in a conference as competitive as the Big 12.

The Sooners’ coach called him “one of the premier big mens in the country.”

“I'm not surprised and I am impressed,” Moser said of Garrison. “I think they've done a great job with him skill development wise. I think he's gotten stronger and you can just see in his shoulders. … I hope he takes the night off because he's doing great, but we'll be ready for him. We know all about him, I think he's a very good player. The guys have seen him on tape and on TV, they know what he can do because he can do a lot.”

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End of Bedlam in Norman?

Ahead of possibly the final Bedlam basketball matchup in Norman, Moser said Friday he and Boynton have discussed keeping the rivalry alive in the future following OU’s SEC departure next season.

Boynton floated the idea of continuing the game on Thursday.

“Why not, it's meant a lot to the state,” Moser said. “It’s been a rivalry, there'll be a lot of things, semantic-wise … But why not for the future? It’s something I'm not against, I don't think he's against it’s just about figuring it out. I think that's gonna be the biggest key but it's been a meaningful thing for the state and all sports so I don't know why not.”

With the roster turnover the Sooners experienced in the offseason, senior forward Sam Godwin, a Southmoore graduate, has tried to relay to the newcomers how important the rivalry is to the state.

“It's a big thing, nobody knows what the future holds,” Godwin said. “We're just focused on this game coming up and we're doing everything we can to make sure we get this one so it’s exciting.”

Since arriving in Norman in 2021, Moser hasn’t fared well in rivalry games.

The third-year OU coach holds a 1-4 record against OSU, including an 0-3 stretch last season. After falling to Texas on Jan. 23, Moser is 0-5 against the Longhorns during his tenure. Despite the track record, Moser said he doesn’t feel any added pressure entering Saturday’s contest.

“This is about this Big 12 conference race and that's being honest,” Moser said. “We know it's a lot of stakes but that's where we want to be. We're in a position where every game has a lot of meaning for us and we want to stack wins. We had a great win the other night, obviously both teams coming are going to come in here playing their tails off.

“And that's our focus — this race, the Big 12 conference, trying to stack wins — that's what's been talked about in our locker room.”

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OU-OSU score prediction

OU 76, OSU 66: Despite being blown out by Houston, OSU put together a couple impressive wins over West Virginia and Kansas State over the last two weeks. Garrison is the real deal and someone the Sooners missed out on in recruiting. However, expect OU to build off its strong defensive performance from Tuesday night, win its second consecutive Big 12 game and cement its spot as a NCAA Tournament lock.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU basketball vs. Oklahoma State: Our Bedlam score prediction is in