Last Saturday, Oklahoma secured its first conference win with a dominant 82-62 victory over South Carolina. Jalon Moore led the way with 22 points and eight rebounds, while Jeremiah Fears added 16 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists. The Sooners held a slim 34-30 lead at halftime but exploded in the second half, going on a 15-0 run to seal the 20-point win.

Since then, Oklahoma has enjoyed a rare bye week, giving them time to rest and prepare for Saturday’s matchup against John Calipari’s Arkansas squad (12-7, 1-5) in Fayetteville (7:30, ESPN2).

The Razorbacks are coming off their first SEC win, defeating Georgia 68-65 after trailing 38-26 at halftime. Arkansas’ leading scorer, Adou Thiero, posted a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds in that game.

Here’s a breakdown of what Porter Moser’s squad will face on Saturday and what they need to do to secure a crucial road win.

For the Razorbacks, everything starts with Adou Thiero, who leads the team with 16.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game while shooting an efficient 57.4% from the field. Thiero thrives on his athleticism and ability to attack the basket, but his shooting remains a weakness—he’s hitting just 20.7% from beyond the arc and 69.3% from the free-throw line.

In the backcourt, Arkansas is without freshman point guard and second-leading scorer Boogie Fland for the rest of the season due to a wrist injury. Fland was averaging 15.1 points and 5.7 assists while shooting 39.1% from the field and 36.5% from three.

Without Fland, the Razorbacks turn to DJ Wagner and Johnell Davis, both of whom have struggled at times this season. Those struggles were evident in Wednesday night’s win over Georgia, where the two combined to shoot just 6-for-28 from the field, with Davis going 1-for-10 from deep.

Wagner is averaging 10 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.7 assists on 41.3% shooting, including 32.9% from three. Davis, meanwhile, has had a disappointing senior season, putting up 8.4 points and 3.6 rebounds while shooting 32.1% from deep on 4.8 attempts per game.

In the frontcourt, Arkansas relies on a trio of big men—Jonas Aidoo (6.3 points, 4.8 rebounds), Trevon Brazile (6.5 points, 4.8 rebounds), and Zvonimir Ivisic (7.3 points, 3.6 rebounds), with Ivisic providing a rare stretch-big element by shooting 41.4% from beyond the arc.

“I thought they played so hard,” Moser said of Arkansas’ performance Wednesday night. “I think they always play really, really hard. Eighteen offensive rebounds; their length and athleticism. In the first half, really the intention of how fast they were playing. They were pushing it, they were passing ahead. But they’re just—his teams are always going to play so incredibly hard.

“Watching them, that’s my takeaway, is their length — Thiero, Brazile, Aidoo — they’re just so long. Their athleticism with DJ (Wagner) and Johnell Davis, just their athleticism going downhill. They’re two powerful guards. We’re going to have to be really strong with the ball.”

Arkansas’ biggest defensive weakness is its inability to defend the three-point line—and it struggles to make threes as well. The Razorbacks are shooting just 23.1% from beyond the arc in conference play, ranking dead last (16th) in the SEC. Defensively, they’re allowing opponents to shoot 37.5% from deep, which ranks 14th in the league.

Before last Saturday’s game, if you took away Brycen Goodine’s scorching nine-three performance against Texas A&M, Oklahoma had shot just 22-for-75 (29.3%) from beyond the arc in SEC play. However, the Sooners saw a major improvement against South Carolina, hitting 8-of-17 (47.1%) from deep.

They’ll need that shooting to carry over against Arkansas, especially given the Razorbacks’ length, which will make it difficult for Oklahoma’s guards to penetrate. In a game where driving lanes could be hard to come by, perimeter shooting might be the key to a road win.

Arkansas and Oklahoma’s leading scorers, Thiero and Moore, have strikingly similar skill sets. Moser even compared the two, saying, “Really impressed with him. Powerful like Jalon. Puts it on the deck like that. Offensive rebounds, mad runs in transition, really versatile defensively. Super long… there’s a reason why he’s on draft boards.

“He’s like our Jalon Moore. There’s not one way he scores; there’s many ways he scores. Offensive rebounds, running in transition, knocking down a shot, off the dribble, posting him up. He scores in a number of ways. Just strong, powerful, long—hell of a player.”

For Oklahoma, they need Moore — coming off 22- and 29-point performances — to continue asserting himself. If he can outplay Thiero and win this matchup, it will be tough for the Razorbacks to come out on top.

This key to the game goes beyond just beating Arkansas—it’s about unlocking a piece that could elevate Oklahoma moving forward. The Sooners don’t necessarily need a big night from Dayton Forsythe to win, but coming off a bye week, this is the perfect opportunity to get him more involved and comfortable in a larger role.

Against South Carolina, Forsythe logged 13 minutes, finishing with five points, two rebounds, and one assist on 2-3 shooting. He also posted a team-high offensive rating of 166, building on an impressive second-half performance against Texas, where his energy helped spark a comeback that ultimately fell short.

You could see his confidence growing against South Carolina, but Oklahoma needs to keep pushing him forward. Forsythe has the skillset to be exactly what this team needs—an instinctive playmaker who can create offense, knock down shots, and bring stability in the backcourt. The more comfortable he gets, the more he can take on, and that could be a difference-maker for the Sooners down the stretch.

Not an OUInsider.com premium member? Sign up today to get loads of inside information on Oklahoma football, softball, basketball, and recruiting, all for just a few dollars a month. Click HERE to get started!

Follow us on Twitter @OUInsider and on Instagram @ouinsiderofficial!

Subscribe on YouTube by clicking here for daily video content on all things Oklahoma!