Time to learn (a bit) about the Sooners

You can applaud and still admit we have no idea about Sooners basketball this season. OU is off to a 4-0 start, but that’s exactly what should have happened.

It’s a relief after the disappointment of last season’s opener, but now it’s time to find out just a bit about what Porter Moser has this season.

Those four games didn’t really test the Sooners, and the best thing is they didn’t allow those four games to stress them at all. Doing what you’re supposed to be doing against competition like that.

OU will be having some turkey and playing some basketball the next few days in San Diego in the Rady Children’s Invitational.

How to watch

OU (4-0) vs. Iowa (3-1)
When: 2 p.m.
TV: FS1
Fubo Streaming: Fubo (Try for free) Fubo’s holiday offer just kicked off – For a limited time, new subscribers can save $40 on Fubo’s Pro, Elite, and Premier plans ($20 off the first and second months)

It gets started against the Hawkeyes. OU is then guaranteed to play either USC or Seton Hall on Friday afternoon.

“They’re great,” said Moser about multi-team events. “It’s not whether you’re home or away, you’ve got to play the right way. And for us it’s great. This tournament’s gonna be a great tournament. Four really good teams. So I know our guys are excited. We’re excited that we’re going there 4-0. We’re excited that it’s opportunities to play high-level teams. 

“I think there’s a lot of them right now so there are good ones. And they’re really important. I think you get two quality games on a neutral court. And it doesn’t hurt that it’s in San Diego. That’s gonna be a great location. But our guys are really looking forward to competing. I can’t say it enough. These practices, you can just see the guy’s edge and excitement to play.”

This is what you sign up for

Moser stressed it’s about the team getting better. But if you want to circle one player these next two games it’s point guard Javian McCollum.

This will be his first test. Making that step up from Siena to OU for moments just like this, he said. He’s fired up about it. And the Sooners will need him to deliver.

“What I’ve seen out of Javian, too — and you don’t really know this until you get a kid every day — is his competitive nature,” Moser said. “He’s really competitive. In practice, he wants to win every drill. He has no fear. And you love that no-fear mentality of wanting to prove something all the time, and Javian probably has that. People probably said he was too frail to play high major early on, too small, whatever, he was always told that, and he’s proven he can and he’s got an edge to prove he can.”

As much fun as it will be to hit the road and play some Power Five schools, it’s just a small taste of what’s to come the rest of the season when Big 12 play comes around.

Embrace it now because it’s all coming later.

“I mean, we’re in the best conference in the country in the Big 12. I mean, there’s nothing like it,” Moser said. “The last couple of years, our nonconference, we’ve had the No., what, 2? and the No. 7 hardest conference, hardest schedule in the country. So this is why they’re here. They know we’re gonna play these type of games and this is where you gotta continue to get better.”

Scouting the Hawkeyes

A strong initial test with the Hawkeyes. OU is trying hard to play at a faster pace. It doesn’t get much faster than Iowa.

The Hawkeyes only loss is to undefeated Creighton. And Iowa has scored more than 80 points in every single game this season.

The key, Moser said, is for the Sooners to play at their pace but not to get overwhelmed by the moment and start being too frenetic.

“Coach McCaffery’s done it for years. He’s about to be the all-time winningest coach there,” Moser said. “But they play and unbelievably fast-paced offense and they run. I mean it’s up the court so fast, you’re transition D has got to be absolutely on it. They run great motion offense. And they’re just extremely tough to scout because they play so fast and then they grind you down side-to-side in their motion. So it’s going to be a great test. We’re trying to play faster, but our transition D is gonna be tested because of how fast they get up the court.”