We’re right in that little bit of a lull period. The football regular season is done with, and the Orange Bowl vs. No. 1 Alabama is still two weeks away.

So maybe you can spend a little more time with Lon Kruger and the men’s basketball team. The Sooners are 8-1 heading into a showdown vs. USC (5-4) at 8 p.m. Saturday at the BOK Center in Tulsa.

Some things about the team in case you might have missed the initial month of the season.

Road-tested

Think you have to start here. OU is right on the outside of the top 25 at No. 28 in this week’s poll but No. 17 in the first-year NET rankings that have replaced the RPI as a metric for the NCAA tournament.

“Yea, not sure anyone is totally aware of how the ratings are going to play out at this point, but you have to consider that as it relates to strength of schedule,” Kruger said. “Everybody always wants to win the conference, but you’re always building for an at-large opportunity. That schedule non-conference has a lot to do with that.”

OU is 3-0 at home despite only having played two games at Lloyd Noble Center, 2-0 on the road and 3-1 in neutral site games.

The Sooners have not played a home game in Norman in December, but it sure feels like it is working for Kruger’s group.

“It’s paid off from a challenging standpoint,” Kruger said. “In terms of making us focus, making us prepare for different style of opponents. And the guys have made progress. All those indications, it’s been a good schedule for us.

McNeace’s ankle?

It doesn’t figure to be a major issue moving forward, but for the here and now, the ankle injury for senior Jamuni McNeace has been an issue.

McNeace injured his ankle in practice in New York City last week as OU was getting ready to play Notre Dame at Madison Square Garden.

He has missed the last two games, and it’s still tough to know whether he’ll be ready to go against the Trojans.

“Moving around a little more. Still tender,” said Kruger on Wednesday. “Think he’ll be ready by Saturday, but it’s gonna be – obviously we’re one day closer and still no full speed yet. But making progress.”

With McNeace out, it has been Matt Freeman and Hannes Polla stepping up. Freeman is coming off back-to-back 11-point outings.

As frustrated and lost as he looked on the court last season, that’s about as confident Freeman has appeared in the last couple of games, but also the whole season.

“It was kind of just me keep asking myself why this was happening and stuff. So yeah, it was tough to stay positive,” Freeman said. “You’ve just gotta remember that it’s a long journey, and as people say, trust the process. My journey is still ahead. There were times it was tough, like you said. Just really gotta try as hard as you can to stay as positive as you can about it.”

Freeman is shooting 52 percent (12-23) from 3-point territory.

James rising to the occasion

You knew with six seniors, leadership wasn’t going to be an issue. What you didn’t know is who would step up and become that guy.

Senior guard Christian James has done just that. The winner of last week’s Big 12 Player of the Week, James has become consistent and the go-to guy when it matters most.

“Confidence,” said James about his strong start.

James leads the team, averaging 19.2 points per game, shooting 52 percent from the field and 43 percent on his 3-pointers. He is also averaging 5.6 rebounds per contest.

Grad transfers paying off

Nobody knew too much about guards Aaron Calixte and Miles Reynolds when they decided to become grad transfers in the spring, but it’s working.

Calixte is doing a fine job of running the point, and there is no player, perhaps in the country, that has more energy or enjoys what he’s doing more than Reynolds.

“Man, they’re still getting their feel,” James said. “We still got a long way to go, but they’re still getting a feel for their roles, still getting adjusted to it.”

When they’re on, they’re on. And if they’re off, James knows not much needs to be said. They’ve got the experience. They can figure it out.

“No. I just let them play their games,” James said. “That’s when people are most comfortable. I just try to give them confidence and tell them to just go play their game. I’m here right beside you if you need anything. Just go play.”

Reynolds is averaging 9.7 points per game, while Calixte is at 9.4 points per outing. And their biggest contribution could be defensively.

OU is limiting opponents to 36 percent shooting.