Tag: Baylor Basketball

Oklahoma struggles from 3-point range in 76-61 loss to No. 2 Baylor

Oklahoma had a difficult night offensively in a 76-61 loss to No. 2 Baylor in Waco on Wednesday night.

When you go on the road against the No. 2 team in the country, you have to play your absolute best. Oklahoma did not come anywhere close on Wednesday night.

“They’re good, they’re really good,” head coach Lon Kruger said on Baylor. “We’ve got to play better than we did to have a chance to beat that high of a level.”

The Sooners came into Waco, Texas riding high and playing with confidence after their big home win over No. 9 West Virginia on Saturday. That bravado was quickly extinguished by mighty Baylor, who opened the game on a 16-2 run to put Oklahoma into a hole they would never be able to find their way out from.

“They made a bunch of shots and obviously we weren’t into them enough to make those shots difficult,” Kruger said. “We’ve got to open better.”

The Sooners have become a team that is reliant on their 3-point shooting to carry them to wins against good teams. Look no further than Umoja Gibson’s sensational eight made triples in the win over West Virginia as evidence of that. On Wednesday, however, the team made just four 3-pointers all night long with Gibson never hitting even one.

“I thought the shots he got were not as good of shots based on what Baylor did,” Kruger said on Gibson. “I thought Baylor was very much aware of what he did the other night. Disappointed for Umoja because he wanted to come here and play well. Obviously he didn’t have one of his better nights, but he’ll bounce back.”

While Gibson was perhaps the most obvious player to have an off night given his big outing just four days ago, it was a team effort providing the offensive struggles. Brady Manek continues to not quite be the player we have become accustomed to seeing as he was held scoreless in the first half. Although, he did bounce back with ten points in the final 20 minutes which could be just what he needs to get himself going again.

“Much better second half,” Kruger said on Manek. “Obviously, he needs that. I thought the came out in the second half and did things he needed to do much better. Hopefully that’s a good step for him.”

Oklahoma had to have their best performance of the season tonight if they were going to knock off the undefeated Bears, and they really struggled on the offensive end. The old saying is that if you live by the three, you will die by the three. That is really where the Sooners are at right now. When they aren’t making shots from beyond the arc, this is an incredibly vulnerable team as it is currently performing.

They won’t have long to make the necessary adjustments as the schedule does not get any easier this week. Next up will be a trip to Lawrence, Kansas to deal with No. 6 Kansas on Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. CT.

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Three takeaways from Oklahoma’s 76-61 loss to Baylor in Waco

Three takeaways from Oklahoma’s 76-61 loss to Baylor in Waco on Wednesday night.

Oklahoma had a tall task in front of them Wednesday night as they headed south to Waco, Texas to face off with No. 2 Baylor.

In a game where you need to play your absolute best to win. the Sooners simply had a dreadful night offensively. They only managed to hit four 3-pointers in the entire game – a big reason why they only mustered up 61 points.

Austin Reaves did what he could, getting 19 points, but was unable to find a consistent rhythm and was really the only Oklahoma player to have any sort of a successful night offensively and he even he didn’t totally by his standards.

The loss sinks the Sooners to 6-3 on the season going into a trip to Lawrence to face No. 6 Kansas this weekend. Here are three takeaways from the game:

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2020 NCAA Tournament Sim: South Region, Sweet Sixteen

2020 NCAA Tournament Sim: South Region, Sweet Sixteen Who from the South will advance? Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire Baylor, Ohio State, Arizona, Bradley The South Region is up next with a Cinderella team in the mix with No. 14 seeded …

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2020 NCAA Tournament Sim: South Region, Sweet Sixteen

Who from the South will advance?

Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

Baylor, Ohio State, Arizona, Bradley

The South Region is up next with a Cinderella team in the mix with No. 14 seeded Bradley taking on a well-known but overachieving, relative to their seed, in the Arizona Wildcats.

The other half of this South bracket has top-seeded Baylor vs. No. 5 Ohio State in what should be a really good matchup for this round.

As a reminder, we are simulating these games over at What If Sports and are doing just like the NCAA Tournament, one loss and you’re out.

Final score: No. 5 Ohio State 80, No. 1 Baylor vs. 71

Down goes another No. 1 seed as Ohio State takes out Baylor by nine points, and the victory came late in the game as the Buckeyes went on a run to pull away to get the win. The Buckeyes had as strong performance from Kaleb Wesson who had 22 points and eight rebounds in the win.

