2022-2023 Oklahoma Men’s Basketball – Page 3

Oklahoma Sooners drop another close one at home, 62-60 to the Baylor Bears

The Oklahoma Sooners lost another close one to a ranked opponent, losing to the No. 21 Baylor Bears 62-60 on Saturday.

The Big 12 is the best conference in college basketball. But that’s no consolation for an Oklahoma Sooners team that fell to 2-5 in conference play after another close loss. This time, they dropped another tight contest to the No. 21 Baylor Bears 62-60.

The Sooners took a 58-56 lead over the Bears with 1:39 remaining on a [autotag]Milos Uzan[/autotag] lob to [autotag]C.J. Noland[/autotag]. Baylor responded on their next possession with a three-pointer by Jalen Bridges. Grant Sherfield drove to the basket to retake the lead, but his floater off the backboard rattled off the rim. The Bears extended their lead with a contested three-pointer by Adam Flagler. It was a strong defensive possession by Sherfield, Flagler was clutch in the moment to extend Baylor’s lead to four with 24 seconds to play.

Oklahoma pulled within two in the final seconds but couldn’t get the ball back in the waning moments.

It was another frustrating home loss for Oklahoma against a ranked opponent. The Sooners led by four at halftime in what was a tightly contested game that saw multiple lead changes throughout.

[autotag]Jalen Hill[/autotag] led the way with 17 points and nine rebounds. He was 8 of 13 from the field. [autotag]Tanner Groves[/autotag] was the only other Sooner in double-figures with 16 points on 6 of 13 shooting and was 2 of 5 from three.

The Sooners struggled again from three-point range, shooting 23.8% from behind the arch on 21 attempts.

Oklahoma’s leading scorer on the season, [autotag]Grant Sherfield[/autotag], was just 3 of 10 from the field for eight points.

With the loss, Oklahoma falls to 11-8 on the season and is just 2-6 in Big 12 play. For their next challenge, the Sooners head to Fort Worth to take on the No. 14 ranked TCU Horned Frogs (15-4, 9-2 in Big 12). The Frogs picked up a big win on Saturday over Kansas, 83-60.

[listicle id=79203]

[listicle id=79162]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz7cqqgxy50qwt player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.

Sooners can’t keep up with Cowboys in second half, lose 72-56

Oklahoma State’s lights-out shooting in the second half spoiled a strong start for the Sooners in Bedlam as they fall 72-56.

Everything looked good for the Oklahoma Sooners after the first 20 minutes of play. Oklahoma led Oklahoma State in Stillwater by six at the break. And that’s where the good times ended.

The two sides traded three-pointers to start the second half. Then the Cowboys went on a tear, outscoring the Sooners by 22 points in the second half to come up with a big 72-56 win.

Grant Sherfield, who had 15 points in the first half, was held scoreless in the second on 0 for 6 shooting. Milos Uzan, who’d been on a role of late, was held under double figures for the first time in four games. He took just two second-half attempts, going 1 of 2 after the break and finishing with just eight points. Jacob Groves was the only other Sooner in double figures with 10 points on 4 of 8 shooting.

As a team, the Sooners shot just 41.7% from the field and 26.7% from three. It was behind the arch that was the difference in the ball game. The Oklahoma State Cowboys shot 41.2% from three.

Oklahoma’s offense couldn’t keep their same level of efficiency and then had few answers at the other end of the court for a Cowboys offense that poured in 48 second-half points.

With every game a gauntlet in the Big 12, dropping one to your in-state rival that was just a tick over .500 on the season hurts your NCAA tournament resume. After their opening-season loss to Sam Houston, the Sooners had little margin for error.

The Sooners now prepare for a tough stretch of games featuring ranked opponents. They’ll host No. 21 Baylor on Saturday before traveling south to Fort Worth to take on No. 14 TCU. Then they host the No. 4 team in the nation, the Alabama Crimson Tide. A couple of wins in that stretch could right a lot of what went wrong on Wednesday evening in Stillwater, but that will be a tough task for the Oklahoma Sooners.

