Tag: Bijan Cortes

Despite win over Iowa State, Sooners still on outside looking in latest USA TODAY Ferris Mowers Coaches’ poll

Despite a big win over Iowa State on Saturday, the Oklahoma Sooners remain on the outside looking in of the latest Ferris Mowers Coaches poll.

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The Oklahoma Sooners men’s basketball team is off to a great start to the 2021-2022 basketball season. They’ve secured three top 15 wins to start the season and have a 12-3 record and are 2-1 in Big 12 play.

Recently, they overcame an 11 point second-half deficit to beat then No. 11 Iowa State by 13 points with strong efforts from Umoja Gibson and Tanner Groves. Porter Moser has put together a nice squad that is beginning to mesh quite well. The depth was on display on Saturday night as Jacob Groves and Bijan Cortes provided scoring and playmaking off the bench.

Despite the win, over a previously hot Iowa State team, the Oklahoma Sooners remain on the outside looking in of the latest USA TODAY Sports Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll. OU also holds wins over previously ranked Florida and Arkansas.

The Sooners are receiving more and more votes, so it’s only a matter of time before Porter Moser’s crew cracks the top 25.

A look at the full Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports:

Rank Team Record Points Change
1 Baylor (32) 13-0 800 –
2 Gonzaga 12-2 735 +2
3 UCLA 10-1 702 +2
4 Auburn 14-1 615 +5
5 Purdue 13-2 606 –2
6 Arizona 12-1 601 +1
7 USC 13-0 595 +1
8 Duke 12-2 590 -6
9 Michigan State 13-2 558 +1
10 Kansas 12-2 553 –4
11 Houston 14-2 431 +3
12 LSU 14-1 399 +9
13 Wisconsin 13-2 391 +10
14 Villanova 11-4 380 +1
15 Ohio St 10-3 312 -3
16 Iowa State 13-2 305 -5
17 Kentucky 12-3 272 -4
18 Seton Hall 11-3 219 +4
19 Texas Tech 11-3 210 +6
20 Providence 14-2 191 -3
21 Xavier 12-2 190 +3
22 Texas 12-3 154 -6
23 Tennessee 10-4 131 -5
24 Illinois 11-3 108 +2
25 Alabama 11-4 105 -5

Schools Dropped Out

No. 19 Colorado St

Others Receiving Votes

Miami-Florida 75; Colorado St. 64; Oklahoma 39; Loyola-Chicago 34; Connecticut 13; Indiana 6; Davidson 6; Brigham Young 5; West Virginia 4; Belmont 1

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Oklahoma battles back, tops No. 11 Iowa State 79-66

Oklahoma rallied back and topped Iowa State to improve to 2-1 in Big 12 play. Here’s three takeaways from the Sooners’ big win.

It looked early in the second half like No. 11 Iowa State was going to keep Oklahoma at arm’s length. The Cyclones led 47-36 with 17:11 to play and then 53-43 with 14:13 remaining.

And Iowa State’s Izaiah Brockington and Tyrese Hunter couldn’t miss. That’s when OU locked in defensively and flipped the script, winning 79-66. Here’s a look at three things that stood out.

Umoja Gibson and Tanner Groves delivered

Senior guard Umoja Gibson scored 20 points and senior forward Tanner Groves added 16 points. Gibson showcased his offensive game is expanding, too.

“I thought Mo had a really nice second half. Made some shots. He shot-faked and hit that little pull-up in our run, got one to the rim in our run. He did some different things. He didn’t just launch if they were flying. He did a couple things off the dribble. Mo’s game off the dribble is really starting to be a factor for us,” Oklahoma head men’s basketball coach Porter Moser said.

Bijan Cortes and Jacob Groves offered big contributions off the bench

Freshman guard Bijan Cortes and junior forward Jacob Groves played arguably the best games of their respective seasons. Off the bench, Cortes added five assists, four points and three rebounds in 17 minutes and Groves delivered nine points and three rebounds in 10 minutes.

“Jacob Groves came in and he’s such a big target and he’s a very good cutter and Bijan found him a number of times. I thought he gave us a good lift off the bench. I’ve been talking about the bench. You know, you’ve got Bijan, C.J. Noland gave you four points, Jacob gave you nine and then Bijan gave you the five assists and four points. So, our bench was crucial. We’ve been talking about that in Big 12. You’ve got to develop that bench. Those guys are really starting to come on,” Moser said.

