Tag: BYU Cougars

Duke on the shortlist for BYU transfer Dallin Hall, per report

According to a Friday report from 247Sports analyst Travis Branham, Duke is firmly in contention for former BYU guard Dallin Hall.

Head coach Jon Scheyer got Crystal Ball predictions for former Purdue guard Mason Gillis and former Syracuse forward Maliq Brown on Friday, but the Blue Devils don’t appear to be done yet.

According to 247Sports national basketball analyst Travis Branham, Duke is on the shortlist for BYU transfer Dallin Hall.

Hall averaged 9.0 points and 5.1 assists for the Cougars last year, and he tacked on 3.5 rebounds per game despite being just 6-foot-4. The sophomore is a career 36% 3-point shooter, and he shot 42.2% from the floor last season.

Branham says Duke is in contention for Hall alongside Virginia, Creighton, Clemson, Cincinnati, Florida, Washington, Utah, and Utah State. Hall’s former coach, Mark Pope, took over Kentucky to replace John Calipari, but the Wildcats don’t appear to be in consideration.

https://x.com/TravisBranham_/status/1781466751215026472

Hall would help replenish a Duke backcourt losing Jeremy Roach to the transfer portal and Jared McCain to the NBA. Caleb Foster and Tyrese Proctor, the latter of whom led the team in assists last year, both return for the 2024-25 season.

‘We’re going to fix that’: Patty Gasso on the Sooners leaving too many runners on base

The Oklahoma Sooners are having another really good offensive season, but can improve when they get runners on base.

The Oklahoma Sooners softball team lost another game this weekend giving them four losses on the season. They still won the series over the [autotag]BYU Cougars[/autotag].

But throughout the series, the Sooners’ batters looked off balance, thanks to a really solid performance by the Cougars’ pitching staff. Still, Oklahoma did what they’ve done almost every time they’ve had a letdown: respond.

This team’s issue recently is hitting with runners on. We are not used to seeing this from Oklahoma, but it’s a concern. There have been a number of occasions when a runner runs themselves into an out or gets doubled up on a line drive. Oklahoma just hasn’t been as sound on the base paths or at the plate when they have opportunities to cash in.

Patty Gasso talked about that after Saturday’s win. “We’re getting on but we left 11 runners on base and that’s just too much for this team,” Gasso said. “But we’re getting on base so we can be encouraged by that and we’re going to fix that. I’m certain of that.”

If the Sooners are able to fix that, they probably will win their fourth straight national championship. They’ve been great in 2024 yet again and still, there’s room for improvement, especially with runners on base.

Now, Friday the pitching and defense weren’t great, but it’s been pretty good all year. It’s the hitting that has cost them more than the pitching. They need to find a way pick up if the Sooners want to win the NCAA overall No. 1 seed and win another national title.

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Oklahoma Sooners game vs. Wichita State rescheduled for later in the season

The Sooners will no longer travel to Wichita State for a midweek game this week.

The Oklahoma Sooners will have nearly a week to prepare for their next game. That’s because their midweek contest with the [autotag]Wichita State Shockers[/autotag] slated for Tuesday has been rescheduled.

It is unclear why the game is being rescheduled, but in a release, Oklahoma moved to April 9, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. CT.

That contest will now be sandwiched in between a road series at the Texas Longhorns and a home series vs. the [autotag]BYU Cougars[/autotag]. That also means Oklahoma will now have four days off before they take on the Kansas Jayhawks in a three-game series starting on Thursday.

The first pitch on Thursday is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT, followed by a 5 p.m. CT start on Friday and a noon CT Saturday finale. All three games will be broadcast on ESPN+ and 1560 AM/103.3 FM The Franchise 2 if you aren’t able to watch on TV.

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Oklahoma outlasts Oklahoma State in first round of Bedlam 66-62

Oklahoma staves off an upset attempt from their Bedlam rivals and win 66-62.

Since taking the head coaching job at Oklahoma, Bedlam has been unkind to Porter Moser. He entered Saturday’s matchup just 1-4 against the Cowboys. For stretches of Saturday’s rock fight of a basketball game, it looked like Oklahoma State could give him a fifth loss.

