Three things to know about Oklahoma basketball

With Oklahoma’s football season ending Monday night in the Rose Bowl, the attention on the Sooners’ basketball team figures to ramp up. That begins with Wednesday night’s Bedlam showdown. Here are three things to know about Oklahoma hoops going into the heart of Big 12 play:

The Trae Young show

Young has been good enough that he’s broken through the clutter of a busy sports season and become a sensation that extends far beyond Norman or even the state.

He leads the nation in both scoring and assists, and his range has amazed even those who have followed college basketball for decades.

He’s drawn favorable comparisons to Stephen Curry when Curry was at Davidson. While his shooting and assists get plenty of attention, he’s also one of the best in college basketball at getting to the free-throw line. He’s No. 10 in the country in fouls drawn per 40 minutes with 8.1 and tied for 10th with 111 free throws attempted so far.

He’s not the only sensational freshman

Any other year, Brady Manek’s performances would be drawing eyeballs.

The Harrah product is averaging 10.5 points and 5.9 rebounds through 12 games, giving Young one of his favorite targets, both with drive-and-kicks for 3-pointers and lobs at the bucket. Manek’s athleticism has been on display so far, as has his versatility. Saturday at TCU, Manek only scored once from the field but his rebounding late helped turn the game around.

Doolittle is easing back into things

Those watching last season remember then-freshman Kristian Doolittle’s coming on strong despite a lessthan-stellar season for the Sooners. Doolittle missed the first six weeks or so of this season due to an academic suspension, then played a combined 12 minutes over two games before sitting out Saturday’s win at TCU while in concussion protocol following a fall Friday in practice.

Doolittle returned to practice Monday in a noncontact capacity and then returned to full availability Tuesday after being cleared.

His role figures to expand quickly as the Sooners look for another hard-rebounding inside presence to go along with Manek.