Bedlam: Sooners Look To Win Seventh Straight Over Cowboys

No matter the record or the aspirations of either team, rivalries mean a lot in college sports, and Wednesday night’s Bedlam showdown likely won’t disappoint despite each team’s resume up to this point in the season.

No. 3 Oklahoma (21-5, 9-5) will host Oklahoma State (12-15, 3-11) at 8 p.m. inside of Lloyd Noble Center, and the Sooners will be looking to build on their double-digit road win over then No. 10 West Virginia.

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Here are a few headlines for the Sooners entering the game:

Slow down Newberry

With no Jawun Evans or Phil Forte at the Cowboys’ disposal due to injuries, OSU will lean on Jeff Newberry to lead the way after the senior has totaled 45 points in his last three outings. Newberry’s a capable scorer, but he will need some help from Leyton Hammonds and Mitchell Solomon, who’re both fighting through injuries and could sit out Bedlam.

Newberry scored only eight points in OU’s 74-72 win back on January 14, but basically everyone on the OSU roster took a backseat to Evans’ on that night and that was probably a good call because the true freshman torched the Sooners for 42 points.

The Cowboys will likely need a complete team-effort in order to take down an experienced team like the Sooners, therefore Travis Ford will need to construct a game plan that doesn’t put the scoring load squarely on the shoulders of Newberry.

Are the guards back in rhythm?

Buddy Hield (29), Isaiah Cousins (12) and Jordan Woodard (11) all scored in double figures in Saturday’s win over the Mountaineers, and that was a promising sign for OU fans due to the inconsistency of the trio over the last month or so.

Before the win over WVU, the Sooners had dropped three of their last four and a big part of those losses was the play of both Cousins and Woodard in particular. For a stretch of games both of the guards had a hard time consistently knocking down shots on the same night, while that wasn’t an issue through most of the start of the season.

Oklahoma still leads the nation in three-point percentage (.431) despite the up-and-down play, but if the Sooners want to make a deep tournament run, they will need to have the guards consistently hitting shots from the outside, and Wednesday night’s Bedlam matchup will be a good test.

Bounce back at LNC?

The Sooners held an undefeated home record this season up until its loss to the Jayhawks on February 13, and haven’t had a chance to redeem themselves due to playing its last two contests on the road.

Tonight’s matchup is the second to last home game for seniors such as Hield, Cousins and Ryan Spangler, so there’s little doubt that they won’t to close out their final games in Norman on a high note. Oklahoma has won six straight against the Cowboys, and haven’t suffered a Bedlam home-loss since 2004. 

Be sure to stay updated throughout the game by following @News9Sport on Twitter and check back after the game for a recap.