[listicle id=78976]

[listicle id=78981]

[mm-video type=video id=01gm91xcyamt27jcj0zy playlist_id=none player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gm91xcyamt27jcj0zy/01gm91xcyamt27jcj0zy-aab602c29e53c9f2cb2a9dd4ec178d97.jpg]

‘I’d love Bedlam basketball to continue’: Porter Moser a fan of the in-state rivalry

Speaking with 94.7 The Ref in Norman, Oklahoma Men’s Basketball Coach Porter Moser explained he was in favor of continuing Bedlam basketball.

With Oklahoma heading to the SEC, the future of Bedlam is in doubt across both athletic departments. When it comes to football, Oklahoma State has said they don’t foresee it continuing. Since nonconference schedules are organized so far out, it may be unreasonable to expect a Bedlam football matchup anytime soon after Oklahoma and Texas depart for the SEC.

As it concerns the other sports, though, there’s an opportunity to work it into the nonconference schedule in future years, and the two schools would be wise to figure out a way to keep it going in men’s and women’s basketball, softball, baseball, wrestling, and golf. If the two schools have a sport, the two long-time rivals should face each other in said sport.

“I’d love Bedlam basketball to continue,” Moser shared with Toby Rowland and TJ Perry on 94.7 The Ref in Norman. “I think it’s great. It’s right here. It’s close to home. It’s in the state. It’s two great programs. For just basketball, again, I don’t want to say anything for dynamics of the other sports, but just for us, heck yeah, let’s keep it going.”

Should Bedlam basketball continue after OU moves to the SEC?

Porter Moser has an opinion on the subject and shared it this morning with @TRowOU and @tjperry1400.

“Just my answer is, I’d love Bedlam basketball to continue.” pic.twitter.com/7KQIE4si35

— The REF (@KREFsports) January 18, 2023

The energy and excitement that comes from the in-state rivalry will have a hard time being matched by anything other than OU-Texas when the Red River rivals head to the SEC. Oklahoma will develop new rivalries with schools like Arkansas and rekindle old ones as they had with Missouri and Texas A&M.

However, none of them will feel the same as Bedlam. Regardless of the sport, the matchups that take place between the two athletic departments mean something to the athletes and to the state of Oklahoma.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz7cqqgxy50qwt player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

Sooners a part of the ‘Last Four In’ in latest Bracketology from ESPN’s Joe Lunardi

After their win over West Virginia, Joe Lunardi’s latest bracketology for the NCAA tournament has the Sooners as one of the “Last Four In.”

Though the Oklahoma Sooners stand at just 2-3 in Big 12 play, those three losses have come by a narrow margin against three top 15 teams. They’ve picked up wins at home vs. West Virginia and on the road at Texas Tech.

As things stand in ESPN college basketball analyst Joe Lunardi’s Bracketology, the Sooners are one of the “Last Four In” for his 68-team projection. The Sooners join Boise State, Penn State, and New Mexico on the positive side of the NCAA tournament bubble.

The Sooners are one of seven Big 12 teams in Lunardi’s field, second only to the Big Ten, who, interestingly enough, has ten teams represented.

The Sooners go on the road to face the Oklahoma State Cowboys in Stillwater on Wednesday evening for an opportunity to further solidify its standing. After they face the Cowboys, the Sooners will have three straight games against top 25 opponents. They’ll host the No. 21 Baylor Bears on Jan. 21 before heading to Fort Worth to take on the No. 14 TCU Horned Frogs. To finish off the stretch, Oklahoma will welcome the No. 4 team in the nation, the Alabama Crimson Tide.

If they can find a way to pick up wins in three of their next four, it would go a long way toward building their resume as an NCAA tournament team.

