OU/OSU match-ups

[pnkranger]

Are there any two top 25 teams that are more closely matched than OU and OSU?

Murphy/Spangler - Big Advantage Spangler. Murphy is quick and athletic, but he's not a great rebounder and doesn't have the basketball IQ Spangler does. Spangler is the best rebounder in the conference and is a savvy player on both ends of the floor.

Nash/Clark - Draw. Both players rely on mismatches with posts to excel. Both are amazing at times, inconsistent at others. They are well-rounded players who rebound and defend well.

Brown/Hield - Draw. Buddy Hield and Markel Brown are both dynamic players who change the game with their ability to score. Both are good shooters who are talented in transition. Buddy is shooting better from downtown and stealing at a higher clip. Brown has slightly more rebounds and assists. If there is an edge, it is in Brown's experience, but it's a slight edge.

Williams/Cousins - Draw. The Sooner in me wants to say there is a slight edge for Cousins, but it's razor thin. Both players are good defenders, efficient players, good free throw shooters. Cousins leads 3 pt % by a wide margin, but also turns it over too often. I like both of these players a lot.

Smart/Woodard - Big Advantage Smart. These two players play the same type of game with two different styles. Woodard uses speed and crafty play to distribute the ball, get to the free throw line, and push the offense. Smart uses size, strength, and athleticism to do the same. Woodard has struggled with big guards, but he also shouldn't have trouble keeping Smart in front of him on defense (Woodard is quicker). Smart is a better defender by a mile, rebounds better, and finishes better in the lane. Woodard is a better 3 pt shooter.

Bench - Draw. Hornbeak, Booker, Neal, and Bennett vs. Forte, Clark, and Hammonds. OU has more post depth with Neal and Bennett coming off the bench (wow!) and also has the best defensive player on the bench in Hornbeak. Rebounding edge goes to OU. Forte and Clark are the two best offensive players on the bench for either team, though Neal has had the same impact offensively as Clark over the course of the season.

Home Court Advantage - OU. This is the only edge worth speaking about in a game like this. I think all things remaining equal, OU wins by the hair of our chinny chin chin because it's going to be at home in front of a rockin' crowd. We'll get beat in Stillwater for the same reason.

Score will be in the 80s. 83-80 or so.

 

[BigTime]

I'll bite:

Spangler vs Murphy: Spangler
Clark vs Nash: Clark
Hield vs Williams: Hield
Cousins vs Brown: Brown
Woodard vs Smart: Smart

Bench: OSU by a decent margin - hopefully Booker and Hornbeak play well but we don't have a Forte to come off the bench for instant offense

Coaching: Kruger by a good margin

X-Factor: Homecourt advantage to Oklahoma and I think this will be a really good crowd.

 

[tycat947]

Are there any two top 25 teams that are more closely matched than OU and OSU?

Murphy/Spangler - Big Advantage Spangler. Murphy is quick and athletic, but he's not a great rebounder and doesn't have the basketball IQ Spangler does. Spangler is the best rebounder in the conference and is a savvy player on both ends of the floor.

Nash/Clark - Draw. Both players rely on mismatches with posts to excel. Both are amazing at times, inconsistent at others. They are well-rounded players who rebound and defend well.

Brown/Hield - Draw. Buddy Hield and Markel Brown are both dynamic players who change the game with their ability to score. Both are good shooters who are talented in transition. Buddy is shooting better from downtown and stealing at a higher clip. Brown has slightly more rebounds and assists. If there is an edge, it is in Brown's experience, but it's a slight edge.

Williams/Cousins - Draw. The Sooner in me wants to say there is a slight edge for Cousins, but it's razor thin. Both players are good defenders, efficient players, good free throw shooters. Cousins leads 3 pt % by a wide margin, but also turns it over too often. I like both of these players a lot.

Smart/Woodard - Big Advantage Smart. These two players play the same type of game with two different styles. Woodard uses speed and crafty play to distribute the ball, get to the free throw line, and push the offense. Smart uses size, strength, and athleticism to do the same. Woodard has struggled with big guards, but he also shouldn't have trouble keeping Smart in front of him on defense (Woodard is quicker). Smart is a better defender by a mile, rebounds better, and finishes better in the lane. Woodard is a better 3 pt shooter.

Bench - Draw. Hornbeak, Booker, Neal, and Bennett vs. Forte, Clark, and Hammonds. OU has more post depth with Neal and Bennett coming off the bench (wow!) and also has the best defensive player on the bench in Hornbeak. Rebounding edge goes to OU. Forte and Clark are the two best offensive players on the bench for either team, though Neal has had the same impact offensively as Clark over the course of the season.