Final score: No. 7 Arizona 74,  No. 14 Bradley 55

The end is over for No. 14 seeded Bradley which lost by nearly 20 points to Arizona. All it took was the first half which saw the Wildcats race out to a 40-22 lead and never looked back.

Arizona was not great but Bradley was worse. The Wildcats shot just 44 percent from the field and made just 3 of 15 from beyond the arc. The Braves were 36 percent from the field and 25 percent from three-point range. It was just a very off night for Bradley and they also ran into just a better team in Arizona.

 

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Three reasons why Oklahoma lost to No. 1 Baylor 65-54

The chance was there. Here are three reasons why Oklahoma lost to the country’s best team on Monday night. 

The chance was there.

Oklahoma (16-10, 6-7 Big 12) played host to No. 1 Baylor (24-1, 13-0) with an opportunity to essentially lock in an NCAA Tournament bid and get its second marquee win of the year.

The Sooners faltered, falling to Baylor 65-54 despite the multitude of chances to get over the hump against the Bears.

Here are three reasons why Oklahoma lost to the country’s best team on Monday night.

FEW MORE MADE SHOTS, FEW LESS TURNOVERS

Over the course of Oklahoma’s runs at Baylor, the Sooners just never hit that next shot or turned the ball over.

Down 28-15, Oklahoma cut the lead to six before halftime. Down 39-31, the Sooners cut the lead to just one, then a rushed Kristian Doolittle 3-point attempt allowed Baylor to cut the momentum again.

There were plenty of chances for Oklahoma to get over the hump, but the Sooners just couldn’t take the needed leap.

JARED BUTLER THE MOMENTUM KILLER

Baylor is the No. 1 team in the country for a reason.

The Bears defend. They rebound. They are tough.

But every time Oklahoma made that run at Baylor, it felt like star guard Jared Butler was there for an answer. Butler scored 22 points on 8-of-19 shooting, including 5-of-12 from three.

REAVES DISAPPEARED

If Oklahoma had any chance to pull off the major upset, it needed each of its big three to play at a high level. The Sooners got a little out of Brady Manek and Kristian Doolittle, but got virtually nothing out of Austin Reaves.

The Wichita State transfer has struggled for much of the 2019-20 season, but Reaves scored two points on 1-of-5 shooting against Baylor on Tuesday night.

That was just not going to get it done.

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Kristian Doolittle named Big 12 player of the week for third time this season

The Sooner senior forward picked up his third Big 12 Player of the Week honor following his performances at home against Iowa State…

Kristian Doolittle continues to improve as March quickly approaches.

The Sooner senior forward picked up his third Big 12 Player of the Week honor following his performances at home against Iowa State and the best offensive performance for a visitor this season against Kansas.

In two games this past week, Doolittle dropped a combined 47 points and 18 rebounds, pushing his season averages to 15.5 (ppg) and 9.1 (rpg) respectively.

Doolittle has been the catalyst for the Sooners on offense over the past two to three weeks, trading off with Brady Manek as the Sooners’ leading scorer.

Even when scoring less than 10 points a game, Doolittle has made impacts on the offensive and defensive glass while stepping up his efforts on defense.

Winning the Big 12’s Most Improved Player Award last season, Doolittle may just find himself as a finalist again. Since his freshman year, Doolittle has evolved his game and his body to expand his game.

Oklahoma plays host to No. 1 Baylor Tuesday night at 8p.m. CT on ESPN2. Oklahoma students have free admission to the game.

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See all the top seeds in the way-too-early projected March Madness bracket

Baylor has the super early No. 1 overall seed, but what about everyone else?

If Selection Sunday for the 2020 men’s NCAA tournament were today, Baylor, unsurprisingly, would be the No. 1 overall seed.

The selection committee revealed Saturday what would be its top-16 seeds if the tournament started today, and the Bears would lead the way in the South Region.

They’re 15-1 going into Saturday’s game against Oklahoma State, and they’ve been the AP Poll’s top-ranked team for the last three weeks after being No. 16 in the preseason. Their only loss this season was back in November by three points to Washington

Kansas in the Midwest Region, Gonzaga in the West Region and San Diego State in the East Region would join Baylor as the other No. 1 tournament seeds. Duke would be the highest-ranked No. 2 seed, Maryland would be the highest No. 3 seed and Auburn would be the highest No. 4.

