Oklahoma Sooners

One percentage will explain the Sooners memories of playing Iowa State this season.

Fifty percent.

The Cyclones shot 50 percent from the three-point line to defeat Oklahoma, 80-69, at Hilton Coliseum on Saturday afternoon. ISU was 11 of 22 from the three point line and shot 28 of 54 from the field overall (51.9%).

In two wins over the Sooners, ISU shot 26 of 52 from beyond the arc (50%).

Player of the Game: Cameron Clark. The sophomore played with confidence and aggression, finishing with 16 points on 8 of 14 shooting. He added four rebounds and three steals.

Unsung Hero: Tyler Neal. Saturday’s performance makes back-to-back solid production from Neal. The sophomore had 10 points on 4 of 7 shooting with three rebounds and two blocked shots.

Key Stat: 18.1 percent. It was a tough shooting day for OU’s leading scorer Steven Pledger, who was 2 of 11 from the field including 0 of 4 from the three-point line. He scored seven points, 10 points less than his season average.

Up Next: The Sooners will host Bedlam against Oklahoma State on Wednesday at 7 p.m. CT at the Lloyd Noble Center.

Oklahoma is hoping there is nowhere to go but up.

A five-game losing streak accompanies the Sooners to Ames, Iowa, on Saturday as OU battles Iowa State (18-8, 8-5) at 12:47 p.m. CT at Hilton Coliseum. The Sooners have lost 7 of 8 games and are 13-12 overall including 3-10 in Big 12 Conference play.

ISU defeated OU 77-70 on Feb. 4 at the Lloyd Noble Center.

Key to OU win: Getting Steven Pledger in the groove. In OU’s lone Big 12 road win at Kansas State, Pledger was the driving force with 30 points on 11 of 17 shooting. OU needs another strong shooting game from Pledger and a repeat performance of last year, when the junior scored 38 points in a win at ISU.

Key to ISU win: A strong game from Royce White. After his teammates shot 15 of 30 from the three-point line in the first meeting, expect White to have more space this time around. He’ll need to take advantage of the additional space to work.

Stat line that will tell the tale: Pledger’s free throw attempts. Generally speaking, when Pledger is playing well and into the flow of the offense, he is also getting to the free throw line and that has a direct impact on the Sooners chances to win. Pledger was 14 of 14 from the foul line in OU’s three Big 12 victories.

Sooners X factor: Tyler Neal. With 17 minutes against Texas, Neal logged double-digit minutes for the first time since Jan. 9. Coach Lon Kruger is hoping the increased playing time and eight points by Neal against the Longhorns will catapult him into a strong finish.

Cyclones X factor: Tyrus McGee. The Stringtown, Okla., native has seen his minutes increasing in recent games and he’s shooting 42.7 percent from the three-point line which helps limit the double-team opportunities on White.

Jake Trotter answers readers’ questions about Oklahoma football in his mailbag every Friday. Got a question for Jake? Submit it here.

Albert in Norman writes: How do you see the running back rotation working out in 2012? Who will be the starter on the first depth chart in March?

Jake Trotter: It really depends on whether Dominique Whaley is able to make a full recovery from the fractured ankle in time for the start of the season. If he’s 100 percent, he’s the starter. If not, I would expect Roy Finch and Damien Williams to be the two primary ball-carriers, with Brennan Clay working in some at running back and the slot. Until Whaley comes back, Finch is the starter for now.

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Michael in Arlington, Va., writes: Do you see any real risk in the emphasis on "national recruiting?" It seems like the approach will take up a lot more time than the traditional Texas-Oklahoma focused recruiting. And it might produce teams that look like, say, Nebraska's or Notre Dame's, very talented in places but not that cohesive.

Jake Trotter: Yes, I believe there’s a risk, but you don’t need to look any further than OU’s past to see that. Look at what happened in the 1980s. The Sooners brought in a multitude of California recruits. Some turned out to be good players. But many transferred or quit, and many ran into trouble. Just before Barry Switzer resigned, the staff had already made the decision to pull the emphasis on recruiting California. Do I think the same is going to happen with these Sooners? Not necessarily. I just know most of the time with Oklahoma, and to a lesser extent Texas, kids, you know what you’re getting. When you recruit national, you don’t always know.

