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Oklahoma basketball vs. Baylor: 3 takeaways from Sooners' loss to Bears in top-25 clash
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- Oklahoma basketball vs. Baylor: 3 takeaways from Sooners' loss to Bears in top-25 clash
No. 25 OU fell to No. 12 Baylor 79-62 Tuesday night at Foster Pavilion in Waco, Texas.
The Sooners (18-7, 6-6 Big 12) have yet to win three consecutive Big 12 games this season. OU hasn't beaten Baylor in the regular season since 2018 and hasn't won in Waco since 2016.
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A win would've moved the Sooners, currently a No. 6 seed, to a No. 5 seed in the NCAA men's basketball tournament, per ESPN's bracketologist Joe Lunardi .
Bears junior guard Jayden Nunn finished with 27 points on 8 for 12 shooting. Baylor (18-6, 7-4) finished shooting 55% from the field, compared to OU's 47%.
Senior guard Rivaldo Soares led OU with 17 points and five rebounds. Soares has been head coach Porter Moser's hottest shooter as he's shot 8 for 12 for a combined 25 points in his last two games.
But Soares appeared to injure his ankle with a little under four minutes to play and was receiving treatment from OU's trainers.
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Sophomore guard Milos Uzan finished with nine points. Junior forward Jalon Moore, who missed practice this week due to flu-like symptoms according to the ESPN broadcast, dropped nine points on 3 for 5 shooting.
Baylor's 47-29 lead was OU's largest deficit this season.
Here are three takeaways from the Sooners' loss:
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Baylor's hot 3-point shooting night
The Bears, which ranked No. 4 nationally in 3-point percentage entering the contest, drained 3-pointers all night.
In the first half, Baylor shot 5 for 9, including three consecutive makes from deep with 4:42 remaining. Nunn knocked down six of his nine attempts as the Bears finished with 11 total 3s and shot 52%.
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OU couldn't keep up, shooting 7 for 21 (33%) from beyond the arc. The Sooners' strong defensive efforts last week against BYU and Oklahoma State were nonexistent Tuesday as they struggled to guard the Bears' guards, allowing for open 3-point shots.
Junior guard Javian McCollum, OU's leading scorer this season, continued his cold shooting of late, drilling one of his seven 3-point attempts. Soares finished with two 3s.
Entering the contest, OU ranked fourth nationally in allowed 3-point percentage. The Sooners allowed 10 or more made 3-point shots for the first time in their last 45 games.
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OU guard Rivaldo Soares (5) is helped off the court during the second half Tuesday night in a 79-62 loss at Baylor.
Luke Northweather struggles in John Hugley IV's absence
With redshirt junior forward John Hugley IV out with a knee injury, Moser and the Sooners looked to redshirt freshman forward Luke Northweather to step up.
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Northweather showed promise in OU's win over the Cowboys, scoring five points in 10 minutes, but struggled against the Bears.
Baylor held Northweather to two points, while its crowd chanted "air ball" each time he touched the ball after he missed the rim on a shot attempt in the first half.
"John's knee has been bothering him so he's not going to be available tonight," Moser told OU radio play-by-play voice Toby Rowland pregame. "We'll evaluate that in terms of the length of that injury at a different time, but right now we're taking it day to day."
Hugley IV averages 8.4 points and 3.8 rebounds in 17.6 minutes per game this season.
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Oklahoma guard Rivaldo Soares (5) reacts to call, next to Baylor center Yves Missi (21) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, in Waco, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Turnovers prove costly
OU turned the ball over 12 times and forced five turnovers.
Baylor capitalized on the Sooners' mistakes by letting 3s fly in transition and finished with 22 total points off turnovers, compared to OU's six.
Uzan, one of OU's best facilitators this season, committed five turnovers.
More: OU basketball projected as No. 6 seed in ESPN's NCAA Tournament bracketology
What's next
OU faces No. 6 Kansas (19-6, 7-5) at 3 p.m. Saturday at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman on ESPN. The Jayhawks fell 79-50 to No. 23 Texas Tech on Monday night.
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While the Sooners' remaining schedule is grueling, four of their next five matchups are Quad 1 opportunities. Two of OU's next three games are on the road, including at Oklahoma State on Feb. 24 and at No. 10 Iowa State on Feb. 28.
The Sooners and Bears met for the final time in the regular season as conference foes Tuesday night.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU basketball loses game at Baylor, Rivaldo Soares to ankle injury