Here’s what the top-16 seeds would be if the NCAA tournament started today:

1. Baylor
2. Kansas
3. Gonzaga
4. San Diego State
5. Duke
6. Dayton
7. Louisville
8. West Virginia
9. Maryland
10. Florida State
11. Seton Hall
12. Villanova
13. Auburn
14. Oregon
15. Butler
16. Michigan State

If you’re not happy with where your team landed on here — or if it’s not in the top 16 at all — the good news is Selection Sunday isn’t until March 15. So teams still have a little more than a month to build on their tournament resumes.

The men’s 2020 NCAA tournament begins March 17 with the First Four, while the official first round starts March 19.

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3 takeaways from Oklahoma’s 61-57 loss to No. 1 Baylor

Oklahoma (12-6, 3-3) dropped a heart breaker to No. 1 ranked Baylor (16-1, 6-0) on Monday night, 61-57.

Oklahoma (12-6, 3-3) dropped a heart breaker to No. 1 ranked Baylor (16-1, 6-0) on Monday night, 61-57.

The Sooners did nearly everything they needed to do to win but fell just short as Austin Reaves had a three-pointer clank off the rim with just seconds left that would have given the Sooners a lead with three seconds and change left to play. In fact, Oklahoma was about three objectives away from pulling off one of the biggest upsets in program history.

THE SOONERS ARE CLOSE

I know Oklahoma fans are tired of hearing this following the beatdown that was the Peach Bowl, but the Sooners are close. Losing to No. 6 Kansas at home and No. 1 Baylor on the road by 18 total points is nothing to shake your head at. Oklahoma really only lacks size and strength in the paint which would put them in Sweet 16 talks from the beginning of the season. Lon Kruger has this team on the right trajectory. With Jamal Bieniemy, De’Vion Harmon, Brady Manek, and Kur Kuath all coming back next season, the Sooners will only be THAT much more fun to watch as they develop.

REBOUNDS ARE A NECESSITY

Oklahoma could not buy a rebound if they had unlimited funds. The Sooners were outrebounded 46-36 total and allowed 18 offensive rebounds for Baylor. If Oklahoma wants to advance past the first round of the NCAA Tournament and maybe upset a team or two in the Big 12, they need to box out and take away second chances when on defense.

WHERE IS AUSTIN?

Remember when Austin Reaves was on an absolute heater about a month ago?

Yeah neither do I.

The guard has been far from what became his usual offensive output as he scrounged up just eight points against the Bears.

The Sooners were just a couple Austin Reaves or Kristian Doolittle shots away from pulling off the upset against Baylor but could not get either to get hot when the team needed them most.

If Oklahoma wants to string Big 12 wins together, Reaves needs to be a force on offense.

The Sooners are back in action on Saturday, Jan. 25 when they face off against Mississippi State at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City at 1p.m. The game has yet to be announced but will be on the ESPN network.

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Three reasons why Oklahoma lost 61-57 to No. 1 Baylor

What a game. The Sooners almost pulled off the upset over No. 1 Baylor in the final seconds. Here are three reasons why Oklahoma lost. 

What a game.

Oklahoma was close to pulling off the major upset over No. 1 Baylor. The Sooners were overmatched for much of the night, but had a chance with six seconds left to take a one-point lead over the country’s top-ranked team.

The shot hit the front of the rim and the Sooners fell 61-57 to the No. 1 ranked Bears.

Here are three reasons why Oklahoma lost.

BIG THREE NOT SO BIG

For the second time in three games, Oklahoma didn’t get a collective scoring effort from its big three.

Brady Manek did his part, scoring 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including 4-of-8 from the 3-point line. The other two, Austin Reaves and Kristian Doolittle, went a combined 7-of-31 from the floor and 16 points.

The Sooners desperately need all three playing well to win in the Big 12.

DEFENSIVE REBOUNDING

Baylor had a size advantage coming into the Big Monday matchup.

The Bears used it to their advantage in the first half, grabbing 12 offensive rebounds. Those rebounds resulted in 11 second chance points.

Baylor kept a good distance away for much of the game due to its offensive rebounding.

by the hair of baylor’s chin

Wow.

De’Vion Harmon got the ball on a fast break and found Reaves in the corner in the waning moments of the game down two. The 3-point attempt was open, it looked good, but barely nicked the front rim and missed long.

