No. 21 BYU Prepares For Quad One Road Game At Oklahoma

BYU basketball will face Oklahoma on Tuesday in the lone Big 12 meeting between the two programs.

Oklahoma (16-6, 4-5 Big 12) is leaving for the SEC next year. BYU (16-5, 4-4 Big 12) is playing in Norman for the first time since 1986.

The two programs last met in the 1992 Maui Invitational. BYU won that game on a buzzer-beater from Kevin Nixon on their way to appearing in the Maui Invitational Championship Game.

Tuesday night’s game will be a Quad One opportunity for both teams. BYU comes into the matchup at No. 7 in the NET ratings and Oklahoma is at No. 32.

BYU vs. Oklahoma: How To Watch, Listen

Location: Lloyd Noble Center

City: Norman, Oklahoma

Tip-Off: 6 p.m. (MT)/7 p.m. (CT)

TV: SoonerVision on ESPN+

Radio: KSL NewsRadio (102.7 FM, 1160 AM – Pregame begins at 5 p.m.)

#BYU basketball’s last meeting against Oklahoma. 🏀

1992 Maui Invitational 🏝️ @KevinNixon33 hits the game-winner at the buzzer.

🎥: @kslsports #BYUHoops #Big12 pic.twitter.com/kJ8BiMyrhg

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) February 4, 2024

What you need to know about No. 21 BYU basketball

BYU continues to lead the Big 12 in conference play for 3-point field goals made. The Cougars are averaging 11 made threes per conference game.

BYU is riding high after handing West Virginia their first Big 12 home loss. Forward Fousseyni Traore was one point shy of setting a career-high for points in a game. Traore scored 24 points and pulled down nine rebounds at West Virginia.

📍Lloyd Noble Center pic.twitter.com/Qp4B0VaQ1L

— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) February 5, 2024

The junior forward is healthy after suffering a hamstring injury in November. Traore has provided an inside-out game that forces opponents to respect BYU’s post presence.

BYU starting point guard Dallin Hall had a career-high 12 assists in Morgantown. Hall is only the 11th player in college basketball this season to dish out 12 assists and commit only one turnover. Over the past three Big 12 games, Hall has a 7-to-1 assist/turnover ratio.

On defense, BYU limited West Virginia to 28% shooting from three. BYU is ninth in the league during conference play, allowing 73.4 points per game to Big 12 opponents.

Due to the long-distance travel from Morgantown to Provo, BYU flew into Norman on Sunday afternoon. They hosted a Latter-day Saint devotional on Sunday night for youth in the Oklahoma area.

BYU spent Monday with a full day of practice in preparation for Tuesday night’s game.

One big personnel note to monitor for BYU is the status of Aly Khalifa. The 6-foot-11 center was out against West Virginia due to battling the flu. Khalifa stayed in Provo for that game. BYU coach Mark Pope hoped they could get Khalifa on a plane to play against Oklahoma.

Assistant coach Collin Terry has stayed in Provo to monitor Khalifa’s status.

Getting to know the Oklahoma Sooners

After starting the season 13-1, with their lone setback against nationally-ranked North Carolina, the Oklahoma Sooners have lost five of their last eight games. All of those losses have happened in Big 12 play.

Last week, Oklahoma had a split, taking down Kansas State by 20 in Manhattan and then losing at UCF. The loss to the Knights dropped Oklahoma out of this week’s AP Top 25 rankings.

Another Big 12 battle on deck.

We host BYU on Tuesday at 7 p.m. CT inside Lloyd Noble Center.

📰 » https://t.co/nPpBUE5ZcA | 🎟 » https://t.co/8fz6Ph1X9e pic.twitter.com/9D6qaSQxpI

— Oklahoma Basketball (@OU_MBBall) February 5, 2024

Siena transfer guard Javian McCollum leads Oklahoma. The 6-foot-2 point guard averages 13.7 points in Big 12 play and three assists per game. He leads the conference in free throw percentage at 92.3%.

Sophomore forward Otega Oweh is shooting 52% from the field this season and is leading the team in steals at 1.8 per game.

Former Utah Valley University transfer guard Le’Tre Darthard led Oklahoma in scoring in their last outing against UCF. Darthard tied his season-high for points, scoring 14 points against the Knights.

He started the last three years at UVU in games against BYU.

Oklahoma is coached by Porter Moser, who is in his third year in Norman. The former Loyola Chicago head coach who led the Ramblers to the Final Four in 2018 is seeking his first NCAA Tournament appearance at OU this season.

BYU/Oklahoma Fast Facts

BYU

Overall record: 16-5

Big 12 record: 4-4

NET: 7

KenPom: 9

AP ranking: No. 21

Coaches Poll: No. 19

Oklahoma

Overall record: 16-6

Big 12 record: 4-5

NET: 32

KenPom: 25

AP ranking: Not ranked

Coaches Poll: Not ranked

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s’ coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.

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