Tag: 2022-2023 Oklahoma Men’s Basketball

Misses down the stretch spoil strong outing for Oklahoma in loss to Villanova

The Sooners had a strong performance against the Wildcats but couldn’t close in the final minutes of their loss to Villanova.

Oklahoma had every opportunity to pick up a big win on the road but couldn’t close in the final minutes against an underrated Villanova team on Saturday.

It was the little things that failed Oklahoma, as they weren’t efficient with the ball in the final five minutes.

The Sooners were just 2 of 7 from the field down the stretch with three turnovers and hit just 50% of their free throws in the final minutes to let the game slip away from them. Villanova certainly had something to do with that, but giving away possessions or missing free throws is how you lose tight ball games.

A bright spot for the Sooners this season has been the play of transfer point guard [autotag]Grant Sherfield[/autotag]. Against the Villanova Wildcats on Saturday, Sherfield chipped in 21 points, four rebounds, and four assists. Trailing by five with 26 seconds left, Sherfield hit a three to bring the Sooners within two. He wasn’t able to provide the heroics after Villanova missed the second of two free throws and the Wildcats closed out the game.

Still, Sherfield’s off to a great start in his first season with the Sooners, providing a penetration threat and an outside shooting presence for Porter Moser’s crew.

He leads the Sooners in points (16.2) and assists (4.9) and also averaging 2.9 rebounds per game. He’s leading the Sooners in minutes, field goals made, and three-pointers made.

The Sooners are still off to a strong start to the season and will be in contention for a March Madness berth, but the games are going to be getting tougher. After facing the Kansas City Roos, Oklahoma will face No. 11 Arkansas. Following a home slate against Central Arkansas. Oklahoma will close out nonconference play against Florida before Big 12 play begins against No. 2 Texas.

Oklahoma Sooners beat Ole Miss to win ESPN Events Invitational

Oklahoma continued its strong run through nonconference play with a 59-55 win over Ole Miss in the finals of the ESPN Events Invitational. From @john9williams

That loss to Sam Houston State feels like forever ago for the Oklahoma Sooners, who are now 6-1 after beating Ole Miss in the championship game of the ESPN Events Invitational.

Oklahoma trailed by three with just under five minutes to play before Bijan Cortes provided a spark on the defensive end with a steal and finished at the other end to make it a one-point game. After a Rebels miss, Cortes corralled the defensive rebound and scored again, to give the Sooners the lead for good.

The Sooners continued their hot shooting in Orlando by hitting 4 of 7 from three and shooting 52% from the field. Ole Miss shot for 45.1% from the field and just 33.3% from three.

It was a team win, with four players scoring in double-figures. [autotag]Grant Sherfield[/autotag] led the Sooners yet again with 12 points. [autotag]Tanner Groves[/autotag] had 10 points, while [autotag]Jacob Groves[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalen Hill[/autotag] provided seven a piece for the starting lineup.

[autotag]Sam Godwin[/autotag] provided a spark off the bench for the second game in a row. He finished with 11 points and a team-leading 11 rebounds. Bijan Cortes was 4 of 4 from the field for 10 points in the game. Cortes also had four steals, three rebounds, and two assists in 23 minutes of work off the bench.

Oklahoma won the rebounding battle over the Rebels and were even in turnovers.

It was an important win for the Sooners, who will next take on Villanova on the road. They’ll finish their nonconference slate with games against Kansas City, No. 9 Arkansas, Central Arkansas, and at home against Florida before taking on No. 4 Texas in the Big 12 opener.

Those games against Arkansas and Florida will prove pivotal to their tournament chances come March. Wins against those future SEC foes would provide strong bullet points on their resume come tournament time. With as tough as the Big 12 is, the Sooners need to finish their nonconference slate on a high note. Wins will be tougher to come by once they enter conference play.

Oklahoma Sooners pick up big win over Seton Hall 77-64, improve to 5-1

Led by Grant Sherfield’s 25 points, the Sooners picked up a big win over Seton Hall to move on to the ESPN Events Championship game. From @john9williams

Seton Hall guard Dre Davis gave the Pirates a 53-52 lead with 11:11 to go in the game and from that point on, it was all Oklahoma.