Oklahoma bounced back from the Baylor loss and defended home court

This is really the most important thing for Oklahoma. After losing at No. 1 Baylor earlier in the week 84-74, the Sooners showed once again that they are resilient.

Oklahoma is now 3-0 following losses this season. With the win, OU is 12-3 overall and 2-1 in Big 12 play.

“I don’t really think about holding serve. It’s not in my [thought process]. I was just thinking about what do we have to do to Iowa State this game. Now that it’s over, hell yeah I’m glad we held serve,” Moser said.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.

Oklahoma Basketball: Sooners survive second-half flurry, top Kansas State State 71-69

Oklahoma dispatched of Kansas State, 71-69, on New Year’s Day to start Big 12 play 1-0. Here’s three things that stood out.

Oklahoma started Big 12 play with a 71-69 home win over Kansas State. After OU built a 15-point first-half lead and held a 33-22 halftime lead, the Wildcats made Oklahoma earn it late.

Here are three thoughts from Oklahoma’s Big 12 opener.

Elijah Harkless was clutch again

K-State sophomore Ish Massoud hit a 3-pointer to tie it up at 65 apiece with 1:03 to play in the second half. Oklahoma senior guard Elijah Harkless responded with the go-ahead jumper with 35 seconds remaining and the Sooners managed to hang on to start 1-0 in Big 12 play.

Harkless connected on all four of his three-point tries and finished with 21 points to lead the Sooners in scoring.

“Pretty comfortable I’d say. My teammates believed in me, telling me to take those shots. When you’ve got everybody in your corner, believe in your work and everything else will take care of itself,” Harkless said of his willingness to take shots late in games.

Senior guard Umoja Gibson added 19 points, redshirt senior guard Jordan Goldwire had 11 and junior forward Jalen Hill and freshman guard C.J. Noland each scored 10.

Kansas State got red-hot from 3-point range

After hitting just 1-of-6 from beyond the arc in the first half, Kansas State knocked down 9-of-16 from long range in the second half.

Missouri transfer Mark Smith finished with 25 points to lead the Wildcats. In the process, he became the first K-State player since All-American Michael Beasley to record a 25-point, 15-rebound game.

“You’ve got to give Kansas State credit. Second half, they were on fire. Nine for 16 from three. I thought Massoud, I thought Mark Smith was outstanding. Nijel Pack. The shots they made to keep coming and not quitting, you’ve got to give them credit. They just kept on coming, making big shots, deep shots that when you think if you get a couple stops, you’ve got the game. Nine for 16 with the way we’ve been guarding,” Oklahoma head basketball coach Porter Moser said.

As Moser pointed out, a lot of it was simply great shot-making from Kansas State. It was also important that OU managed to pull this game out after seeing its 15-point lead evaporate.

“It was huge because we had a 15-point lead and they crept back in. To find a way to win that game, it was big for us because it’s going to be a grind in this league,” Moser said.

Oklahoma won the game minus its leading scorer

Oklahoma was without the services of three players due to health and safety protocols, including its leading scorer and rebounder in senior center Tanner Groves.

Groves came into tonight averaging 14.3 points and six rebounds per game. The Sooners were also minus junior forward Jacob Groves or freshman guard Bijan Cortes.

Moser was happy with how his team responded to being shorthanded against Kansas State.

“I think the biggest thing was coming back from Christmas you know the fatigue is always going to be an issue that first game and then all of a sudden we find out we’re going to be three down. We had a lot of guys have to play a lot of minutes that they haven’t played before. To guard Kansas State, their movement, their slips, their flares. They’re hard to guard. All of a sudden that’s one of the most minutes we’ve played all year. A lot of minutes because we’re shorthanded, but we found a way to win,” Moser said.

Up next:

Oklahoma enters this week set to square off against a pair of top-10 opponents. On Tuesday at 6 p.m., OU travels to Waco to battle defending national champion and No. 1 Baylor. Then, the Sooners will host No. 8 Iowa State on Saturday inside the Lloyd Noble Center at 5 p.m.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.

Oklahoma basketball signs two 2021 recruits on signing day

Oklahoma basketball announced the signing of two class of 2021 recruits on Wednesday in Bijan Cortes and CJ Noland.

Oklahoma basketball has announced the signing of two class of 2021 guards on Wednesday in Bijan Cortes and CJ Noland.