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Carter in Oklahoma City writes: It's been awhile since I've seen Mike Stoops defense in person. Any big differences schematically we should expect between his defense and the Venables defense?

Jake Trotter: I think you’ll see a more simplified approach to the secondary. In talking with former players, that’s what they will be the No. 1 thing he’ll change. Last season, the secondary looked a little lost at times, perhaps due to the complexities of the scheme. Mike will simplify that.

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Michael in Long Beach, Calif., writes: In judging the Sooners 2012 schedule, this has the potential to be one of, if not the toughest, in the country. If OSU reloads and doesn't regress too much, then the final three to end the season will be really tough. Would you agree that this is the type of schedule that can win a national championship?

Jake Trotter: OU’s overall schedule won’t be the toughest in the country. But few teams will have to close the season with as tough a slate as West Virginia, Oklahoma State and TCU. In one way, I actually think this could work to OU’s advantage. If the Sooners are in the national title mix going into November, those three games will give them an advantage over other contenders. OU, of course, has to win those games, which won’t be easy. But no voter will be able to say at the end, “OU hasn’t earned its way to the title game.”

David Ubben takes a look at the biggest X-factor for the Sooners: How will new defensive coordinator Mike Stoops fit in during his second stop in Norman?

Lon Kruger has had plenty of opportunities to lose his cool as Oklahoma has fallen to 3-10 in Big 12 Conference play this season.

Yet the Sooners’ first-year coach has remained unfazed whether his team is playing well or struggling.

“He doesn’t change,” point guard Sam Grooms said. “And you want to play for him because of that. He comes in every day with the same attitude. He wants to work, he wants to get better.”

It’s a sign of the laid-back approach of a veteran coach with NBA experience.

“With the resume he has, you could expect him to go crazy when you’re losing,” said Grooms of Kruger, who coached the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks from 2000-2003. “It’s a little different. He’s laid back, most coaches would go crazy, he doesn’t do that. He sits you down, gives you a dignified speech and expects you to respond.”

And the approach has rubbed off on Grooms, who had this to say when asked about the Sooners’ four-game losing streak.

“You just have to stay even-keeled. You’re going to have highs, you’re going to have lows. You get to low, you might sink, you get to high, you might fly, we’ll be all right.”

We're still a long way from the 2013 BCS National Championship Game, but right now, everybody's got a shot.

Some, of course, are better than others.

So what are the best bets?

ESPN Insider Will Harris fills you in.

You'll need ESPN Insider to see it all, but here's a taste:

Oklahoma just endured a season of turmoil and is pretty much at the low point of the Bob Stoops era, but there has been a housecleaning of both the roster and staff and Stoops is an elite coach who is capable of getting the Sooners back on track quickly. If this team finds better leadership and unifies in camp, Oklahoma could rebound big, although Landry Jones is a deal breaker given that the Sooners' odds are just 12 to 1.

My take: I don't know if it's fair to call this the "low point of the Bob Stoops Era" after a 10-win season, but I'm certainly not a believer in the Sooners as a national title contender just yet. Jones is part of that, but the Sooners have more questions marks (secondary, receiver) than I'd feel comfortable buying into.

The Longhorns get a mention at 25-to-1, but Harris checks in with TCU, too.

All other teams are trading at 33 to 1 at least. Of this group, only TCU at 50 to 1 caught our eye. Like Beamer, Gary Patterson has built a consistent winner that can slug it out with anyone in a given game. The Frogs return the bulk of last year's young squad and catch the top three teams in the league at home.

My take: It could happen. TCU is good enough, in theory, but the amount of variables that come with joining the Big 12 leave plenty of room to doubt the Horned Frogs' ability to write a Cinderella story in 2012.

In this episode of RecruitingNation 411, we focus on the defensive side of the ball in the 2013 recruiting class. Our experts tell you which prospects are primed to be the stars of the class, and which ones have already given a verbal commitment.