The previous time Oklahoma beat a ranked opponent, Dec. 1 vs. No. 14 Florida, the Sooners followed it up with a disappointing overtime home loss to Butler.
Now, Oklahoma will get another shot.
Eight days after knocking off previously undefeated Arkansas, 88-66, the Sooners will host Texas-Arlington on Sunday in Norman, Okla.
“I like the resiliency of this group,” Oklahoma coach Porter Moser said. “When you have a really good win, you hope to have it springboard you and not have a letdown. All of our things are about where we’re going, getting better and just chasing. We’re not nearly where we want to be. Those are the kind of conversations we’re having. Everything is, ‘Let’s keep pushing and get better and not just pat ourselves on the back of what we just accomplished.'”
With just two games remaining before Big 12 play begins, the Sooners (8-2) are emphasizing developing bench depth.
“We have to be deep for games when you just need it in this kind of league,” Moser said. “I don’t know if the roles are changing. I think guys are definitely getting more comfortable with what we are supposed to be doing. We’re still searching for consistency, like every team.”
The Mavericks (3-6) are coming off a 71-62 loss at Oral Roberts on Thursday, a game in which they shot just 39.7 percent from the field and 29.4 percent from behind the 3-point line.
“We have to become a better offensive team,” Mavericks coach Greg Young said. “We’re just not very good (offensively) right now. We’re inefficient, and we have to be able to answer teams — especially good offensive teams — but we’re just not to that point yet. But we’re playing hard; we’re trying to defend the right way.”
UTA is shooting just 27.3 percent from beyond the arc this season, ranking in the bottom 20 of 350 Division I programs, while the Sooners are just outside the top 30 nationally in 3-point defense, holding opponents to 27.7 percent shooting from that distance.
–Field Level Media
