Tag: Bob Huggins

Did you hear that?

It was the sound of Oklahoma squeezing its way out of the bubble.

Typically a bad thing to those outside the bubble, the Sooners picked up a win against a ranked opponent on the road, giving Oklahoma a bit of breathing room as they head into the final week of regular-season Big 12 play.

With a win against the Mountaineers in Morgantown, West Virginia, Oklahoma secures a spot in the NCAA Tournament barring an absolutely chaotic meltdown over the final week of regular-season play. The Sooners now have back-to-back wins against top-25 opponents after dropping three-straight games to then-ranked No. 3 Kansas, then-ranked No. 1 Baylor and unranked Oklahoma State.

A projected 11-seed on Bracket Matrix prior to the win over West Virginia, the Sooners should move up thanks to a few teams immediately ahead of them losing at least one game this week.

With Texas coming to Norman, Oklahoma, on Tuesday, the Sooners have an opportunity to keep the Longhorns on the bubble while sending off their lone senior, Kristian Doolittle, with one final home win over a bitter rival.

Oklahoma and Texas tipoff at 8p.m. CT on ESPN2 on Tuesday.

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Oklahoma (18-11, 8-8) fought their way off the bubble this week with a huge road win against No. 19 West Virginia (19-10, 7-9) 73-62.

The Sooners needed one more win against a quadrant one team to feel really good about their chances on ‘Selection Sunday’ in two weeks and boy did they deliver. Once up 21 points, Oklahoma escaped Morgantown with an 11-point win.

BIENIEMY IS MUI BIEN

Jamal Bieniemy is heating up at the most opportune time for the Sooners.

Coming off of Tuesday’s game against No. 22 Texas Tech, Bienimey looked like he was trying to generate offense on his own. Today, he did just that. Scoring 12 points while hauling in 6 rebounds and dishing 3 assists, Bieniemy looked to be playing with as much swagger as his Super Bowl-winning uncle, Eric, has while calling Patrick Mahomes’ plays.

BRING IN THE CLOSER

Just as they did in the first matchup in Norman, Oklahoma struggled to put the Mountaineers away. After going up 21 points, the Sooners allowed West Virginia to chip away and pull within eight with less than three minutes to play. Although leaving with a win, Oklahoma showed they need to work on closing out ball games.

DOO YOU HAVE WILLPOWER?

Kristian Doolittle is the personification of toughness and grit. Playing through a broken nose for a game and a half, Doolittle had a procedure on his nose on Thursday to straighten it out. Over the past week, Doolittle has shown how much it means to him to get back to the NCAA Tournament as the Sooners’ lone senior. His 19 points, seven rebounds, and three assists were all either team-highs or tied for team-highs.

Oklahoma and Texas face off on Tuesday for the Sooners’ senior night. The matchup is set for 8p.m. CT on ESPN2.

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Oklahoma (18-11, 8-8) finishes the regular-season sweep of No. 19 West Virginia (19-10, 7-9), nearly securing the Sooners’ chances of making the NCAA Tournament.

Here is what went right for Oklahoma in their road upset.

DOO YOU DUDE

Kristian Doolittle is an absolute monster. After playing a game and a half with a broken nose, Doolittle had a procedure to realign his nose on Thursday. Without skipping a beat, Doolittle put up 19 points while hauling in 7 rebounds and dishing out 3 assists.

It will take much more than a facial fracture to stop the Sooners’ lone senior from getting his team to ‘The Big Dance’.

ONE HOT BIRD

Brady Manek looked like the guy that earned the moniker ‘Larry on the Prarie’, shooting lights out while putting the Mountaineers to sleep.

Manek was on fire from deep, scoring 15 points on 6 of 11 shooting (3-7 from three) while grabbing seven boards of his own and chaulking up an assist.

GREENLIGHT CITY

Jamal Bieniemy played with tremendous confidence against West Virginia. Usually, a guy that stays quiet and does not make mistakes, Bieniemy opened up the flood gates against the Mountaineers.

Leading all scorers at the half, Bieniemy kept it rolling in the second as the Sooners built a 21 point lead in the final period of play. With 12 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists, Bieniemy is heating up just at the right time.

Oklahoma is back in action against Texas on Tuesday, their final home game of the season. The Sooners and Longhorns can be seen on ESPN2 at 8p.m. CT.

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With ‘Selection Sunday’ quickly approaching, today’s game against No. 19 West Virginia (19-9, 7-8) is Oklahoma’s (17-11, 7-8) final shot at a quality road win.

The Sooners did beat the Mountaineers three Saturday’s ago in a 69-59 rout at home. However, West Virginia is a completely different team in Morgantown. With Oklahoma succumbing to a hostile environment at Oklahoma State last Saturday, the Sooners need to block out the noise, put their heads down, and ball out.

BRINGING BRADY BACK

Two points. That is all Brady Manek scored against Oklahoma State last Saturday. With Kristian Doolittle coming off of a nose procedure on Thursday, Manek needs to be the rock of the Sooners offense. Look for the sharpshooting center get shots up early to find his rhythm.

EVERYBODY SHOOTS, EVERYBODY SCORES, EVERYBODY WINS

Against Texas Tech, Oklahoma had a slurry of guys take shots that do not normally take shots. Jamal Bieniemy, De’Vion Harmon, Kur Kuath, and Alondes Williams were all taking jumpers in the early parts of their matchup against the Red Raiders. Despite not knocking most of them down, it seemed as though the Sooners were trying to find who they could rely on outside of the ‘Big Three’ of Doolittle, Manek, and Reaves for Tournament time.

STAY HEALTHY

No one has missed a game for Oklahoma so far this season. Doolittle played through a broken nose against Oklahoma State and Texas Tech while being the only major injury suffered by Lon Kruger’s team. With the final stretch before them, the Sooners cannot afford any injuries on the final day before the month of March.

Oklahoma and West Virginia are set to tip-off at 3p.m. CT on ESPN2. For more broadcast details, click here.

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