Tip off: 8 PM EST
Spread: OK -5.5
Total: n/a
m/l: n/a
Odds taken from Bookmaker
OKLAHOMA
Last year was a bit rough for the Sooners, as they finished 14-18 with a 5-11 Big 12 record, and they lost to Texas by 20 in the second round of the Big 12 tournament.
All indications so far are that this year may be far better. Scoring 79.0 pionts per game ranks Oklahoma 36th in the nation offensively, while their rebounding has been superb too, as they are averaging 40.5 rebounds per night, good enough for 28th in the nation. While at 5-1 they have not beaten any quality opponents, tonight will not represent a deviation from that, though they are favored by only 5.5 points over Oral Roberts.
The Sooners use a 10 man rotation, and no one sees more than 28 minutes a night. They also have a balanced scoring attack, with almost 5 players in double figures. Leading scorer Steven Pledger has impressed. The 6’4″ junior guard is putting up 17.2 points per game and posted 26 points on 10 of 15 shooting in a 12 point win over Santa Clara.
Romero Osby has done his job, too, and is seeing the third most minutes on the team at 26.3 minutes per contest. In that time, Osby has averaged 11.3 points per game, 7.7 rebounds per game, and 1.2 blocks.
OKLAHOMA BETTING TRENDS:
The Sooners are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games and 5-0 SU in their last 5 at home, while they are also 5-0 SU in their last 5 games against Oral Roberts and 5-0 SU in their last 5 home games against Oral Roberts. They have faced three times since 2003, and Oklahoma has won all three matchups, while winning no game by any less than 8 points.
ORAL ROBERTS
Oral Roberts posted a 19-16 record last season while finishing with an impressive 13-5 record in the Summit Conference. They lost to Southern Methodist by 7 points in the CIT first round.
But they have been red hot so far this year, as winners of their past six games, notching victories over UTSA, Arkansas Pine-Bluff, Austin Peay, getting revenge against Southern Methodist, FIU, Missouri State, and Southern Utah. While only Southern Methodist represented a real test, tonight may give the Golden Eagles an idea of how well they can hold up as they enter a tougher portion of their schedule. They face #22 ranked Gonzaga on December 15th and #8 ranked Xavier three days after that.
They are led by the quartet of Dominique Morrison, Michael Craion, Steven Roundtree, and Warren Niles. The four of them combine to score 53.9 points per game, which is 77% of the Golden Eagles offense. While Morrison leads the way with a 16.4 point per game avearge, most of the damage has been done in two games, while the rest have been rather mediocre. Against Southern Methodist, Morrison exploded for 30 points on 10 of 16 shooting, while he also scored 21 in the 6 point loss to West Virginia on opening night.
Given Oklahoma’s dominance over Oral Roberts in the past, and the fact that the spread is only set at 5.5, a money line bet will be very attractive for this one. If you agree and feel like backing up a bet, we suggest you try Bookmaker, where they offer a 5% return on lost bets and a great cashout system. Also take advantage of our paid pick plans, as we line everyone’s pockets this season once again!
