WHAT IT IS:
Two teams, one state, and a lot on the line is what the third installment of this heated collegiate rivalry holds in store for its viewers. To say the least, the Oklahoma Sooners and Oklahoma State Cowboys don't take kindly to each other in their annual match ups, and the same goes for this Wednesday at 6 p.m. CT in Kansas City, Missouri when they face off in the first round of the Big 12 Championship.
With the Sooners having more than likely punched their ticket into the NCAA Basketball Tournament with a solid 81-60 win over Iowa State at home last Friday, a lot of the pressure will reside on the shoulders of the Cowboys who are coming off of a major win against current Big 12 Champions, the Kansas Jayhawks.
The Cowboys currently stand at a record of 18-13, and 8-10 in conference, meaning that in order to have a chance at being in the NCAA Tournament they'll need to get a win against the Sooners, or go home with their being put to rest.
RECAP:
Previously in the season the Sooners beat the Cowboys in Norman, and later on the Cowboys were able to get revenge when they beat the Sooners in Stillwater. The real thirst for revenge on the Cowboys side will be fueled by their close loss to the Sooners in last season's football game, in which the Sooners were able to narrowly defeat the Cowboys in a heavily offensive game leading to the Sooners participating in the Big 12 title game and the Rose Bowl. Had the Cowboys won, the football season would have ended in a completely different way. Fans and players are still waiting to make the Sooners pay.
WHY THE COWBOYS WILL WIN:
The Cowboys are riding into the Big 12 Championship with a lot of momentum. With a win over Iowa State and a blow out win 82-64 against the No. 6 Jayhawks, sweeping Kansas for the first time in school history, the Cowboys are looking worthy of a tournament appearance with senior stars like Mitchell Solomon and Kendall Smith at the helm. In order to win this game the Cowboys will need their seniors to continually step up and play good defense against Wooden Award candidate Trae Young. When it comes to the offensive side of the ball, Oklahoma's Khadeem Latin has been inviting people to block party's all season long, now having over 200 blocks in his career as a Sooner. The Cowboys will more than likely need to depend on long range shots and avoid the rim when Latin is on the floor. With the Sooners not being a very defensive team, the Cowboys will be able to outlast them in a closely contested game if shots start going down.
WHY THE SOONERS WILL WIN:
It truly depends on two things. Can Trae Young get hot early on and keep things rolling without piling up an insurmountable stretch of turnovers, and will the Sooners be ready to play defense against the Cowboy's sleeper stars? If Brady Manek can start getting hot, with what I would consider to be one of the best quick releae shots in the NCAA, and the Sooners can manage to avoid foul trouble and turnovers, I see the Sooners taking this one away heading into the third quarter. The Sooners are incredibly hit or miss with this though, so it really depends on what kind of day their having.
WHERE AND HOW TO WATCH:
The Big 12 Championship is held in Kansas City, Missouri and will start off with Bedlam March 7 and will end March 10. Can't make it? ESPNU has got you covered with live coverage of each and every Big 12 tourney game.
FINAL PREDICTION:
The Sooners are a force to be reckoned with, but the Cowboys will ride their momentum train and seal an NCAA Tournament appearance with a narrow win over the Sooners behind an unfortunate amount of turnovers from the Sooners.
Cowboys 87-81
