While it’s been clear the Oklahoma Sooners need more production out of their bench, one player who hasn’t given them much from a scoring standpoint but has still made an impact is [autotag]Rivaldo Soares[/autotag]. Soares did finally have a big scoring night against the West Virginia Mountaineers.
He finished with 13 points, which led the bench unit for the Sooners, and was tied with Javian McCollum for second most on the team. But up to that point, his shot had been struggling. So, Soares has quietly become one of the better rebounders for the Sooners.
He’s averaged nearly six rebounds per game in [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] play. Soares spoke after the game about how important it is for not only him but his whole team to rebound at a high level.
“Getting in there and getting some offensive rebounds, like I said last game, it just keeps me going, gets me going,” Soares said. “The free throw line keeps me going. (My) energy stays high and it’s been our mantra all year. “DCO,” defense creates offense. Grab that rebound and go.”
While the Sooners need the points from their bench like they got vs. the Mountaineers, having someone like Soares be able to impact the game when his shot isn’t falling is still big for the team going forward.
They will need that effort as they hit the road this Saturday against the [autotag]Cincinnati Bearcats[/autotag]. In the last 14 Big 12 games, 11 of them have been won by the home team. So, it doesn’t get any easier as the season goes on.
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