It was just short of a month and a half ago when Xavier rained in 19 3-pointers and hung 99 points on the board in a blowout win over Oklahoma. It was an early season reality check for the Sooners, clearly showcasing that they were not a good defensive team.
Well, a whole lot has changed in the last 41 days since that night in Cincinnati.
On Tuesday night, Oklahoma blew out Kansas State at the Lloyd Noble Center marking the second straight win by more than 25 points while also holding their opponent to 50 points or less. The defensive improvement has been truly astonishing to watch play out.
“For the most part I think it’s just guys getting a better feel and a better understanding of what needs to be done,” head coach Lon Kruger said on the defensive upswing. “I think we’ve gotten into bodies a little bit better. They (opponents) have felt us a little bit more from a defensive standpoint.”
A big part of the lockdown defensive effort has been the insertion of Elijah Harkless into the lineup after Brady Manek was forced to miss some time due to COVID-19 protocols. Manek was back for this game but played limited minutes and came off of the bench with Harkless starting again.
The transfer was fantastic, stuffing the stat sheet with eight points, 13 rebounds and six assists. His impact has come along very quickly.
“It’s been cool to kind of help fill Brady’s (Manek) shoes,” Harkless said. “Those are big shoes to fill. To keep this kind of train going and get us better every single game. But we’re happy to have him back, and I can’t wait for him to get back into game speed.”
Harkless’ impact on the game in a variety of different ways is catching lots of attention. He has quickly become a key piece of this team in a short time period after missing the beginning of the season while he was still waiting to even be granted his eligibility for the year after transferring to Norman.
“He can play in this league (Big 12) with us,” Kur Kuath said. “He hustles, he works hard everyday, he’s just like that. He comes to fight day in and day out.”
Leading the offensive charge tonight was De’Vion Harmon who was sharp once again, scoring 16 points on 6 for 11 shooting. He appeared to suffer a right leg injury late in the game that forced him to leave the floor with help, but Kruger said after the game that it was just a cramp and that he would be fine.
Now the Sooners turn the page and head into a rematch with Kansas on Saturday this time in Norman. Obviously, they will be coming in with plenty of confidence after two dominant wins the last two times out since their close defeat at the hands of the Jayhawks in Lawrence on Jan. 9th.
“Confidence is improving with each ballgame,” Kruger said. “Our play is improving with each ballgame. I think our guys understand that that has to continue. In the Big 12, if you’re not getting better then someone else is going to pass you. The guys understand how good Kansas is, it was a good battle in Lawrence but that’s one behind us and now we got to play better to have a chance to win on Saturday.”
Oklahoma will host Kansas Saturday at 11:00 a.m. at the Lloyd Noble Center.
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