Cowboys open slate with a gauntlet
Mark the calendar for New Year’s Day.
Not for major bowl games. But for the start of Big 12 basketball.
OU starts that Saturday at home against Kansas State. Oklahoma State travels to Lubbock, Texas, to face Texas Tech.
That’s only the beginning for a twoplus month run of games in arguably the toughest conference in the country.
Here are five takeaways from Wednesday’s release of schedules for both OU and OSU:
OSU opens with five-game gauntlet
OSU’s first five games will show exactly where the team is.
Jan. 1: at Texas Tech
Jan. 4: vs. Kansas
Jan. 8: vs. Texas
Jan. 11: at West Virginia
Jan. 15: at Baylor
Four of those teams are likely ranked in the top 15 to open the season. All five are likely top-25 teams.
This won’t be an easy start for the Cowboys. They likely won’t be unblemished either. To be fair, who would?
But this is a great growing opportunity and challenge. OSU coach Mike Boynton won’t back down. Last season, the Cowboys’ final eight Big 12 games (including the conference tournament) were against top-20 teams. OSU won six of those, including a win over eventual national champion Baylor.
So, expect OSU to attack this stretch. It’s perhaps the most important stretch of the year.
OU’s early test
OU faces an early test on Jan. 11 when it travels to Austin for a game against Texas.
The Longhorns boast a revamped roster with the additions of Marcus Carr, Timmy Allen and Tre Mitchell. Throw in the return of senior guards Andrew Jones and Courtney Ramey and this might be the best Texas team on paper of the past decade.
But the Longhorns also had an impressive group last season, and that didn’t stop OU from earning an 80-79 road win over their rivals on Jan 26.
That proved to be a resume win for the Sooners, and they’ll have a chance to make an early statement once again this season.
Cowboys’ get two huge Big Monday matchups
Last season, the Cowboys played five Big Monday games. This season, it’s just two Big Monday matchups.
But they are massive.
OSU travels to Kansas on Valentine’s Day and then it hosts Baylor a week later.
The Cowboys have had success on Mondays, going 3-2 last year. But their trips to Kansas the past two seasons on Big Monday have not gone well.
This is a chance to turn that around with a national audience watching.
Another thrilling trip to Morgantown?
OU’s most thrilling game last season came on Feb. 13 when hit the road for a game against West Virginia.
It took 28 points from Austin Reaves and two overtimes, but the Sooners escaped with a 91-90 victory over their conference foe.
The Mountaineers probably haven’t forgotten about that loss. They return a veteran duo of Taz Sherman and Sean McNeil, who combined for an average of 25.6 points per game last season.
OU travels to Morgantown once again on Jan. 26. And if this season’s matchup is anything like the last one at WVU Coliseum, you won’t want to miss it.
A February of Bedlam
Bedlam again is set for two Saturdays in February. This time, they won’t be played twice in three days — barring any COVID-19 changes again.
OSU hosts OU on Feb. 5, while the Sooners host the Cowboys three weeks later on Feb. 26.
A season ago, OSU swept the series, winning in overtime at Norman behind a 40-point outburst from Cade Cunningham and then two days later the Cowboys won in Stillwater.
But with both teams retooling in different ways, these matchups could be huge as the conference tournament nears.