Yet, when things settled, the Oklahoma Sooners came out on top with a 66-62 win.

Mike Boynton and his Oklahoma State Cowboys entered the day 10-13 overall, and their 2-8 record in conference play was dead last in the Big 12. However, from the opening eight minutes Oklahoma had its hands full.

When the first media timeout rolled around, the teams were tied 4-4, and both were shooting under 20 percent.

Oklahoma’s defense was rock solid in the first half, and they never allowed the Cowboys to shoot better than 25%. A big-time three from Le’Tre Darthard, who had a team-high +7 and was 3 of 4 from three, helped Oklahoma into the break with a 31-26 lead. Otega Oweh finished the first half with three fouls and OU’s eight turnovers helped keep the Cowboys in the game.

Things didn’t improve at the start of the second half, as three technicals and a flagrant foul by John Hugley IV allowed Oklahoma State to hang around. The Sooners never shot the ball well enough to pull away, and Oklahoma State was rock solid from the free-throw line, going 21 of 28 compared to Oklahoma’s 15 of 24.

After Oklahoma fell behind 56-52, the Sooners went on a 9-0 run to push out to a five-point lead with a few minutes remaining. The Sooners finished strong and closed out a game they couldn’t afford to lose.

Jalon Moore was stellar, contributing 15 points, eight rebounds, and four blocks. He was the only Sooner in double figures. Rivaldo Soares and Milos Uzan both had eight. Hugley and Javian McCollum added seven points a piece

Oklahoma’s attention turns to a massive trip to Waco, Texas, on Tuesday to take on the Baylor Bears. The Sooners are now 18-6 on the season and 6-5 in Big 12 play.

Oklahoma State will have the week off and not play until next Saturday when they host No. 21 BYU.

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Where the Oklahoma Sooners are heading in USA TODAY Sports latest bracketology

The Oklahoma Sooners are currently a seven seed in USA TODAY Sports latest bracketology.

The Oklahoma Sooners have been on a roller coaster since entering Big 12 play. The up-and-down nature of the nation’s top basketball conference has the Sooners at 5-5 in league play after a big win over BYU on Tuesday night.

They’ve pretty well established themselves as a tournament team at this point, but still have work to do to secure their spot in the Big Dance.

As of this week, Oklahoma looks like a team heading for a top eight seed in March Madness. Over at USA TODAY Sports, their latest Bracketology has the Sooners holding the No. 7 seed in the West Regional. If the projection holds up, Oklahoma would face the Texas A&M Aggies in Indianapolis.

Their four-team grouping would also include Marquette and Colgate in the 2-15 game.

Fellow Big 12 school Houston is the 1-seed in the West, but will open the tournament in Memphis.

The Oklahoma Sooners are hoping to make the NCAA tournament for the first time under head coach Porter Moser. They’ll have an opportunity to enhance their resume over the next six games as they play Oklahoma State twice and then four teams ranked in the top 15 in the nation. If the Sooners can come away with a win or two in those top 15 matchups, they’ll have a chance to push for a five-seed in the tournament.

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Best photos from Oklahoma’s upset win over No. 19 BYU Cougars

The Oklahoma Sooners got back on track with an upset win over the BYU Cougars, paying tribute to Toby Keith in their big win.

The Oklahoma Sooners got back to their winning ways with a huge win over the BYU Cougars on Tuesday night at the Lloyd Noble Center.

On an emotional day for Sooner Nation, Oklahoma paid tribute to long-time supporter Toby Keith by placing his guitar and crimson hat in his typical seat along the sideline. Keith had been a mainstay at Oklahoma events over the last several decades, and his support of the program left a legacy that helped encourage coaches and athletes across the program.

Porter Moser mentioned in his postgame presser that the team played for Keith in last night’s win over BYU. In the win, the Sooners defense held the top 20-ranked Cougars to fewer than 70 points for just the fourth time this season.

Javian McCollum had a big game with 20 points, and Milos Uzan had 16, showing more aggressiveness going to the basket. Uzan actually led the team in field goal attempts in the win, going 6 of 12, and added five rebounds and four assists in a team-high 33 minutes.