Oklahoma was that close to pulling off the upset over No. 1 Baylor.

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Oklahoma falls short against No. 1 Baylor, 61-57

Oklahoma (12-6, 3-3) was not supposed to be a factor for Baylor (16-1, 6-0) on the road, but they were.

Oklahoma (12-6, 3-3) was not supposed to be a factor for Baylor (16-1, 6-0) on the road, but they were.

The Sooners hung tough from the opening tip to the final buzzer but it just was not enough to upset the No. 1 team in the nation.

Brady Manek continued his scoring ways, finishing with 21 points on 7 of 13 shooting. Accompanying his 21 points were 10 rebounds, which were scarce against the Bears.

Just when things seemed in hand for Baylor, Oklahoma came back to cut the lead to a sweat-able margin. The Bears’ biggest lead of the second half was 11 while the smallest lead two when Manek made a layup with just 42 seconds left to make it a one-possession game.

Manek was just about the only bright spot on the Sooners offense, but there were flairs from others that make for a promising future. Victor Iuwakor and Kur Kuath gave the Sooners great minutes. Combining for just two points, their offense was not their motive. Kuath kept Baylor away from the rim blocking four shots and hauling in two boards in just eight minutes of action. Iwuakor grabbed four boards and an assist in his 10 minutes but gave a spark with his pure athleticism. Oklahoma looked to be flowing well on both ends of the court when he was on the floor.

Kristian Doolittle was once again not a huge factor on the offensive side of the court. He finished with just eight points alongside Austin Reaves. The duo are the fourth and eighth leading scorers in the Big 12 respectively but have been rather dormant over the past two to three games.

Despite losing three of their past four, the Sooners do look like a tournament team. With losses to Kansas and Baylor that have come down to the final minutes, Oklahoma should not be hard on themselves.

The Sooners are back in action on Saturday as they play Mississippi State as part of the Big 12 vs SEC Challenge. The game will be played in Oklahoma City at the Chesapeake Energy Arena and can be found on ESPN’s network. Tip-off is set for 1p.m. CT.

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3 keys for Oklahoma basketball against Baylor

Unranked Oklahoma (12-5, 3-2) heads to Waco, Texas, to take on the freshly appointed No. 1 Baylor Bears (15-1, 5-0).

Unranked Oklahoma (12-5, 3-2) heads to Waco, Texas, to take on the freshly appointed No. 1 Baylor Bears (15-1, 5-0).

The road test will not be easy for the Sooners as Baylor is one of the toughest defenses in the nation, allowing just 58.6 points per game. However, Lon Kruger will counter with a trio of scorers who account for three of the Big 12’s top-10 scorers. Kristian Doolittle (No. 4), Brady Manek (No. 7), and Austin Reaves (No. 8) are going to have to be their best against the Bears.

STAY ELITE ON DEFENSE

Baylor only allows 58.6 points per game. The best way to counter their defense is with equally elite defense. Oklahoma has kept four of their last five opponents under 70 points. Baylor has only surpassed 70 points once in their past five games. For the Sooners, the goal should be to lock down the Bears and not force themselves into a shooting contest. If the latter takes place, Oklahoma could get run out of the gym before the first half is over.

FEED DOO

Kristian Doolittle will be the cornerstone once again for the Sooners. However, Doolittle has not been as dominant over the past two games for Oklahoma. Against Kansas, he faced a near-impossible task of defending Udoh Azubuike, getting into foul trouble for much of the second half. Doolittle managed 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Against TCU, Doolittle took the back seat to Brady Manek’s 31 point outburst. Doolittle finished with 11 points and four rebounds on just nine shots.

Doolittle will have to be the main point of offense against Baylor to allow more floor space for the likes of Manek, Austin Reaves, and De’Vion Harmon.

SOONER MAGIC

This will be Oklahoma’s highest-ranked opponent since they played No. 2 Virginia in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The program has yet to defeat a No. 1 ranked team on the road since the AP Poll was introduced in 1949.

However, top-ranked teams have had a tough time picking up wins this season. The No. 1 ranking has turned into somewhat of an unwanted achievement as five teams were ranked No. 1 and lost before Christmas. With the Bears coming close to being upset by Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Okla., on Saturday, Baylor showed that they can be caught off guard.

With what happened the last time a Sooners team traveled to Waco, Lon Kruger’s crew cannot be counted out until the final buzzer sounds.

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