Before missing OU’s game at Kansas on Jan. 9, Brady Manek had been a fixture in the Sooners’ starting lineup.
After missing the past two games, Manek is likely to return Tuesday when OU hosts Kansas State (5:30 p.m., Fox Sports Oklahoma). But the lessons the Sooners have learned over that stretch might continue to help even after Manek and Jalen Hill, who also missed the past two games, are fully reintegrated back into the rotation.
“I think when you’re down a couple players, it maybe heightens their awareness, from a player’s perspective, and the needs to do all these things even better,” Sooners coach Lon Kruger said Monday.