No. 23 Oklahoma seeks free-throw improvement vs. UCF

Oklahoma coach Porter Moser doesn't want to put too much emphasis on his team's recent foul-shooting slump.

Oklahoma coach Porter Moser doesn't want to put too much emphasis on his team's recent foul-shooting slump.

"We've got good free-throw shooters," Moser said. "It hasn't been a problem. Yes, we missed free throws. We work on 'em all the time. ... Sometimes the more you make a big deal out of it, the more something becomes an issue, so for us, just keep doing (what we're) doing. Keep getting to that foul line."

The 23rd-ranked Sooners will look for a better performance at the charity stripe on Saturday when they face UCF in Orlando.

In a 73-53 win at Kansas State on Tuesday, Oklahoma (16-5, 4-4 Big 12) made it to the free-throw line a season-high 39 times but missed 15. That came after missing a then-season-high nine in a one-point loss at Texas Tech on Jan. 27.

The Sooners hit a combined 61.9 percent from the line over the last two games after connecting at a 76.1 percent rate in the previous 19 contests.

"I wouldn't say it's a mental thing," Oklahoma forward Jalon Moore said. "It's just reps. Sometimes, the ball may feel good coming off your hands and it might miss, but you still gotta shoot it the same way you practice. So I'd say it's just reps."

Moser was more pleased with his team's defensive bounce-back against Kansas State than concerned about the free-throw woes.

The Sooners held the Wildcats to 30.4 percent from the field -- the low mark for an Oklahoma opponent this season -- and forced 14 turnovers.

Oklahoma will need to keep up that strong defensive play against the Knights, as scoring could be at a premium. UCF comes into the Saturday game giving up an average of just 65.1 points per game, which ranks third in the Big 12.

UCF is in the top 20 nationally with an average of 5.4 blocks per game and in the top 30 with a rate of 8.8 steals per game.

"They absolutely are one of the best defensive teams I've seen on film because of their length," Moser said. "And they play really hard, and then they make you get to the basket, and then they just (are) one of the top shot-blocking teams in the country."

Ibrahima Diallo is the Knights' top shot-blocker, averaging 1.9 per game.

After fouling out in just five minutes during a Jan. 27 loss at Cincinnati, Diallo finished without a block for the second consecutive game as the Knights fell 77-69 to visiting Baylor on Wednesday.

"He's a mature player," UCF coach Johnny Dawkins said of Diallo. "He understands what he needs to do to not put himself in that position and he understands his value to our team. We can't have him over there sitting next to us. We don't need any more coaches."

The Knights (12-8, 3-5) have dropped back-to-back games but previously registered wins over Kansas and Texas in their inaugural season of Big 12 play.

Oklahoma is looking to win back-to-back Big 12 games on the road for the first time since beating West Virginia and Iowa State consecutively in February 2021.

The last time the teams met, the Sooners prevailed 65-62 in Orlando on Nov. 27, 2022. Only two players who appeared in that game remain with their team -- UCF's C.J. Walker and Darius Johnson.

--Field Level Media