Oklahoma had plenty to work on coming off its first loss of the season, a stunning late-game collapse against Sam Houston State in the season opener on Nov. 7.
Coming off their second defeat on Saturday at Villanova, there’s not as much retooling to be done as the Sooners look to get back in the win column Tuesday when they take on Kansas City in Norman, Okla.
Oklahoma (6-2) will look to get back to playing strong defense after Villanova shot 56.8 percent from the floor and 41.2 percent from beyond the arc — both season-worst marks for the Sooners defensively.
“I think we’re doing a good job contesting shots,” Oklahoma coach Porter Moser said. “I think, like, making sure that (we have) high hands, contesting shots, trying to make them make tough twos, tough 3s — I think we’ve defended the 3 fairly well.”
The Sooners are holding opponents to 41.9 percent from the field and 27.6 percent on 3-point attempts.
That figures to be a mark in Oklahoma’s favor against the Roos.
Kansas City started off strong from the floor, shooting 42.4 percent in the season’s first six games, though it was shooting 29.5 percent from beyond the arc.
But in their last five, the Roos have shot just 35.9 percent from the field and 24.5 percent on 3-pointers.
The Roos are adjusting from the loss of Anderson Koop, who was averaging 13.0 points and was shooting 44 percent from beyond the arc. Koop is expected to miss more than a month with a wrist injury.
Kansas City (4-7) is coming off a 61-47 win over Lindenwood on Saturday, its first win of the season without Koop.
“I’m proud of our guys and how they’ve dealt with adversity,” Roos coach Marvin Menzies said. “In this game of basketball, there’s peaks and valleys and the teams that can bounce back off of a valley and get back on a valley are the teams that are left standing at the end of the year.”
Kansas City is looking for its first win against a current Big 12 opponent since 2003. The Roos fell to Kansas State, 69-53, on Nov. 17.
Tuesday’s meeting is the first between the programs.
–Field Level Media
