+++#4/6 Oklahoma (14-2, 4-1) vs. Kansas State (12-5, 2-3) Pregame Thread+++

[WichitaSooner]

Nice attempt at the straw man......never said OU was lagging behind "way behind" anyone. I did say OU was amongst a group of teams that was looking like they could separate themselves from the rest of the conference. Since that time, KU has proven they look to be formidable once again. They beat a team last night that we lost to by double digits. And we followed that up with a poor performance tonight against a bubble team (and WV won at K-State).

As far as metrics (per Kenpom):
Tech - 5
KU - 10
WV - 11
OU - 20

From that data, I don't think it's unreasonable to project, at this point, that we aren't winning the league....all things being equal. I'm sorry if that reality bothers some fans, but like I said a few minutes ago, a 3rd place finish in the best conference in America would be a great season for this team. My hope is we improve on the defensive end and can make a run at the league championship, but the numbers don't suggest that right now.

My feelings certainly aren't hurt if you think KU will win the league. I've been predicting that since approximately 2007 because they've shown time and again that they know how to do it. And while lots of people question their depth, I think that is horribly overblown in college basketball, where teams only play twice a week. Plus, if Preston gets cleared, they will be gaining a key player. My point was that a lot of people seem to drastically change their assessment of OU after every game. If you had posted your take a few minutes before tipoff tonight, it would carry more weight ... anyone can talk about how bad the eye test looks after a terrible game. Heck, KU fans probably thought that about their team midday through the second half in Morgantown.

In any event, I think we can agree that OU needs to play much better in order to bounce back Saturday and beyond!

 

[SoonerSpock]

Nice attempt at the straw man......never said OU was lagging behind "way behind" anyone. I did say OU was amongst a group of teams that was looking like they could separate themselves from the rest of the conference. Since that time, KU has proven they look to be formidable once again. They beat a team last night that we lost to by double digits. And we followed that up with a poor performance tonight against a bubble team (and WV won at K-State).

As far as metrics (per Kenpom):
Tech - 5
KU - 10
WV - 11
OU - 20

From that data, I don't think it's unreasonable to project, at this point, that we aren't winning the league....all things being equal. I'm sorry if that reality bothers some fans, but like I said a few minutes ago, a 3rd place finish in the best conference in America would be a great season for this team. My hope is we improve on the defensive end and can make a run at the league championship, but the numbers don't suggest that right now.

For certain this team is not going to rise to the top of the league with even a third place finish unless they step up their play every game out on the defensive end. The defense needs to bring their B+ game every night as opponents are going to make certain Trae does not get hie teammates involved on the offensive end. They will give him his 20 points but he is not going to find the passing lanes he has seen in the past.

The last 3 games have shown how to stymie Trae. He did overcome Tech's defensive efforts but he is incapable of shooting the ball at that level on a continued basis.