A pair of 6-2 teams meet in the nightcap of the Jerry Colangelo Classic doubleheader on Saturday night, when Oklahoma and Arizona State take the court in Phoenix at the home of the NBA’s Suns.
Oklahoma is on a four-game winning streak that includes victories over Marquette in Chicago on Nov. 28 and over Wake Forest on the road on Tuesday. The Sooners made 16 of 26 shots in the second half against the Demon Deacons, rolling to a 49-33 scoring edge after the break en route to a 86-68 win.
Oklahoma is led in scoring by guard Nijel Pack, a transfer from Miami who is averaging 18.5 points per game. Notre Dame transfer Tae Davis enters the Arizona State game averaging 13.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game for the Sooners.
“I think (there’s) always room for improvement,” Davis told the OU Daily after Oklahoma’s win over Marquette. “Every day, we’re working to get better on the defensive end. … That’s just something that (we’re) constantly trying to improve on.”
Arizona State went 2-1 on its recent trip to the Maui Invitational, making it to the championship game of the tournament before losing to Southern California 88-75. The Sun Devils haven’t played a game since that contest the day before Thanksgiving.
Oklahoma and Arizona State have lost to a common opponent, Gonzaga. The Bulldogs beat the Sooners by 15 on Nov. 8 and the Sun Devils by 12 on Nov. 14.
Pepperdine transfer Moe Odum has emerged as the go-to player for coach Bobby Hurley’s Sun Devils. Odum shined at the Maui Invitational, scoring 62 points combined in wins over Texas and Washington State before putting 17 against the Trojans. He is Arizona State’s leading scorer at 19.1 points per game.
Hurley has used the same starting lineup in every game this season, and Anthony “Pig” Johnson comes off the bench to contribute 13.5 points per game.
The Big 12 coaches picked the Sun Devils to finish at the bottom of the conference this season.
“No one thought much of us coming into the season,” Hurley said after the team’s last game in Hawaii. “A lot of people just piled on about having no hope to have a good season, and so far, we’re proving some people wrong.”
–Field Level Media
