Big Monday
Sooners looking to continue LNC dominance
Oklahoma takes on West Virginia in a crucial conference matchup in Lloyd Noble Center at 8 p.m. Monday.
NORMAN — Oklahoma returns to the comfort of the Lloyd Noble Center on Monday, when the No. 12-ranked Sooners face No. 15 West Virginia.
They’ll be greeted by a sellout crowd for the Big Monday game (8 p.m., ESPN).
While almost all teams perform better at home vs. the road, Oklahoma’s splits are particularly striking.
Since Big 12 play began Jan. 30, the Sooners are shooting just 42.6 percent from the field away from Lloyd Noble Center and 30 percent from behind the 3-point line while averaging 77.2 points in six road games.
In five home games during that stretch, the Sooners are shooting 49.4 percent from the field, 48.8 percent from behind the arc and are averaging 93.8 points per game.
Of course, it helps that the Sooners’ top two scorers in conference play — freshmen Trae Young and Brady Manek — have been significantly better at home.
In the last three home games, Young is averaging 37.7 points, 8.3 assists and 6.3 rebounds and shooting 58.9 percent from the field and 56.3 percent from behind the 3-point line.
In the four road games during that stretch, Young is averaging 26 points — although the 48-point performance in Stillwater skewed that number a bit — along with 9.0 assists and 3.8 rebounds.
His shooting is where the real difference can be seen, though. He’s shooting just 34.5 percent from the field during that stretch and 30.2 percent from behind the arc. Young has averaged just 5.3 free-throw tries over the last four road games. At home, he’s averaging 12.7 during that span.
Manek’s splits have been even more drastic.
According to KenPom. com’s metrics, which measures home-court advantage over the past 60 home and away conference games, the home court advantage at Lloyd Noble Center has been 23rd-best in the country. While that puts the Sooners in the middle of the pack in the Big 12, Oklahoma’s scoring production at home has gotten the biggest boost among conference teams.
“It’s the Big 12, people respect their home courts,” senior forward Khadeem Lattin said. “They always want to protect home and every team is good.
“It’s a fight and a battle.”
It’s not just the Sooners, though.
In the first nine games in conference play before the season’s first Bedlam matchup Jan. 3 in Norman, road teams were 8-1 in Big 12 play.
But since, the home teams have returned to dominance.
Oklahoma whipped Oklahoma State 109-89 in that Bedlam win, kicking off a stretch where home teams have gone 34-7.
Only one team — Kansas at 4-1 — is better than 2-3 on the road in conference play. Oklahoma and Texas Tech both have perfect marks at home and just TCU is under .500 at home.
For the Sooners, it’s been nearly a year since they lost a home game. The last team to beat OU at home was West Virginia last Feb. 8.