The Wichita State Shockers have been knocking on the door for a while now and might finally break it down and become one of the elite teams in the country. Expectations were sky high for the Shockers coming into this season. No longer were they simply expected to make the NCAA Tournament, they were expected to make a deep run in it with a loaded team. Moving from the Missouri Valley to the American was supposed to make this team more prepared for March Madness as well as a tough non-conference slate.
Wichita State has lived up to the expectations and then some. The Shockers are the No. 3 team in the nation and their one loss came by one point at the hands of Notre Dame. After knocking off Oklahoma State last week, they now have their sights set on the other big school in the state, the Oklahoma Sooners.
This war on the floor will go down Saturday, December 16, 2017, at 4 p.m. ET at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kansas. The game will be televised live on ESPN2. We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Saturday schedule.
Opening College Basketball Odds at BookMaker.eu
The Sooners have been playing some exciting basketball this season and scored a big win against USC last week. Oklahoma was able to go into the Staples Center and get a victory against the Trojans, thanks to some great three-point shooting and just enough defense. OU has won five in a row and is 7-1 on the year, but is just 2-6 ATS, having been favorites in every game.
Wichita State avenged last season’s loss at the hands of the Cowboys and is riding high heading into this game. The Shockers have knocked off Marquette, Baylor, and Oklahoma State this season and has one of the better resumes out there to date. The under has cashed in four of their last five games.
Last Meeting
These team met in Oklahoma City last week and it was Wichita State’s defense that was the deciding factor. The Shockers held the Sooners to just 30.8 percent shooting from the floor and that was enough to overcome an off night of shooting themselves in a 76-73 victory.
The only reason this game was so close was because of how many times Oklahoma was able to go to the line. The Sooners shot 34 free throws in this game as multiple players for Wichita State got in foul trouble in this one. That shouldn’t happen this time around.
Matchup to Watch
It should be fascinating to see what tempo these teams play at. Lon Kruger wants to run it and gun it with Oklahoma. The Sooners are a good shooting team and play at a very fast pace, aiming to take as many shots as possible. They are averaging 93.2 PPG this season, third in the nation.
Meanwhile, Wichita State plays pressure defense and will constantly substitute players in order to have fresh legs to attack the opposing team. The Shockers don’t mind playing at a fast tempo, but play such good defense that Oklahoma might have to slow it down just to get decent shots off.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
Oklahoma is superb offensively, but its defense has been lacking. The Sooners perimeter defense has been especially poor as they are allowing teams to hit 38.6 percent of their three-pointers this season. That’s not good against a team like Wichita State.
The Shockers are one of the most complete teams in the country and will prove it here. Every one of their players in their 10-man rotation is hitting 40 percent from the floor and they can make teams play. They will do just that at home here.
College Basketball Odds: Wichita State 87, Oklahoma 76
BookMaker.eu offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker.eu!
