Game 16: No. 6 Kansas at Oklahoma – Preview and Prediction

January 14, 2020 Bobby Norell

The No. 6 Kansas Jayhawks look to rebound after an ugly loss to Baylor last Saturday. The Jayhawks hit the road to face the Oklahoma Sooners, who are off to a 2-1 start in Big 12 play. Kansas will have the services of star guard Devon Dotson, who was hobbled by injury in the loss to Baylor on Saturday.

Tuesday, January 14, 2019, 8:00 pm CDT
Lloyd Noble Center — Norman, Oklahoma
ESPN or ESPN App
Kansas leads the overall series with Oklahoma, 148-68, including a 52- 44 in games played in Norman. The series is tied at 19-19 in meetings in Lloyd Noble Center
Kansas is 95-13 following a loss in the Bill Self era, which started in 2003-04, including 2-0 this season. Incredibly, KU has been even more efficient over the last six seasons, amassing a record of 44-5 after losses. This includes an 8-1 mark last season.
KU is ranked No. 5 in the NET rankings through games of Jan. 12. The Jayhawks’ strength of schedule is No. 1 nationally. Kansas is the only school with six Quadrant 1 wins. KU is 6-3 against Q1.
The Jayhawks have also played the most difficult slate of defensive teams in the nation, ranking No. 1 in opposing defensive efficiency according to KenPom.com. Despite this, KU ranks fourth in the NCAA in field goal percentage (50.3%) and eighth in scoring margin (+16.5).
The Jayhawks are 134-59 (69.3%) on the road in Big 12 play since 1996- 97, which includes a 1-0 mark so far this season. The team with the next highest winning percentage is Texas, which is 86-108 (44.3%) in conference road games since the league formed.
Kansas’ three losses in 2019-20 have been to ranked teams with two by the then-No. 4 teams – No. 4 Duke on Nov. 5 and No. 4 Baylor on Jan. 11.

Sooners to Watch

Kristian Doolittle – Senior, Wing, 6’7″
Doolittle is having an All-Big 12 type of season, as he leads OU with 17.1 PPG and 8.1 RPG. He’s also shooting 47 percent from the field and 50 percent from distance. In three Big 12 games, he’s averaging 18.3 PPG and 8 RPG, including a 22-point effort in a win against Texas on January 8.

Brady Manek – Junior, Guard, 6’3”
Manek fits the role of the unathletic big man who strokes threes and crushes KU. This season he’s shooting 41 percent from three-point land and is third on the team in scoring at 14.6 PPG. Last time out, Manek was 5-6 from three-point land. Kansas cannot allow that on Tuesday night.

Prediction

I’ll go with the Jayhawks get back on track against the Sooners. The Jayhawks will need a better shooting performance and by that I mean they need to just shoot more. Isaiah Moss attempted eight of KU’s 15 attempts against Baylor. That can’t be the case. Free the three and good things will come!

Kansas 83, Oklahoma 68
KU -6.5

AUDIO PREVIEW: LINK

Season Record: 12-3 (7-8 ATS)