“Bijan and CJ are terrific young men with very supportive families,” head coach Lon Kruger said in a release. “We’re delighted to have them become a part of the Sooner family. Both of them are highly-skilled players who are also incredible leaders on and off the court. We’re sure they’ll have outstanding senior seasons and look forward to them joining us soon.”

Out of Kingfisher, Oklahoma, Cortes is a dynamic player with the ability to shoot the three ball while also having the athleticism to get up and throw down a dunk when he needs to. He had a huge junior season a year ago averaging 21.9 points, 5.8 assists, and 5.6 rebounds per game.

CJ Noland, meanwhile, had a very solid year of his own averaging 20 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game in Waxahachie, Texas. His season was good enough to earn him All-District and All-Region honors a year ago.

As both of these guys prepare for their senior seasons, the current Sooners will prepare to take the floor for the first time two weeks from today at home against UTSA.

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Oklahoma basketball a top contender for No. 20 player in 2021 class

Rivals.com has ranked OU as the No. 1 contender for top 2021 recruit and Atlanta, TX native Damion Collins. 

Rivals.com has ranked OU as the No. 1 contender for top 2021 recruit and Atlanta, TX native Damion Collins.

Per 247Sports Composite, Collins is a five-star center and the No. 2 player out of Texas. 247Sports’ Crystal Ball gives OU a 50% chance of landing him.

“Collins plays for the Team Griffin program that is sponsored by former Oklahoma standout Blake Griffin. The team is also the home of OU commit Bijan Cortes, who is Collins’ close friend.”

Cortes, a Kingfisher, OK native, is a three-star PG and the No. 2 player out of Oklahoma per 247Sports Composite.

The Sooners’ top competition for Collins hails from the other side of the Red River. Texas came in as the No. 2 contender, but “things are trending the way of the Sooners.”

Collins has long been the apple of head coach Lon Kruger’s eye. OU has made him a top priority on the recruiting trail for more than a year now.

Currently, OU’s 2021 class ranks 51st in the country. Adding Collins would vault the Sooners to 16th.

Collins would be OU’s highest rated recruit since Trae Young in 2017.

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Oklahoma commit Bijan Cortes named to The Oklahoman’s ‘Super 5’

2021 guard and Kingfisher, Oklahoma native Bijan Cortes was selected to The Oklahoman’s ‘Super 5’ team…

2021 guard and Kingfisher, Oklahoma native Bijan Cortes was selected to The Oklahoman’s ‘Super 5’ team, representing the best five players in the state.

Cortes announced that he will be coming to play for Lon Kruger and the Sooners earlier this spring.

The three-star guard averaged 21.8 points per game while going 49.2% from behind the arc in his junior season. With one season remaining, Cortes has an opportunity to take the Yellowjackets over 100 wins as he currently holds an 82-3 record through his first three seasons at Kingfisher.

Cortes is currently the only 2021 commit but will join fellow OK Preps star, Trey Phipps (2020 Booker T. Washington; Tulsa, Oklahoma) in the backcourt when he steps onto campus. Both Cortes and Phipps are sharpshooters from deep and can add a run ‘n gun style to the Sooners’ offense.

Oklahoma looks to pick up the 2020-21 season where they left off the 2019-2020 season before it was abruptly ended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Oklahoma receives commitment from in-state 3-star point guard

The Sooners received a commitment via Twitter from Bijan Cortes (Kingfisher, Okla.; Kingfisher High School).

Oklahoma basketball found a bright spot on one of the sport’s darkest days.

The Sooners received a commitment via Twitter from Bijan Cortes (Kingfisher, Okla.; Kingfisher High School).

Cortes is a 6-foot-2, 175-pound ball-handler and is ranked as the No. 31 point guard in the 2021 class. Cortes is ranked nationally as the No. 150 best player in the 2021 class according to Rivals.

Cortes has received six offers so far. Those schools include Oklahoma State, TCU, Tulsa, Oral Roberts, and North Texas. He has also peaked the interests of eight other schools including Arkansas, UTSA, Colorado, Texas A&M, and Oregon State among others.

Cortes is the only commit for the Sooners in the 2021 class. He joins 2020 in-state guard Trey Phipps (Tulsa, Okla.; Booker T Washington High School) as the only two commits to Lon Kruger’s program for the next two years.

Oklahoma brought in three four-star athletes from the 2019 class giving the Sooners a No. 22 ranking in the final 2019 recruiting rankings via Rivals.

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