Midseason review: What we've learned about OU through 9 conference games

Even as Oklahoma finished the non-conference slate with a 12-1 record and a top-15 ranking in the AP Poll, there was still a lingering question: will the Sooners hold up against Big 12 opponents?

It was a fair and reasonable question, given the Sooners' struggles in conference play and their lack of an NCAA Tournament berth since 2021. Well, we're now officially halfway through the conference season, which gives us a decent sample size to analyze.

The answer to that question? It's complicated.

The Sooners are 4-5 against conference opponents, and their games have fallen into nearly every imaginable category. They've had necessary, unspectacular wins against West Virginia and Kansas State; impressive, standout wins against Iowa State and at Cincinnati; tough but understandable losses at TCU and at Kansas; a gut-wrenching loss to Texas Tech; and miserable, what-the-heck-happened performances against Texas and UCF.

They profile as an average Big 12 team. Since conference play began, they rank seventh in the Big 12 in offense (70.4 points per game), seventh in defense (70.6 points allowed) and ninth in scoring margin. But their 75-64 loss at UCF on Saturday — a game they never led — underscored this reality for the Sooners.

There's a lot of ways their season can go.

Here's a look at what we've learned about the Sooners and the biggest themes heading into the second half of the conference slate:

The Sooners' second-leading scorer since conference play began isn't Otega Oweh, Milos Uzan or anyone else. It's Moore.

The team's leading rebounder isn't Sam Godwin or John Hugley. It's Moore.

In nine conference games, Moore is averaging 10.8 points per game on 52% shooting, and he's grabbing seven rebounds per game. He leads the team in blocks (6) and defensive rebounds (40), and he's tied with Godwin for the team lead in offensive rebounds (23).

His standout games include his 16-point, five-rebound performance in the win over West Virginia and his 23-point, nine-rebound performance against Kansas State. It's hard to imagine the Sooners win either of those games without Moore. He had his first double-double of the season (10 points, 11 rebounds) in the loss at UCF.

Moore has mostly played in the paint, but he has flashed an outside shot, too. Over the last five games, he's four of nine from the 3-point line.

For the Sooners to finish strong, they need Moore to play a big role.

(Rivaldo Soares has also made a huge impact off the bench. In addition to averaging 8.6 points per game on 56% shooting and 40% from 3, he's averaging 5.4 rebounds per game in conference play. That's the second most of anybody on the team).

The same question about the Sooners' overall chances of competing in the Big 12 also applied to McCollum individually. He proved to be the team's best offensive option in non-conference play, but could he succeed against Big 12 defenses?

So far, the results have been mixed.

In the non-conference schedule, McCollum averaged over 12 points per game on 46% overall shooting and 40% from the 3-point line. McCollum is leading the team in both scoring and shot attempts since conference play began — 13.7 points per game — but he's shooting much, much-less efficiently: 37% from the floor and 26% from the 3-point line.

His lack of efficient scoring has really hurt in the Sooners' recent four-game stretch, which has resulted in three losses. In the three losses, McCollum has averaged eight points on 22% shooting (7 of 32) and 7% from the 3-point line (1 of 14).

Oweh, who led the Sooner in scoring during the non-conference slate, has really struggled, too. He's averaging 9.6 points per game on 34% shooting. After making 13 of his 19 3-point attempts against non-conference opponents, he's made just four of his 17 attempts in conference play.

The Sooners need better performances from both McCollum and Oweh.

While turnovers have played a huge role in some of the Sooners' losses, they haven't been one of the league's worst offenders. They've averaged 12.0, the sixth-fewest among Big 12 teams. The problem is they don't force many turnovers — their -2.11 turnover margin is third-worst.

While the Sooners' offense has improved from last season, the outside shooting hasn't. The Sooners are shooting 31.8% from deep and have made 56 3s in conference, with both marks ranking fourth-lowest mark in the conference. McCollum's slump is a big part of that, but OU coach Porter Moser knows his team simply needs to shoot better. Milos Uzan has been a great facilitator, averaging 5.1 assists per game and limiting his turnovers, but he's shooting just 38% overall and 32% from 3.

The Sooners, simply, just need to hit shots.

"I think our (guys like) Javian, Los and Otega, those three, (we've got to) get them in the flow," Moser said Monday. "... I think the guys offensively, there have been games we’ve been really good... It’s the old Brad Stevens line. You can overanalyze every number. It’s a shot-making game. We’ve got to make some shots."

After taking the fewest free throws of any Big 12 team last season, Moser emphasized the need for the Sooners to change that trend. They've done that, and it's been impressive — the Sooners have taken more free throws as a team than anyone in the Big 12 (22.2 per game).

The problem? They're fouling a ton. They're surrendering the second-most free throws per game (20.7).

Godwin has struggled to stay out of foul trouble, finishing with three or more fouls in six conference games despite averaging fewer than 18 minutes per game. Hugley has struggled with foul trouble, too.

(Godwin has struggled in Big 12 play, period. The Sooners' starting center is averaging six points and five rebounds per game, and he missed all five of his shots and didn't score against UCF).

The Sooners need to find a way to continue getting to the free-throw line while limiting opponent opportunities.

There's been positives and negatives for the Sooners. It's not all doom and gloom. They've already surpassed last year's win total, they're improved in nearly every metric, and snagging just a handful of wins to end the regular season will likely earn them an NCAA Tournament bid.

But, that is far from a given. After finishing as high as No. 7 in the AP Poll earlier in the year, the Sooners are now unranked as of Monday. Last week, they were projected by ESPN's Joe Lunardi as a No. 6 seed, but that will drop if the Sooners can't string together some wins.

Their schedule is far from easy. They still have to play No. 4 Kansas and No. 5 Houston at home. Their road games include No. 13 Baylor, No. 14 Iowa State and Texas.

The Sooners just need to be more consistent, and that starts with their top players like McCollum and Oweh. Do that, and they should be fine. But there's a world where the Sooners falter down the stretch and miss the NCAA Tournament yet again.

That puts the focus on this week's two-game homestand. They play No. 21 BYU on Tuesday (7 p.m. ESPN+) before playing the first edition of Bedlam against a struggling Oklahoma State team on Saturday (6 p.m. ESPN+). Win both of those games, and things will feel a lot better. Lose one or both, and concerns will grow.