Oklahoma’s Hugley, Soares to Miss Big 12 Tournament Game vs. TCU
Oklahoma (20-11, 8-10) will play TCU (20-11, 9-9) in each team’s opening game in the 2024 Big 12 Tournament at 2:00 p.m. CT on Wednesday (ESPN+).
Both teams are likely headed to the NCAA Tournament regardless of the outcome. However, avoiding a one-and-done in the nation’s toughest conference championship gauntlet would turn the likelihood into a certainty for either the Sooners or Horned Frogs.
Unfortunately for Oklahoma, that will be a bit tougher than they’d hoped for as Porter Moser’s group will be down a couple of key pieces when they take the court in Kansas City.
On Tuesday afternoon, Moser confirmed that John Hugley and Rivaldo Soares will not play against TCU.
However, Moser did say that are both close to returning to action for the Sooners; excellent news if the Sooners should advance or receive a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Hugley missed Oklahoma’s last seven contests while recovering from surgery to his torn meniscus. Gaining a physical 6-foot-10 presence underneath the bucket come tournament time would be fantastic, and getting back 8.4 points and 3.8 rebounds per game certainly doesn’t hurt either.
Soares, on the other hand, has not missed much action and will certainly be missed on Wednesday after leaving the regular season finale against Texas with an apparent ankle injury.
Since being added to the starting lineup on February 28, Soares has elevated his game, averaging 15.5 points and 4.7Â rebounds in the time since.
TCU and Oklahoma faced off once earlier this season, way back on January 10. It was the Horned Frogs who prevailed at home in Schollmaier Arena, 80-71. The Frogs are favored by 3.5 points in this game, with the winner moving on to face No. 1 Houston (28-3) on Thursday.
