Oklahoma guard Javian McCollum (2) celebrates scoring in the second half during an NCAA basketball game between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Okla., on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024. © NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK
No. 8 Iowa State (21-6, 10-4) will finish its two-game home stand on Wednesday night with the Oklahoma Sooners (19-8, 7-7) inside Hilton Coliseum (7:00 p.m., ESPN+).
The Cyclones are coming off a 71-64 win over West Virginia. The Mountaineers took a 51-50 lead with 9:07 left in the second half, but the Cyclones responded with a 14-0 run and never looked back.
The Sooners picked up a thrilling 84-82 victory at Oklahoma State last Saturday. Junior guard Javion McCollum hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to take down the Cowboys in what could be the last Bedlam matchup for the foreseeable future due to OU’s move to the SEC.
About the Sooners
Oklahoma coach Porter Moser has built one of the more surprising teams in the Big 12 this year. The Sooners were picked to finish 12th out of 14 teams and currently sit in fifth place in the conference.
Moser’s squad beat the Cyclones 71-63 in Norman this January, in both teams’ Big 12 opener.
As Selection Sunday nears, Bracketologists project Moser’s team as an 8-seed in the NCAA Tournament, and with the Big 12 Tournament in two weeks, the Sooners would be a 7-seed in Kansas City if the season ended today.
In the first meeting between the two programs, McCollum scored a game-high 15 points and dished out 5 assists. The 6-foot-2 junior can be Oklahoma’s most dangerous 3-point shooter despite shooting 32.1 percent from behind the arc.
McCollum is averaging a team-high 14.0 points per game on a 41.3 percent clip from the field and 94.0 percent from the free throw line. He also dishes out 3.3 assists per game. The Cyclones know how good of a scorer McCollum is and racing him off the 3-point line will be a major priority for the team Wednesday.
Returning guard Otega Oweh is coming off one of his best games in conference play this season. He scored 16 points and grabbed 3 rebounds in the victory over Oklahoma State. The 6-foot-5 sophomore is averaging 12.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, and a team-high 1.6 steals per game. Oweh isn’t a prolific three-point shooter, so fans will see his specialty in getting downhill and scoring around the rim.
As a guard, Oweh is shooting an efficient 51.0 percent from the floor. Even though he has excelled in the painted area, Oweh struggles from the free throw line. He is shooting 64-101, just 63.4 percent, from the line. Look for the Cyclones to challenge his shots and foul him late if the game is close.
Moser has a trio of forwards who all play a different style of basketball for his team.
Georgia Tech transfer Jalon Moore has a dominant inside scoring presence, but can also step out and shoot the three. The 6-foot-7 junior averages 10.7 points and a team-high 6.4 rebounds per game. Moore has started most of the year for Moser’s team. Iowa State will have to keep him off the offensive glass but attack him on their own offensive glass. Moore plays undersized at the forward position – look for Iowa State’s frontcourt to create second-chance opportunities for the Cyclones.
Returning starter Sam Godwin and redshirt freshman Luke Northweather round out the trio. The 6-foot-11 Northweather has come on in February for the Sooner team. His scoring average is only up to 1.8 points per game, but he’s scored in each of the team’s last four games in limited minutes.
Northweather’s 3-point shooting can change the way Moser’s team plays on the offensive end. When Northweather comes into the game, the Sooners look to run a five-out offense and pick-and-pop sets for Northweather. The Cyclones forwards have played well on the perimeter this season and will need to continue that on Wednesday night.
The 6-foot-10 senior in Godwin is the glue for Moser’s program. Godwin is in his second year with the team and has been the most reliable inside scorer for the Sooners in his two years there. He isn’t flashy or a dominant scorer in the paint, but he can quietly put up 12 points and 8 rebounds.
When Godwin is in the game, Oklahoma likes to run a handoff action with him at the top of the key. Iowa State will try to force Godwin into bad passes that lead to dunks and layups on the other end.
Two veteran point guards round out the Sooner team. Reigning Big 12 All-Freshman Team guard Milos Uzan and Oregon transfer Le’Tre Darthard run the offense for the Sooners.
Uzan, a 6-foot-4 player, doesn’t have eye-popping stats, but can distribute the ball as well as anyone in the country. He averages 9.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game. Iowa State needs to force him to turn the ball over, which leads to easy buckets on the other end.
The 6-foot-4 senior Darthard, likes to shoot the three. In the matchup down in Norman, Darthard scored 11 points off the bench on 3-4 shooting from behind the arc. When he comes into the game, he looks to shoot the ball. Finding him in transition and off offensive rebounds needs to be a priority for the Cyclones.
Iowa State’s bench continues to shine
In coach T.J. Otzelberger’s first two years, the Cyclones have made back-to-back trips to the NCAA Tournament and beat 15 ranked teams in that time span.
What’s held those teams back from advancing further in the big dance is bench production.
Even though the Cyclones made the Sweet 16 in Otzelberger’s first season at the helm, the team lacked depth on the bench. That team was led by Izaiah Brockington, Tyrese Hunter, and Gabe Kalscheur in the scoring department, and going back to last season, the team was led by Jaren Holmes, Gabe Kalscheur, Caleb Grill, and Osun Osunniyi in scoring. On some nights, you never knew who was going to step up in each game offensively.
This year’s team has addressed those shortfalls. The Cyclones have scoring options up and down the lineup, including off the bench.
Curtis Jones improved his double-figure scoring streak to 10 games in a row after a 12-point performance against West Virginia. Jones has shown that he can be a reliable scorer off the bench. His 3-point shooting ability has changed his team’s trajectory. Iowa State will need him to continue to play well as March rapidly approaches.
Since returning from injury, Hason Ward has been a huge lift for the Cyclones at the center position. His length and athleticism on both ends of the floor change the way the Cyclones guard and score the ball.
Ward is Iowa State’s favorite lob threat on offense. When he catches the ball, he looks to dunk everything. Iowa State needs to have Ward provide crucial minutes off the bench for them to make a deep run in March.
Jackson Paveletzke has seen an uptick in play since the month of February started. The 6-foot-2 sophomore provides energy off the bench that the Cyclones need when he enters the game. In his last outing, he played 16 minutes, scored 9 points, and collected 2 rebounds. What doesn’t show up on the stat sheet is his tenacious defense.
Paveletzke checked into the game when Iowa State was down 51-50 and checked out with Iowa State up 12. If he can keep up that production down the stretch for the Cyclones, the sky is the limit for what this team can accomplish.
