Tag: Big 12 Hoops

Oklahoma (12-5, 3-2) found their rhythm against TCU (12-5, 3-2) to the tune of an 83-63 victory.

Arguably their most complete game of the season, Lon Kruger’s squad allowed the Horned Frogs to have the lead for just 31 seconds.

Brady Manek started out hot and didn’t let up. The junior shot 7-of-9 from 3-point range, setting new career highs for points (31) and made 3s (seven) while exiting to a standing ovation with just under a minute left after making two free throws that put him in the 1,000 point club.

“It’s pretty cool,” Manek told reporters postgame.
Growing up as a fan of OU, the Sooners, and coming to games and now playing here and I’ve reached that mark. Got to give it up to my teammates over the years. They’ve found me. A lot of my points have been catch-and-shoot, so I got to give it up to them.”

Manek knew he was close, but was sweating out while at the free-throw line with under a minute left to officially hit the 1,000 point mark.

“I knew I was close. I didn’t know exactly how close, but I knew I was close,” Manek said. “We couldn’t get a guy subbed in over there and it was frustrating. I was ready to shoot the free throw.”

The frustration turned into laughter as he drew a collective chuckle out of Lon Kruger, Kristian Doolittle, Austin Reaves, and the media. Manek left the court after making both free throws to a standing ovation as the eighty-seven hundred fans were alerted to his achievement.

With three proficient scorers that can go off on any given night, it’s easy to keep feeding the hot hand. However, the Sooners did exactly the opposite. Oklahoma made the extra pass, finding the open man on what seemed like every possession. A season-high 20 assists, Oklahoma moved the ball effectively.

“I thought that was the best ball movement we’ve had for a while,” Kruger said postgame. “I thought guys did a really good job driving and kicking and making the extra pass. They’ve been doing a pretty good job of that, but you got to make shots to create the assist.”

The Sooners have a quick turnaround as they head to No. 2 Baylor (15-1, 5-0) on Monday night. The Bears got a scare on Saturday against Oklahoma State, leaving Stillwater, Okla. with a 75-68 win.

Oklahoma and Baylor will be broadcasted on ESPN at 8p.m. CT.

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Oklahoma (12-5, 3-2) got back to their winning ways, beating TCU (12-5, 3-2) 83-63.

The Sooners shot lights-out all afternoon in a much-needed performance to keep their two-game losing skid from becoming a three-game losing streak.

HOT SHOTS

Oklahoma took a 12 point lead into the half, leading TCU 38-26. The lead was thanks to the Sooners shooting 46% and five of 14 from deep. Oklahoma started hot early with Brady Manek scoring seven of the Sooners’ first 12 points. His heat check continued in the second half, starting the final 20 minutes with a trio of three’s to help the Sooners open a 20-point lead, which they would maintain throughout the rest of the game.

Manek finished with a new career-high in points (31), made three’s (seven) and checked out of the game after hitting the 1,000 point mark for his career.

HARMON IS BECOMING WHO WE THOUGHT HE WAS

Freshman De’Vion Harmon has become who he was advertised to be. The guard was electric against Kansas, finishing with 11 key points and energy on both ends of the court that gave Oklahoma a chance until the final four minutes.

In his efforts against TCU, Harmon continued giving max effort baseline to baseline while scoring double-digits once again. His play sparks the other four men on the court to match his energy. Finishing with 10 points, two rebounds, two assists, and a steal, his play cannot be measured simply by numbers.

MOVING DAY

The Sooners moved the ball very well, maybe the best they have all season, against TCU. Oklahoma’s passing kept the Horned Frogs on their heels, making the extra pass to find open guys for easy shots, leading to their 54% shooting performance.

Oklahoma’s next game is Monday night when they head down to Waco, Texas to take on No. 2 Baylor. The game can be found on ESPN at 8p.m. CT.

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Oklahoma (11-5, 2-2) squares off against TCU (12-4, 3-1) at 1p.m. CT on ESPN+.

Both teams are coming off of losses. For the Sooners, they need to stop their two-game losing skid before it becomes a losing streak. TCU is looking to bounce back following a 32-point loss on the road against West Virginia.

Here is what Oklahoma needs to do to come away with a win against Jamie Dixon’s Horned Frogs:

KEEP PLAYING DEFENSE

The Sooners are playing grit and grind defense against their Big 12 opponents so far this season. Holding their Big 12 opponents at or below 70 points each time out is a good recipe for success for Lon Kruger’s young team. If Oklahoma can hold TCU to under the 70-point mark and force a few turnovers here and there, the Sooners should be able to defend their home-court with relative ease.

WHERE IS REAVES?

Austin Reaves was nearly non-existent against Kansas. With a season-low four points on 1-9 shooting and 0-5 from deep, Reaves needs a bounce-back game to keep his confidence in his first year of Big 12 basketball. Averaging 14.9 points per game, Reaves is currently the eighth leading scorer in the Big 12, behind fellow Sooner Kristian Doolittle who is fourth in the conference (16.6 ppg).

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If the Sooners got just a few favorable bounces against Kansas, they would be one of the hottest teams in the conference. However, they can bounce back with a solid win against a well-coached team before matching up with a giant in No. 2 Baylor on Monday.

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