AUBURN (8-2/No. 67 RPI) vs. OKLAHOMA (6-4/No. 185 RPI)
Where: Mohegan Sun Entertainment Complex in Uncasville, Conn.
When: 7:30 p.m. CST
TV: CBS Sports Network (channel 158 on DISH, 221 on DirecTV)
Thoughts and observations:
- Oklahoma has four losses and none of them are stinkers: Northern Iowa in OT, Wisconsin, Wichita State and Memphis in OT. Memphis is overrated a bit, granted, but none of those are laughably bad.
- When Oklahoma loses, you can bet that shooting guard Christian James had a poor game. He's one of the nation's very best shooters -- and is 20-of-36 (56%) from three-point range this season. When he's hot, he's an assassin in much the same way Buddy Hield was in guiding OU to the Final Four last season. The problem is that James tends to get himself in foul trouble somewhat often, which limits his minutes somewhat often.
- Oklahoma's point guard, Jordan Woodard, is an outstanding player. He's an active player on the scoring end, a good long-range shooter (42%), an above-average passer, an outstanding free-throw shooter (82%) and can play entire games without getting into foul trouble. He's terrific.
- Forward Rashard Odomes is the Sooners' third option. He's just a so-so rebounder, but Odomes knows how to score inside of 10 feet. He draws a lot of fouls because his quickness bothers a lot of bigger defenders. He is Oklahoma's version of Danjel Purifoy -- a poor man's version. Odomes isn't a perimeter threat at all, but he's quick on the break and has that same kind of bounciness.
- These Sooners are all about shooting and quickness. They operate at a fast pace like Auburn. Weaknesses? They're susceptible to big teams who rebound like mad (not Auburn) and teams with quick 4s and 5s who can draw fouls against OU's 4s and 5s. If Auburn gets James and big man Khadeem Lattin in foul trouble, which isn't tough to do, the Sooners will find themselves relying on guys who haven't been able to carry them through.
- If there's one thing Austin Wiley can do right now, it's draw fouls. He's already exhibited an aggressive approach on the scoring end, which is highly unusual for a kid his age, and he knows what to do down there. He's been playing against experienced international players for Team USA and he's comfortable operating against them. This could be a big game for him. There aren't but a few players in the country who provide the kinds of matchup problems Wiley provides. There's a reason Auburn was feeding Wiley the ball so much against Mercer the other day. His teammates know: The kid can dominate.
- I thought T.J. Dunans was more of a facilitator against Mercer the other day. You know how it goes with him. He oscillates between facilitator and selfish jacker of shots -- sometimes during consecutive possessions. As we've discussed, there is a gulf between the player Dunans wants to be right now and the player Auburn needs Dunans to be right now. Perhaps that's being rectified right now. Mercer, to me, looked like a step in the right direction.
- Oklahoma can play different kinds of defenses effectively. Based on that fact, I expect the Sooners to zone Auburn early and often. The Tigers really struggle to administrate themselves thoughtfully on the scoring end against zone defenses. Against Mercer, which wasn't getting fancy at all with its zone the other day, Auburn didn't figure things out until after the halftime break. That's too long. Do that against Oklahoma and you might find yourself down 20 at halftime.
- I'm not sure what to expect with Horace Spencer and Bryce Brown, who are coming off suspension. If Anfernee McLemore plays well, which is 50-50, he's more useful to Auburn than Spencer. That's my opinion. McLemore lacks Spencer's explosion, but he also lacks Spencer's mindless mistakes as well. So if McLemore is effective and Wiley is doing his thing along with LaRon Smith doing his defensive tricks, there isn't much need for Spencer. He's not being phased out per se, but he needs to keep developing or face more time on the bench. Brown? He's fantastic when he's hot, but he's been as cold as a Green Bay sunrise for a month now. TJ Lang and, of course, Mustapha Heron are much better options at the 2 right now.
