Oklahoma coach Porter Moser was happy with the way his team responded Saturday against top-ranked Houston, even in a loss.
Moser is hoping his Sooners can build from that on Tuesday when they take on Cincinnati in Big 12 play at Norman, Okla.
Oklahoma is coming off an 87-85 loss to the Cougars, where it hit 12 3-pointers and scored more than anyone had scored on Houston all season.
“I want to keep building on it,” Moser said of his team’s offensive surge. “I want to play with pace and space. I thought we had great spacing, but we were (also) shot-ready.”
The Sooners (19-10, 7-9 Big 12) are looking to continue to build on their NCAA Tournament resume entering the final week of the regular season.
They figure to be in the field but a rough final week — which includes Tuesday’s game against the Bearcats and a Saturday game at Texas — could send them slipping toward the bubble.
Oklahoma has lost four of its last five, though all four losses have come to teams ranked in the top 12.
Tuesday’s meeting will be the second between the teams this season.
Oklahoma won at Cincinnati, 69-65, on Jan. 20, holding the Bearcats to 38.6 percent from the floor.
It wasn’t long after that first meeting that the Sooners’ Rivaldo Soares began his surge. Over the last nine games, Soares is averaging 13.6 points per game and shooting 66.7 percent (40 of 60).
After coming off the bench for much of the season, Soares has started each of the last two.
“He went through a struggle,” Moser said of Soares accepting his reserve role after starting at Oregon last season before transferring. “He was down and he was frustrated. … At one point he just let it go and just became this ultra-positive thing. I hope he carries that lesson the rest of his life.”
Cincinnati (17-12, 6-10) is hoping to build some momentum from Saturday’s 74-72 home win over Kansas State after dropping five of its previous six.
Simas Lukosius drilled the go-ahead 3-pointer with 9.9 seconds left against the Wildcats.
The Bearcats could continue to be without leading scorer Dan Skillings Jr., who suffered a “freak” hip injury last week and missed the win over Kansas State.
“He is tough as nails,” Cincinnati coach Wes Miller said of a player averaging 11.9 points per game.
Day Day Thomas (10.4) and Lukosius (10.1) also average in double digits for the Bearcats.
Cincinnati holds a 4-3 series edge against the Sooners.
–Field Level Media