'That game was huge': Why OU's game against Kansas comes at the perfect time for Tanner & Jacob Groves

NORMAN — Kansas had one five-star and nine four-star prospects on its men's basketball roster last season.

But when the No. 3-seeded Jayhawks faced No. 14-seeded Eastern Washington in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament last March, the two best players on the court were a pair of no-star recruits on the other team.

Brothers Tanner and Jacob Groves showed out against the national powerhouse. Tanner erupted for 35 points on 5-for-11 shooting from deep, while Jacob tallied career-highs of 23 points and nine rebounds.

Kansas ultimately escaped with a 93-84 win, but the Groves brothers' performance didn't go unrecognized by Jayhawks head coach Bill Self.

"The Groves brothers were the two best players in the game in the first half," Self said. "I thought they were fabulous. They played Tanner on the perimeter far more than we thought they would. And to me, (Jacob) is about as good-looking of a prospect around. He's 6-foot-9, and he can shoot. He can post, he has handles and he has vision."

"Those guys were really impressive to me. Both are really good players."

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After transferring to Oklahoma last April, the Groves brothers have a chance to repeat their success when the Sooners host No. 7-ranked Kansas at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

The rematch comes at a perfect time for both brothers, who have been on different trajectories as of late.

Tanner joined OU as the reigning Big Sky Conference Player of the Year, and he started this season strong. The 6-foot-10 senior averaged a team-high 14.3 points and six rebounds per game in non-conference play while shooting 58.8% from the floor.

But he has struggled to adjust to the physicality of Big 12 Conference play.

Tanner averaged 4.5 points and four turnovers in OU's last two games against Texas and TCU while shooting just 36.4% from the floor.

In addition to defending Tanner with more physicality, opponents have brought guards into the paint to fluster him every time he gets the ball. They've also switched on the perimeter to take away his 3-point shot.

"I need to find other ways to affect the game," Tanner said. "I think the last few games, I've been kind of lacking my physicality. I've got to get that in the game. I'll do whatever it takes to win."

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Meanwhile, Jacob is hitting his stride with the Sooners.

The 6-foot-9 junior averaged 7.7 points in 14.3 minutes per game during OU's last three contests while shooting 66.7% from the floor. Before this stretch, he only averaged 3.4 points in 13.3 minutes per game.

Jacob is producing on the second unit, thanks to his movement off the ball. His ability to find gaps in the defense sets him up for easy looks, and the well-rounded shooter is more than capable of knocking them down.

Jacob should continue to see an increased role since fellow forward Ethan Chargois will miss a second straight game on Tuesday due to undisclosed reasons. The younger Groves brother is confident in his ability to take on the challenge thanks to his previous performance against Kansas.

"That (Kansas) game was huge, honestly," Jacob said. "It's one thing to have a game like that in conference play or whatever, but to do it against (a) blue blood like Kansas on the biggest stage is just a whole new level.

"It made me realize that I really can play with anybody in the country."

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The hope is a matchup with Kansas (14-2, 3-1 Big 12) will bring the best out of the Groves brothers yet again. That's exactly what OU (12-5, 2-3 Big 12) needs if it wants to pull off an upset on Tuesday.

The Jayhawks are led by senior guard Ochai Agbaji and junior guard Christian Braun, who are averaging 20.6 points and 15.6 points per game, respectively. Their combined average of 36.2 points per contest ranks sixth in the nation for a duo.

"We talked about that early on," OU head coach Porter Moser said of the Groves brothers' game against Kansas. "Now they are so many games into this level. They’ve played Baylor, Florida, Arkansas, Texas, TCU, Kansas State, Iowa State. They’ve played a lot of high-level games.

"By now, their confidence that they can play at this level should be there."

Justin Martinez can be reached at jmartinez@oklahoman.com or @JTheSportsDude on Twitter. Make sure to subscribe to The Oklahoman to stay up to date with all local sports.

No. 7 Kansas at Oklahoma

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU men's basketball: Groves brothers look to repeat magic vs Kansas