NORMAN — Oklahoma’s players woke up Sunday morning feeling the effects of their Big 12-opening win against Iowa State.
“These guys felt it,” Porter Moser said. “They were sore the next day. I mean, it was an absolute physical, physical battle.”
It’s something the Sooners will have to get used to for the next two months, as Saturday’s 71-63 win against the Cyclones was just the beginning of a Big 12 gauntlet that’s going to take its toll on Oklahoma as it tries to earn its way back into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021.
That grueling journey through conference play continues Wednesday, when No. 9 Oklahoma (13-1, 1-0 Big 12) makes the trip down to Fort Worth, Texas, for its first true road game of the season against TCU (11-3, 0-1). Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. from Schollmaier Arena, with the game airing on ESPN2.
In TCU, Oklahoma will see a team similar to the one it scraped past in its conference opener. The Horned Frogs aren’t quite as stingy defensively as the Cyclones are, but they’re 40th in adjusted defensive efficiency (97.0 points allowed per 100 possessions), per KenPom, and are similarly disruptive on that end of the floor.
TCU is seventh nationally in steal rate, swiping the ball on 14.8% of its opponents’ possessions, and 15th in forced-turnover rate, forcing a takeaway on 20.3% of opponent trips down the court. Jamie Dixon’s team is also 12th nationally in turnovers forced per game (17) while averaging 21.4 points per game off turnovers.
