Losses to No. 1 Auburn on the road, No. 4 Tennessee at home, and No. 21 Missouri on the road aren’t bad on paper. But the optics aren’t great — getting outmatched from the start in three straight games doesn’t inspire much confidence.

Despite that, Porter Moser’s Sooners are still in position to fight for an NCAA Tournament bid. Wednesday night’s game against Missouri, however, was a chance to shift the conversation, to make the remainder of the season about more than just scraping into the tournament.

That opportunity disappeared quickly. The Sooners were overwhelmed from the start, falling 82-58 in Columbia to drop to 16-8 (3-8). Duke Miles led the way with 18 points, 14 of which came in the second half.

Now, Oklahoma, projected as a 10-seed by most, likely needs at least three — preferably four — wins to solidify its tournament chances. While that’s still possible, the past week and a half hasn’t exactly inspired confidence.

Saturday night (5:00 p.m. CT, SEC Network) presents a much-needed bounce-back opportunity. Oklahoma faces LSU (12-12, 1-10), the second-worst team in the SEC and one of the only two teams completely out of tournament contention. Here’s what Matt McMahon’s squad brings to the table:

The Tigers dropped their most recent game, falling to Arkansas 70-58 on the road Wednesday night. In that matchup, true freshman Robert Miller III — a big man Oklahoma once recruited—had a breakout performance, scoring 16 points in a season-high 29 minutes despite averaging just 3.3 points and 2.5 rebounds per game.

Former Kansas State Wildcat Cam Carter leads LSU’s scoring attack, averaging 16.8 points and 4.1 rebounds while shooting 43.2% from the field and an impressive 40.6% from three. In the Tigers’ lone SEC win, Carter posted 27 points on 7-of-15 shooting.

"We were familiar with Cam Carter," said Moser. "I think we faced last year at Kansas State, high level big-time player. Can score on anyone in the country. Can put up 20 on any night. We know that. We know how good of a scorer he is."

Jordan Sears, a 5’11” guard, joins Carter in the backcourt, contributing 13.3 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. However, he struggled against Arkansas, managing just two points on 1-of-5 shooting in 27 minutes.

LSU also features true freshman guard Vyctorius Miller, who showed promise in non-conference play but has yet to reach double figures in SEC competition. Dji Bailey is another name to watch, averaging 8.6 points and 4.5 rebounds.

In the frontcourt, Miller III is joined by Corey Chest, who averages 6.6 points and 7.3 rebounds, and Damion Collins, who adds 8.0 points and 4.4 boards per game.

"They're long. I think (Corey) Chest and Daimion Collins are two of the premiere, long, athletic guys. But like us, they've had some heartbreaking losses. But they've continued to fight. Continued to battle. They have lethal athleticism."

Overall, LSU is a bottom-tier SEC team with a roster that reflects it. This is a game Oklahoma should win — frankly, it’s one they have to win. The Tigers don’t stand out in any particular statistical category, but here’s where they rank across various metrics:

Eliminating slippage will be a key focus for Oklahoma as it looks to get back on track against LSU. After three straight losses, the Sooners have struggled with fundamental breakdowns that have compounded their issues. As Moser put it, “one of the natural things that happens when you’re not playing well or you go through a tough stretch… is slippage magnifies.” Against Missouri, that was evident, as Oklahoma turned the ball over 17 times — 13 of those coming in the first half.

Beyond just turnovers, Moser pointed out other areas where the Sooners have let things slip. “I thought there was slippage in just having some, really, fouls that were just totally unnecessary when they’re in the double bonus,” he said. “I mean, there was such a free throw discrepancy, and it was because I thought there was some (slippage).”

Now, against an LSU team that has struggled throughout SEC play, Oklahoma has a prime opportunity to reset and clean things up. As Moser put it, “We’ve got to eliminate the slippage of fundamentals, of taking care of the ball.”

Miles performed well against Missouri, finishing with 18 points, five steals, and a team-best offensive rating of 146. Fourteen of those points came in the second half. He shot 5-9 from the field and 6-7 at the line.

Moser made it clear that Miles’ impact started with his mindset. “He had the least amount of slippage and it all started with his effort. His confidence came through his toughness and his effort, and that’s the way the basketball gods usually treat it. It rewards toughness, attitude and effort, and that was his foundation going through his practices,” Moser said. “He had five steals. He led us in assists, led us in steals, led us in points, and I thought we need more of that.”

With Jeremiah Fears struggling a bit, Miles stepping up as more of a scoring threat would take a ton of pressure off him. That, in turn, makes things easier on the entire offense. If Miles can build on his performance against Missouri, it gives Oklahoma another weapon in the backcourt.

Oklahoma’s offense has hit a wall over the past three games, posting season lows in field goal percentage each time out. Against Auburn, the Sooners shot just 33.3% from the field. Against Tennessee, that number dipped to 32.1%. Then, in their most recent loss to Missouri, they bottomed out at 31.0% on 18-of-58 shooting. Simply put, Oklahoma has to find a way to get back on track offensively.

Moser pointed to a lack of ball movement as one of the biggest issues during this slump. “I didn’t think we moved it well,” he said. “And that’s a byproduct of, we got guys that really want to do well. It’s not selfishness. It’s wanting to do well. And a byproduct of when it’s not going well is that all of a sudden you just try to do everything yourself, and then that leads to guys standing around.”

Fixing that starts with playing more connected basketball. “I think we gotta go back to getting second, third side, getting the ball to the paint inside out off the dribble, but not as much standing around, and trusting that,” Moser said. Against an LSU team that ranks near the bottom of the SEC, this game presents a perfect opportunity for the Sooners to rediscover their offense and build confidence before the final stretch of the season.

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