What will it take for OU basketball to upset Tennessee in second straight top-5 battle?

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NORMAN — OU basketball coach Porter Moser continued to harp on paying attention to small details and ramping up physicality with his team this week as they prep for their second consecutive top-5 bout.

The Sooners were blown out by No. 1 Auburn 98-70 Tuesday night, shooting a season-low 33.3% from the field. One sequence from the loss to the Tigers — when a 12-point lead became an 18-point lead in a matter of seconds due to missed layups and leaving shooters open — continued to stick in Moser’s mind Friday

“That was a gut punch,” Moser said. “That was a turning point because I thought we were battling back and forth. Not like we were playing great but we were battling. They’re a really, really good team and you have to really be on your A-game.”

OU allowed 46 paint points and was outscored in fastbreak points (14-3) for just the second time this season. Looking ahead to the Volunteers — who returned key player Zakai Zeigler back from injury this week — senior guard Duke Miles echoed his head coach.

“Toughness and rebounding,” Miles said of the Sooners’ focus against Tennessee. “We’ve been talking about rebounding all year but we’ve been making a big emphasis on it. We’re going to go out there, punch first, not worry about the scoreboard and focus on us.”

More: OU men’s basketball roster: A look at the 2024-25 Oklahoma Sooners

FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS – JANUARY 25: Head Coach Porter Moser of the Oklahoma Sooners visits with fans before a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Bud Walton Arena on January 25, 2025 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

Jeremiah Fears availability in question vs. Tennessee

After things got chippy in the second half against Auburn between OU’s Jeremiah Fears and the Tigers’ Chad Baker-Mazara, Fears hobbled off the floor, bringing his availability for Saturday’s game into question.

“I’m going to defer to the availability report tonight at 7,” Moser said.

The Sooners seem to go as Fears, a projected first-round pick in…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/ou-basketball-upset-tennessee-second-221714878.html

Author : The Oklahoman

Publish date : 2025-02-07 22:17:00

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