It is the Battle of Bedlam. This rivalry normally garners plenty of attention on the football field, but this year the hardwood edition is noteworthy considering both teams are ranked at the moment for the first time in nine years. The No. 8 Cowboys prepare to square off against the No. 23 Sooners for the Bedlam matchup that is sure to pack a little more heat this year.
Both teams have put together solid seasons to date. The Sooners are riding a three-game win streak as the Cowboys visit them. The team has dominated the series when playing at home having won nine-straight in Norman dating back to 2004. This season the team is limiting opponents to just 66.0 points per game as their defense leads the way in the Big 12.
Oklahoma has the Big 12's second-leading scorer Buddy Hield leading the offense. He is averaging 18.1 points in conference games this season. In the win against Texas Tech, he went 4 for 7 from 3-point range while helping hold opponents to shooting just 29.5 percent from beyond the arc.
Oklahoma State certainly has an offense that will test the Sooners defense. The Cowboys have a one-two punch of Le'Bryan Nash and Marcus Smart to spread the court. Nash is averaging 14.1 points per game. That will come in handy as Smart works through one of the worst slumps of his career. Against West Virginia, he went just 1 for 7 from the field before ultimately fouling out.
The sophomore is supposed to be one of the best players in the nation and is in desperate need of a bounce-back game. Facing a stiff Sooners defense might be hard to make that happen on Monday night. He is averaging 17.1 points per game before this stretch. In the two teams meeting last year, Marcus put up 28 points while Nash had 26 in the win.