Keys to the game and scouting look: No. 24 Vanderbilt

The expression “essential game” was launched so often with wearing Moser’s’s sooners that it almost wants to beat a dead horse.

But Saturday’s match against No. 24 Vanderbilt (16-4, 4-3) is exactly that-an essential game.

Oklahoma (15-5, 2-5) desperately needed to protect the court at home. If they do not do so, their chances of the after-season make a major success. The last time, the Sooners had the opportunity to steal an upset road against n ° 13 Texas A&M, but finally failed, 75-68.

The reasons? A brutal disparity of 47-19 bouncing, a gap of free throws of 35-22 and a goalless night of Jeremiah. However, despite all that, Oklahoma was less than two points in the last four minutes.

Now, they have to bounce back against the Vanderbilt Squad by Mark Byington, which comes out of a week off and a victory over Kentucky n ° 12. The tip is defined for 2:30 p.m. on the dry network. Here is an overview of what the commodores bring to the table and what the Oklahoma must do to return to the Win column.

Vanderbilt’s last match arrived last Saturday when they eliminated Kentucky n ° 12, 74-69. The commodores built an advance of 41-27 at half-time before the Wildcats retreat, but a three-point clutch with 1:50 on the left sealed the upheaval.

“So impressed by Vanderbilt on a band,” said Moser. “From Alabama, they play the fastest of all the teams we have played. They play very quickly.

Their top scorer, Jason Edwards, was again the catalyst, displaying 18 points and four assists on the 6-11 shot, including 2-4 of Deep. During the season, Edwards on average 17.3 points per game while pulling 45.7% on the field and 39.2% beyond the arc.

Beyond Edwards, Vanderbilt has a balanced score attack with three players on average two figures. The Devin McGlockton striker opens the track with 10.9 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. Then there is AJ Hoggard, a dynamic playmaker with an average of 10.8 points and 4.5 assists – he proved that he can set fire, after having already exceeded 15 points in two games .

Tyler Nickel completes the starting rear area alongside Edwards and Hoggard. It was he who pierced the green light to three points to raise Vanderbilt in front of the Kentucky.

“You can’t lose nickel. I think Nickel is on a very good radiator. He had 12 3s the last three games, pulling more than 50%. »»

Outside the bench, the commodores present Tyler Tanner, who embodies their team identity – he leads the nation at the rolling rate and ranks second as a percentage of flight.

Reversals and three -point shots are what makes Vanderbilt dangerous. Just look at what they did against Kentucky: they forced 17 reversals while engaging only five themselves.

Here is a ventilation of their effectiveness both to force and limit turnover – and where they rank nationally in these categories.

The two things that Vanderbilt is doing the best: win the three -point and turnover battles. The good news for Oklahoma? They were elite the closure of the three -point pointer, ranking 5th in the country as a percentage of three points (28.1%).

This emphasizes the turnover battle – an area where the Sooners had trouble. Oklahoma ranks 275th at the national level as an opposing flight percentage (10.7%), and turnover was a recurring problem in the conference.

Limiting gifts will be critical, and it starts with the fears of Jeremiah. He opened dry play with three games of four or more turnarounds, including a six -digit outing. But during his last three games, he kept it in two in competitions. Marking difficulties aside, Oklahoma needs him to continue this trend.

Maybe it’s something to play in Texas A&M, or maybe Brycen Goodnine simply becomes more comfortable. During her last match, Goodne scored 24 points out of 5-9 shot behind the arc. The match before, he scored 9 points out of 3-6 DEEP shot. Even when he does not mark a ton, he always has a significant impact.

Since the start of the conference, Goodin ranks 1st in the dry percentage of the field objectives (69.6%) and 2nd in real shooting percentage (72.0%). In the last three games, he was on Deep fire, pulling 10-18 (55.5%) of three.

“Continue to build it. Stay confident. I think the spacing, and the guys have done a good job by finding it. He must continue this because he really helps us when he is obviously a huge threat in this way. “”

Even when Goodin does not score 24 points as he did against Texas A&M, his threat of shooting changes the flow of the match. Against a team from Vanderbilt that thrives behind the arc, the Goodnine shootout will be crucial to counter its long -term success.

It is difficult to expect the Oklahoma to take place on the road and beat the No. 13 Texas A&M when they get a goalless night of Fears. Sooners cannot afford this; They need him to bounce back.

“A difficult match for him,” said Moser when he asked him questions about the aimless performance of Fears against Texas A&M. “Very confident that he will bounce against Vanderbilt and have an excellent match.”

It is not as if he had been in a prolonged collapse – just watching his last two games before Tuesday evening: 16 points and three assists against Arkansas, 16 points, nine rebounds and eight assists against the caroline of the South. In these two games, he had only two reversals.

Oklahoma not only needs fears to maintain its strong floor game, but they also need it to offer more scores. The Sooners should make a concerted effort so that the fears are being left. If they can get a rebound performance of him, it will make a significant difference.

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