The Sooners have made a strong case to earn a bid in the NCAA, but the road ahead will help them cement their resume or put them on questionable footing.

After Bedlam on Saturday, they’ll face top 15 teams in four of following five games. Baylor, Kansas, Iowa State, and Houston give the Sooners an opportunity to solidify their standing heading into March Madness. There are eight games left in the season and 20 wins are well within reach. Especially if they put together defensive performances like they did Tuesday night against BYU.

Here are some of the best photos from the win over the Cougars.

‘I just thought we weren’t in sync’: Oklahoma’s conference offensive woes continue

The Sooners better figure out their offensive woes as they face one of the best offenses in the country.

It is no secret, the Oklahoma Sooners men’s basketball has an offense problem. The Sooners are averaging 69.8 points per game in their last five games.

That includes the 84-point game they had vs. Texas Tech. That’s also nearly eight points below their season average of 77.6. They’ve scored 73 or less in seven of their nine conference games. Porter Moser spoke with the media on Monday ahead of their game against the [autotag]BYU Cougars[/autotag] about what they need to do to get their offense back on track.

“I just thought we weren’t in sync,” Moser said. “When you don’t make shots, it doesn’t look in sync. Trust me. When you start making shots it’s ‘Oh things are clicking.’ So, that’s a big part of it. It was good to see Tre (Le’Tre Darthard) get back into the flow. Tre got into a flow and got some shots going. I think Javian, Los (Milos Uzan) and Otega, those three, got to get them in the flow. Rivaldo has continued to give us great minutes.”

It’s not as easy as just making shots. When you watched the [autotag]UCF Knights[/autotag] game, it was more about not having basketball players able to create looks for themselves or their teammates. They better figure it out as BYU has a top-15 scoring offense in the country, averaging just over 84 points per game.

More: How to watch the Oklahoma Sooners vs. BYU Cougars

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

How to watch, key players for Oklahoma Sooners vs. No. 19 BYU Cougars

The Sooners return home and take on the BYU Cougars. Here is how you can watch the game.

The Oklahoma Sooners looked like they had turned things around with a win over Kansas State last week but then put together one of their worst performances of the season against the [autotag]UCF Knights[/autotag]. That resulted in a 11-point loss.

The worst part was the lack of fight the Sooners had in the second half of that game. Now they return home to face a top 25 [autotag]BYU Cougars[/autotag] team that has been flying under the radar this season.

The Sooners have to win this game as they are in danger of missing out on the tournament after such a great start to the season. So, let’s take a look at how you can watch the game and some key players for both teams.

Social media reacts to BYU students being asked to remove ‘Horns Down’ T-shirts at men’s basketball game

In the latest installment of the Longhorns getting butthurt over minor matters, we travel to Provo, Utah to check in on a men’s basketball game that was played this afternoon.

The University of Texas is back at it again!

In the latest installment of the Longhorns getting butthurt over minor matters, we travel to Provo, Utah to check in on a men’s basketball game that was played this afternoon.

No. 21 Brigham Young University defeated Texas by a final score of 84-72 on Saturday. During the game, nine Cougars students wore T-shirts with individual letters that spelled out “HORNS DOWN,” taking a shot at the Longhorns.

As noted by BYU insider Mitch Harper of KSL Sports, during the first media timeout Saturday, those students were asked to remove their shirts. This comes 10 days after the University of Central Florida beat the Longhorns 77-71 in Austin and understandably after an upset, some Knights players displayed horns down.

Texas coach Rodney Terry was upset by the gesture postgame, so of course fans at an opposing arena were going to poke fun at the Longhorns this weekend when given the opportunity.

Social media had a field day with this topic so let’s check out some of the best reactions below.

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Previewing Texas men’s basketball at No. 21 BYU Cougars

Texas is two games into the toughest part of the schedule and now will play BYU in one of the most intimidating arenas in basketball.

The Texas Longhorns are getting back on track. Continue reading “Previewing Texas men’s basketball at No. 21 BYU Cougars”