[listicle id=78976]

[listicle id=78981]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz7cqqgxy50qwt player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

Oklahoma Sooners hang on for 77-76 win over West Virginia Mountaineers

The Oklahoma Sooners closed out a tough matchup with the Mountaineers, picking up a 77-76 win in Norman.

As has been the case each outing in the Big 12 schedule, the Oklahoma Sooners played another tight basketball game on Saturday at the Lloyd Noble Center.

Hosting West Virginia, the Sooners picked up the 77-76 win to move to 2-3 in Big 12 play and 11-6 overall.

The Sooners led by as many as seven points at different points in the second half and could never pull away. [autotag]Milos Uzan[/autotag] gave the Sooners a seven-point lead with 7:38 to play in the game, but some sharp three-point shooting from West Virginia helped them to battle back and keep the pressure on the Sooners. Oklahoma’s offense struggled in the final six minutes, struggling to get into a rhythm offensively.

As the Mountaineers tied the game at 70, the Sooners went on the attack, driving the lane and putting West Virginia defenders in a bad spot, drawing fouls.

Jalen Hill made four free throws in the final minute, Tanner Groves added a pair, and[autotag] Grant Sherfield[/autotag] made one of his two free throws to give the Sooners the win.

Sherfield led the way with 22 points and five assists. [autotag]Jalen Hill[/autotag] was a perfect 5 for 5 from the field and 4 for 4 from the free throw line for 14 points in the game. Hill also added six rebounds. True freshman [autotag]Milos Uzan[/autotag] continues to be a revelation, scoring in double-digits for the third-straight game. He’s averaging 13.3 points per game over the last three games. Uzan also had nine rebounds in the contest.

Oklahoma needed a win like this where they were able to show that they can close out tight games. After narrow losses against Texas, Iowa State, and Kansas in three of their first four Big 12 games, picking up this win could help propel the Sooners forward in conference play.

Oklahoma Sooners can’t close, fall to Kansas on the road 79-75

The Oklahoma Sooners struggled down the stretch and lose to the Kansas Jayhawks 79-75 in Lawrence.

The Oklahoma Sooners haven’t won in Lawrence, Kansas since 1993. In one of the toughest environments for a road team, the Sooners couldn’t hold onto a double-digit lead in the second half and fall to 10-6 and 1-3 in Big 12 play, 79-75 to the Kansas Jayhawks.

The Oklahoma Sooners trailed by just two points at halftime to the No. 2 team in the nation and led by 10 with five minutes to play. But at Allen Fieldhouse, the Sooners struggled down the stretch, scoring just four points in the final five minutes as Kansas went on an 18-4 run to finish the game.

Playing at Kansas is a difficult proposition for the best teams in the country. For Oklahoma, this game will feel like the one that got away as poor shooting and shot selection plagued them down the stretch.

The Sooners got up five points on a C.J. Noland layup to make it 73-68, but misses on three straight three-point attempts from Noland, Tanner Groves, and Grant Sherfield kept the Sooners from extending their lead and allowed Kansas to get buckets in transition to close the gap and take the lead.

K.J. Adams was fantastic down the stretch for the Jayhawks, getting six points in the paint and picked up three rebounds, including two offensive boards that ultimately led to a Jalen Wilson three-pointer.

It was a poor shooting night from three for the Sooners, but still, they hung in the game by getting to the basket and hitting their free throws. And it was at the free throw line that was the difference in the ball game.

Kansas had 39 free throw attempts in the game compared to 23 for the Oklahoma Sooners. The Jayhawks were 31 of 39 from the charity stripe, and the Sooners were 19 of 23. And that was the difference. On a poor shooting night from three, Kansas didn’t continue to shoot from downtown. They forced the issue in the paint and took their trips to the free throw line. Oklahoma, on the other hand, settled for threes when they should have been going to the basket to make plays. The Sooners were just 2 of 17 from three-point range but shot 47.4% from the field overall.

