The Big 12 race is going to be one that could come down to a single loss being what keeps any of the several conference hopefuls on the outside looking in. Oklahoma is no exception to that, and the Sooners have one glaring weakness that has been hurting them all season, which has has been the difference in the game in their three Big 12 losses: production from the bench.
In the Sooners first 18 games of the season, their bench has been outscored in 12 meetings, including every one of their first six conference games.
They were fortunate enough to scrape through their non-conference schedule with only three losses with such limited bench production, but the Big 12 is an entirely different beast and one thing the conference’s best have at their disposal is options on the bench. Iowa State and West Virginia have scoring guards to give their scoring guards a breath.
Texas has interior depth and Javan Felix to provide their edge off the bench, while Kansas and Baylor can, and will both have success with their eight and nine-man rotations.
But as for the Sooners, very seldom do they have anyone contribute any significant minutes off the bench, which doesn’t do much to compliment what very well may be one of the best starting lineups in the country.
The biggest key for Oklahoma moving forward? Developing a bench. Sooners' starting five is as good as any, but need something in reserve.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) January 20, 2015
Let’s look at their six Big 12 matchups for example, in which they have a record of 3-3. The Sooners bench has been outscored by a embarrassing margin of 50-175 thus far in conference play. That number looks even worse in their three losses, in which Oklahoma’s bench has been outscored 20-110.
This equals out to an effort that simply isn’t going to provide much success for the Sooners as conference play continues to trudge along and bench depth becomes even more key.
Luckily for the Sooners, they’re entering a stretch of their schedule where they just might be able to resists watching the losses pile up after losing three of their last four.
Oklahoma’s next game comes on the road in Waco against a physical Baylor team whose bench outscored the Sooners’ 18-2. From there they get Texas Tech, whom they should beat based on the production they’ll see from the starters alone, with that game being followed by a trip to Stillwater for a rematch with Oklahoma State.
Following these very winnable games, Oklahoma will then see West Virginia, Iowa State, Kansas State and Texas in four of their next five matchups. All but Kansas State can go several seats down the bench, and the Wildcats still managed to beat OU despite not having the greatest bench either.
Point being, the Sooners have a huge problem by having only five guys to really rely upon in a conference that demands several guys contribute if their team is to win on a nightly basis.
It also doesn’t help that this weakness is going to be pushed to the extreme in just about every one of their remaining 12 games, and with the lack of point production from the bench being a key component in the Sooners dropping half of their first six conference games, Lon Kruger’s few choices on the bench could be what costs him a shot at a Big 12 title.