Home Court Advantage - OU. This is the only edge worth speaking about in a game like this. I think all things remaining equal, OU wins by the hair of our chinny chin chin because it's going to be at home in front of a rockin' crowd. We'll get beat in Stillwater for the same reason.

Score will be in the 80s. 83-80 or so.

Don't forget coaching, in which we have a big advantage as well, IMO.

 

[WTSooner]

I'd give the bench edge to OSU. Forte is the best player off either bench, and Clark, when he is hitting shots, is pretty good too.

Coaching goes to OU.

I don't think we'll see Woodard start on Smart. Probably Hield, but they will switch, and that will change (maybe) as Forte and Clark come into the game. Gonna need a team effort, but I'd make Smart beat us. We cannot let Brown and Forte get open looks, and kill us from 3. Play Smart straight up, MAKE HIM SHOOT JUMPERS, and try to frustrate him. We have to be careful about who we leave to help though.

 

[ByronHoustonsSweatyPalms]

I'll bite:

Spangler vs Murphy: Spangler
Clark vs Nash: Clark
Hield vs Williams: Hield
Cousins vs Brown: Brown
Woodard vs Smart: Smart

Bench: OSU by a decent margin - hopefully Booker and Hornbeak play well but we don't have a Forte to come off the bench for instant offense

Coaching: Kruger by a good margin

X-Factor: Homecourt advantage to Oklahoma and I think this will be a really good crowd.

Seems reasonable


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[SoonerSpock]

I'd give the bench edge to OSU. Forte is the best player off either bench, and Clark, when he is hitting shots, is pretty good too.

Coaching goes to OU.

I don't think we'll see Woodard start on Smart. Probably Hield, but they will switch, and that will change (maybe) as Forte and Clark come into the game. Gonna need a team effort, but I'd make Smart beat us. We cannot let Brown and Forte get open looks, and kill us from 3. Play Smart straight up, MAKE HIM SHOOT JUMPERS, and try to frustrate him. We have to be careful about who we leave to help though.

Smart has proven you can get his goat. Use three or even four different defenders and play physical with him trying to use 15-20 fouls to get him in foul trouble. My take is Smart like to dish it out but does not want to take it back and you can get him in an exasperated state of mind.

Treat him just like Huggins did on Saturday and hopefully get the same results from Marcus (1-7 fgs, 5 rbs, 5 fs and 5 tps).

 

[pnkranger]

Smart has proven you can get his goat. Use three or even four different defenders and play physical with him trying to use 15-20 fouls to get him in foul trouble. My take is Smart like to dish it out but does not want to take it back and you can get him in an exasperated state of mind.

Treat him just like Huggins did on Saturday and hopefully get the same results from Marcus (1-7 fgs, 5 rbs, 5 fs and 5 tps).

I like the idea of using Cousin's length against Smart.

 

[BCSooners]

I think our best matchup on him is Hornbeak, I think he sees his minutes get to about 22-25 for this game.

 

[oSuJeff97]

Keys to the game, IMO:

How will the refs call the game? It's the Big 12, so who the heck knows. Could be 60 total free-throws and 5 guys fouling out... could be 30 total free throws and nobody fouling out. I tend to think that if the former is the case, it's a big advantage to OU. The Sooners are a better free-throw shooting team, and if the refs are whistle happy, then it will help negate one of OSU's advantages, which is better team defense.

How will Woodard and the OU guards handle OSU's pressure defense? Tech's full and 3/4 court press gave OU some problems the other day. I've seen them struggle with ball pressure at other times as well. Ford really likes to mix and match defenses and go in and out of full- and half-court trapping presses. Woodard will need to be smart with the ball and not give OSU extra possessions and/or easy dunks.

Can OSU keep OU off the offensive glass? The biggest hole on OSU's team, by far, is defensive rebounding. This is really the area that was absolutely crippled when Cobbins went out. If you look at OSU's defensive efficiency profile, this is the one area of the defense that isn't strong. OU does a pretty good job of offensive rebounding, so if they are able to press their advantage here, it will mean good things for them.

The Cameron Clark/Le'Bryan Nash matchup. This is an interesting match-up. As the OP pointed out, both have shown the ability to take over a game and both can also disappear for large stretches. Whichever one is able to establish some consistency in this game will be key.

Will "good Smart" show up? I tend to think he will, but then again, you could argue that Smart's worst game last year was the game in Norman. I'm sure that WVU's game plan of being very physical with him will be in order tonight. He needs to keep his emotions in check and stay out of foul trouble, because when he's in, his physical presence helps negate OSU's problem on the defensive glass. If he plays within himself and doesn't start jacking up 3s, it will be good for OSU.

Bottom line:

Two very evenly matched teams and I expect a relatively close game.