Grant Sherfield led the way for the Sooners with 25 points on 9 of 15 shooting. Milos Uzan followed up his 18-point performance against Texas Tech with 11 points and five rebounds. Tanner Groves and Sam Godwin also scored in double figures for the Sooners.

Despite the loss, the Oklahoma Sooners have found a spark in the last couple of games that, hopefully, they can carry over to their next contest at home against West Virginia on Saturday. This team has played some good basketball, but they haven’t been able to close out games late in the fourth quarter.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz7cqqgxy50qwt player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

Oklahoma Sooners pick up big win on the road over Texas Tech 68-63

Led by Jalen Hill and Milos Uzan, the Oklahoma Sooners went on the road and defeated Texas Tech 68-63 in overtime.

It’s hard to quantify how important Oklahoma’s trip to Lubbock, Texas was. Making the trip back to Norman without a win in hand would have been soul-crushing. Luckily, that won’t be the case.

The Sooners picked up their first Big 12 win of the season after defeating Texas Tech 68-63. The game couldn’t be decided after 40 regulation minutes, so the two conference foes played an additional five minutes in overtime.

Veteran forward Jalen Hill and freshman Milos Uzan led the way for Oklahoma with 18 points.

Oklahoma started rocky in the first half, with six turnovers in the first eight minutes. They eventually relied on stiff defense and better execution offensively to get back in the game.

Once they found their footing, the Sooners took off. Grant Sherfield had eight points at half as Oklahoma led 24-23.

After the break, Milos Uzan poured 16 of his 18 on the night as Moser’s team began to separate. The Oklahoma lead grew to as much as 13 before a comeback led by former Oklahoma guard De’Vion Harmon made things uneasy. Harmon dropped in 19 of his 23 points on the night in the second half, including eight during the final five minutes of regulation.

After Uzan’s free throws sent it to OT, the game became the Jalen Hill show. Hill had eight points in the final 2 minutes of the overtime period to seal the deal.

Oklahoma is no longer at the bottom of the Big 12 standings. That belongs solely to the Red Raiders, who fall to 0-3 in the conference.

Oklahoma is now 1-2 in Big 12 play and has a trip to Kansas to take on a top 5 Jayhawks team led by national player of the year candidate Jalen Wilson. The Sooners and Jayhawks will tip off at Allen Fieldhouse on Tuesday at 8 p.m.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz7cqqgxy50qwt player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today. You can also follow Bryant on Twitter @thatmanbryant.

Sooners drop back to back Big 12 home games, losing to No. 25 Iowa State 63-60

For the second time in as many games, the Oklahoma Sooners come out on the wrong end of a close ball game, losing to Iowa State 63-60.

For the second straight game, Oklahoma found itself in a dogfight until the very last second. And for the second game in a row, the Sooners were left grasping for what could’ve been against yet another ranked opponent at home.

While the atmosphere was far from the environment when Texas visited on New Year’s Eve, Oklahoma’s midweek showdown with the No. 25 Iowa State Cyclones was a highly contested affair, with the Cyclones squeaking out a 63-60 win.

Iowa State came out swinging, building an 18-point lead in the first half. Oklahoma responded like a prized fighter on the ropes and countered with a 20-0 run which was sparked by tenacious defense and Bijan Cortes off the bench.

The score was 29-29 at the half. The second half was a close affair all the way through, but Iowa State’s Caleb Grill continued to pace the Cyclones offensively, finishing with 20 points on 5 of 9 shooting. Tanner Groves posted 15 points and 8 boards, while forward Jalen Hill led Oklahoma in scoring with 16 points.

Iowa State’s defensive game plan from the outset was centered on taking Sooners leading scorer Grant Sherfield out of the game. Iowa State sent waves of defenders at Sherfield and it disrupted the talented guard’s rhythm from the jump. Sherfield played 27 minutes and shot 1 of 7 from the field.

