For the second one consecutive season, Oklahoma is 10-0 heading into the Jumpman Invitational.
Ultimate season, the Sooners misplaced within the match to start a slide that in the long run left them out of the NCAA Event.
However heading into this season’s match, the place 14th-ranked Oklahoma will tackle No. 24 Michigan on Wednesday in Charlotte, N.C., Porter Moser’s staff is hoping to stay its momentum quite than squandering it.
Freshman Jeremiah Fears is a huge reason this season’s Sooners have a possibility to take a step ahead.
Fears is averaging 16.7 issues, 4.7 assists, 3.5 rebounds and a couple of.4 steals.
“He has that tools to him,” Moser stated of Fears. “It is very exhausting to modify with Fears as a result of he is were given that tools.”
After turning the ball over a mean of four.4 instances consistent with sport over the primary 5 video games, Fears has averaged simply 3.2 turnovers consistent with sport over the past 5.
Wednesday’s sport might be simply the second one for the Sooners in opposition to a ranked opponent.
Oklahoma beat then-No. 24 Arizona 82-77 on Nov. 28 in the back of a season-high 26 issues from Fears.
The Sooners are coming off an 80-65 win over Oklahoma State on Saturday.
“You speak about attending to the ball, being competitive to the basketball, deflecting basketball, I imply, they are difficult,” Michigan trainer Dusty Would possibly stated of Oklahoma. “They have got an excellent device on either side of the ball. They play competitive. They play with physicality. They have got nice self-awareness or staff consciousness the place they play to their strengths.”
The Sooners’ main scorer is Jalon Moore, who’s averaging 17.5 issues consistent with sport.
Oklahoma is without doubt one of the top-tier groups relating to steals, averaging 10.2 consistent with sport, led by means of Fears.
Michigan (8-2), in the meantime, ranks close to the ground of Department I with 15.3 turnovers consistent with sport.
“Clearly the turnovers are obvious, and the defensive rebounding are the 2 maximum essential issues we wish to repair, however we are doing a large number of issues in reality, in reality smartly,” Would possibly stated.
The Sooners have received their 10 video games by means of a mean of greater than 15 issues consistent with sport, with simply 3 video games determined by means of unmarried digits and only one — their 79-77 win over Windfall on Nov. 27 — determined by means of one ownership.
Michigan has had 4 video games determined by means of one ownership, going 2-2 in the ones video games.
The ones tight video games come with their final sport, an 89-87 loss to Arkansas on Dec. 10. The Wolverines let a 15-point lead break out.
Would possibly stated he was once hopeful the close-game enjoy would lend a hand his staff later within the season.
“It is not splendid, however we’re finding out to play in the ones high-pressure, one-possession video games, and we are going to be in them whether or not we need to be in them or now not,” Would possibly stated. “So it is a part of this crew finding out to win in combination.”
The Wolverines were a a lot more balanced scoring staff than the Sooners, with 4 gamers averaging in double figures: Vladislav Goldin (12.5 issues consistent with sport), Danny Wolf (12.3), Roddy Gayle Jr. (12.3) and Tre Donaldson (11.8).
Wednesday’s matchup would be the first between the systems since the second one spherical of the 2009 NCAA Event, received 73-63 by means of Oklahoma.
The one different assembly between the 2 groups was once a Michigan win in 2004.
–Box Degree Media