Led by [autotag]Grant Sherfield[/autotag]’s 25 points, the Sooners outscored Seton Hall 24-12 over the final 11 minutes to pick up a huge win in the ESPN Events Invitational. [autotag]Tanner Groves[/autotag] was big down the stretch, scoring five points in the final three minutes to help Oklahoma ice the game. Groves scored on a putback after gathering an offensive rebound. He followed that up with a three-pointer before coming up with a huge steal with under two minutes to play.

The Sooners had a fantastic night from the field, shooting 51.8% and hitting 50% of their three-point attempts. While they lost the rebounding battle, Oklahoma took care of the basketball, finishing with just eight turnovers in the game.

Led by Sherfield, four Sooners scored in double figures. [autotag]Sam Godwin[/autotag] had 12 points off the bench, and [autotag]Jacob Groves[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalen Hill[/autotag] each chipped in 10 point to help the Sooners continue their winning streak.

At 5-1 on the season, Sooners now move on to the championship of the ESPN Events to take on 6-0 Ole Miss. The Rebels earned a berth in the finals with a 74-62 win over Siena.

Oklahoma Sooners vs UNC-Wilmington Seahawks: How to watch, stream, listen, and key players

Oklahoma returns to action on Tuesday against the UNC-Wilmington Seahawks. Here’s how you can tune into the action. From @thatmanbryant

The Oklahoma Sooners play the UNC-Wilmington Seahawks on Tuesday, November 11, and if you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place.

Oklahoma laces up their Jordans in a return to action Tuesday night against the Colonial Athletic Association’s UNC-Wilmington. The Seahawks hail from the coast of North Carolina, where legend Michael Jordan grew up and played his high school basketball.

It’s been an inauspicious start to the season for the Sooners, who suffered a loss in the first game of the season in which they collapsed late and lost to Sam Houston State 52-51. They got back at it this past Friday and made their way into the win column after beating Arkansas-Pine Bluff 66-58.

Elsewhere, the Seahawks started their season by making the 2 hour trip to Chapel Hill, N.C., to take on the nation’s number-one team, the UNC Tarheels. They held firm for about 25 minutes of game time before UNC hit a different gear and took control to win the game. They bounced back with a 104-55 victory over Allen on Friday, Nov 11. The Seahawks are coached by Takayo Siddle, who is in his third year as head coach and has compiled a 35-20 record.

These teams will meet for the first time in each other’s history on Tuesday night.

Here’s when you should tune in to see the game:

  • Date: Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022
  • Time: 7 p.m. CT
  • Stream: ESPN+
  • Radio: Streaming for free on the Varsity Network.

Oklahoma vs. UNC-Wilmington injury report:

N/A

Players to watch:

Oklahoma

Points: G Grant Sherfield, 15 PPG

Assists: F Tanner Groves, 2.5 APG

Rebounds: PF Tanner Groves, 10.0 RPG

UNC-Wilmington

Points: F Trezarien White, 18 PPG

Assists: G Jamarii Thomas, 3 APG

Rebounds: C Victor Enoh, 5.5 RPG

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Pair of Oklahoma Sooners receive Big 12 preseason honors

Two Oklahoma Sooners received preseason honors from the Big 12 ahead of the 2022-2023 season.

The Oklahoma Sooners are looking to build upon the first season of the Porter Moser era. They had a nice run to close out the season and in the Big 12 tournament.

The Sooners beat the No. 2 seeded Baylor Bears in the first round of the tournament before falling by a point to the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the semifinals. They won their first round matchup of the NIT before losing by two to St. Bonaventure.

Heading into the 2021-2022 season, the Oklahoma Sooners have several key pieces returning and added some talent in the transfer portal as well.

One of those key pieces returning is forward Tanner Groves. Groves averaged 11.6 points per game and 5.8 rebounds per game in his first season with the Sooners after transferring from Eastern Washington. He was named an honorable mention to the preseason Big 12 team by the coaches. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own players.

An intriguing piece through the transfer portal, Grant Sherfield was named the preseason newcomer of the year for the Big 12. Last season for the Nevada Wolf Pack, Sherfield averaged 19.1 points per game, leading to newcomer player of the year honors.

The Oklahoma Sooners tip off their 2022-2023 season at the Lloyd Noble Center on November 7 at 7 p.m. CT against Sam Houston State.

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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.