But I think OU is just playing a little bit better consistently than OSU is right now. I think playing at home, OU will be able to press their offensive rebounding advantage, and it will probably be the difference in the game.

I'll say OU 79, OSU 72

 

[KBaden145]

Keys to the game, IMO:



How will the refs call the game? It's the Big 12, so who the heck knows. Could be 60 total free-throws and 5 guys fouling out... could be 30 total free throws and nobody fouling out. I tend to think that if the former is the case, it's a big advantage to OU. The Sooners are a better free-throw shooting team, and if the refs are whistle happy, then it will help negate one of OSU's advantages, which is better team defense.



How will Woodard and the OU guards handle OSU's pressure defense? Tech's full and 3/4 court press gave OU some problems the other day. I've seen them struggle with ball pressure at other times as well. Ford really likes to mix and match defenses and go in and out of full- and half-court trapping presses. Woodard will need to be smart with the ball and not give OSU extra possessions and/or easy dunks.



Can OSU keep OU off the offensive glass? The biggest hole on OSU's team, by far, is defensive rebounding. This is really the area that was absolutely crippled when Cobbins went out. If you look at OSU's defensive efficiency profile, this is the one area of the defense that isn't strong. OU does a pretty good job of offensive rebounding, so if they are able to press their advantage here, it will mean good things for them.



The Cameron Clark/Le'Bryan Nash matchup. This is an interesting match-up. As the OP pointed out, both have shown the ability to take over a game and both can also disappear for large stretches. Whichever one is able to establish some consistency in this game will be key.



Will "good Smart" show up? I tend to think he will, but then again, you could argue that Smart's worst game last year was the game in Norman. I'm sure that WVU's game plan of being very physical with him will be in order tonight. He needs to keep his emotions in check and stay out of foul trouble, because when he's in, his physical presence helps negate OSU's problem on the defensive glass. If he plays within himself and doesn't start jacking up 3s, it will be good for OSU.



Bottom line:



Two very evenly matched teams and I expect a relatively close game.



But I think OU is just playing a little bit better consistently than OSU is right now. I think playing at home, OU will be able to press their offensive rebounding advantage, and it will probably be the difference in the game.



I'll say OU 79, OSU 72

Ladies and Gentlemen, OSUJeff. My favorite Poke poster by a long shot on this board and by far the most sensible one of the group. Good, fair analysis of the game, Jeff. I think you are right on. Probably will be able to flip all these thoughts and the score for the game in Stillwater.


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[cvangild]

Are there any two top 25 teams that are more closely matched than OU and OSU?

Murphy/Spangler - Big Advantage Spangler. Murphy is quick and athletic, but he's not a great rebounder and doesn't have the basketball IQ Spangler does. Spangler is the best rebounder in the conference and is a savvy player on both ends of the floor.

Nash/Clark - Draw. Both players rely on mismatches with posts to excel. Both are amazing at times, inconsistent at others. They are well-rounded players who rebound and defend well.

Brown/Hield - Draw. Buddy Hield and Markel Brown are both dynamic players who change the game with their ability to score. Both are good shooters who are talented in transition. Buddy is shooting better from downtown and stealing at a higher clip. Brown has slightly more rebounds and assists. If there is an edge, it is in Brown's experience, but it's a slight edge.

Williams/Cousins - Draw. The Sooner in me wants to say there is a slight edge for Cousins, but it's razor thin. Both players are good defenders, efficient players, good free throw shooters. Cousins leads 3 pt % by a wide margin, but also turns it over too often. I like both of these players a lot.

Smart/Woodard - Big Advantage Smart. These two players play the same type of game with two different styles. Woodard uses speed and crafty play to distribute the ball, get to the free throw line, and push the offense. Smart uses size, strength, and athleticism to do the same. Woodard has struggled with big guards, but he also shouldn't have trouble keeping Smart in front of him on defense (Woodard is quicker). Smart is a better defender by a mile, rebounds better, and finishes better in the lane. Woodard is a better 3 pt shooter.

Bench - Draw. Hornbeak, Booker, Neal, and Bennett vs. Forte, Clark, and Hammonds. OU has more post depth with Neal and Bennett coming off the bench (wow!) and also has the best defensive player on the bench in Hornbeak. Rebounding edge goes to OU. Forte and Clark are the two best offensive players on the bench for either team, though Neal has had the same impact offensively as Clark over the course of the season.

Home Court Advantage - OU. This is the only edge worth speaking about in a game like this. I think all things remaining equal, OU wins by the hair of our chinny chin chin because it's going to be at home in front of a rockin' crowd. We'll get beat in Stillwater for the same reason.

Score will be in the 80s. 83-80 or so.

You forget one.

Flopping: OSU has the huge edge here