The see-saw second half came down to the final seconds with the Cyclones up 61-60 and the Sooners inbounding on their side of the court. An inaccurate feed into the post to Jalen Hill went out of bounds, and Iowa State knocked down the ensuing free throws to make it 63-60. A desperation three was no good for the home team, and the Sooners fell to 0-2 in Big 12 play and 9-5 overall.

Two devastating opportunities at home for resume-strengthening wins have been squandered for Oklahoma. As it currently stands, the Sooners are last in the Big 12. Oklahoma will hit the hardwood looking to snap out of their slide on the road against the Texas Tech Red Raiders. That game is Saturday, January 7, and can be seen on ESPN+.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz7cqqgxy50qwt player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

Sooners Grant Sherfield named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week

For his efforts against Kansas City and Arkansas, Oklahoma point guard Grant Sherfield was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week.

The Oklahoma Sooners have found lightning in a bottle with transfer point guard Grant Sherfield. He’s scored 20 or more points in four of the Sooners’ last five games and been the spark that’s driven the offense for Oklahoma’s 7-3 start to the season.

For his efforts in a win over Kansas City and the Sooners tough loss to Arkansas, Sherfield was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week.

Sherfield averaged 23.5 points per game, three rebounds, 2.5 steals, and 2 assists per game for the Sooners last week. He shot 58.3% from the field on 14 of 22 shooting and 66.7% from three.

In 33.9 minutes per game, Sherfield’s averaging 17.7. points on the season and is shooting 45.3% from the field and 54.9% from three.

🏀 #Big12MBB Newcomer of the Week 🏀

Grant Sherfield, @OU_MBBall

📰 https://t.co/7I9DB8GMW0 pic.twitter.com/3G1deBtALh

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) December 12, 2022

The Oklahoma Sooners have some big wins in nonconference play, beating Nebraska, Seton Hall, and Ole Miss. They dropped games to Villanova and Arkansas to put more pressure on these final nonconference games before Big 12 play begins.

The Sooners next take on Central Arkansas on Saturday before hosting the Florida Gators next Tuesday. Then the daunting slate of Big 12 play begins when they host the Texas Longhorns on New Year’s Eve.

Oklahoma Sooners fall to No. 9 Arkansas Razorbacks 88-78 in Tusla

The No. 9 Razorbacks defeated the Oklahoma Sooners 88-78 at the BOK Center in Tulsa. From @bendackiw

The long drive to Tulsa proved to be more fruitful for the hogs than the crimson and cream as the No. 9 Arkansas Razorbacks defeated the Oklahoma Sooners 88-78 at the BOK Center. The Sooners are now 7-3 on the season while the Razorbacks improved to 9-1.

Four of the Razorbacks’ starting five scored in double digits. Nick Smith Jr. and Ricky Council IV each scored more than 20 points in the Arkansas win.

Both teams shot more than 57% from the field in the game. The Sooners held Arkansas to 33.3% from three-point range, but the Razorbacks scored the bulk of their points in the paint.

The difference in this game was the Arkansas defense. The Razorbacks collected 10 steals forced the Sooners into 15 turnovers. Arkansas only turned the ball over nine times in the game.

Grant Sherfield had another solid day, once again leading OU in points with 23. Sherfield also grabbed three steals on defense. It was Sherfield’s third 20-point game in the last four contests, proving to be the Sooners most important player this season.

Freshman guard Milos Uzan had a career-high 15 points and added five assists to provide the Sooners with a secondary scoring option. He was 7 of 11 from the field.

The Sooners did not play a bad game. They shot well, they outrebounded the Hogs and they played up to a superior opponent. The Razorbacks defense proved to be too much for the Sooners. Porter Moser still has a bit of time to get his OU squad ready to go before Big 12 opponents start showing up on the schedule.

While other OU students are headed home for the holiday break, OU basketball will come return to Norman to face Central Arkansas. After that, they’ll head East to play the Florida Gators in Charlotte for the Jumpman Invitational.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz7cqqgxy50qwt player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today. You can also follow Ben on Twitter @bendackiw.