Tag: Bears Basketball

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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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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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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