Tag: Jalen Hill

Oklahoma men’s basketball 2023 conference schedule released

After another poor season, the Sooners hope to bounce back with their new Big 12 schedule.

The seat for Oklahoma men’s basketball coach Porter Moser is blazing hot after missing out on the NCAA tournament in the 2022-2023 season.

To make matters worse, the Sooners have to replace their top three scorers and four of their top five scorers from a year ago. Tanner Groves, Grant Sherfield, Jacob Groves, and Jalen Hill are out the door.

Hill was a leader and the best defensive player. He’ll be hard to replace this upcoming season.

This offseason, the Sooners were again hit hard by the transfer portal, which has been a constant theme in the Porter Moser era. But they added some players through recruiting and the portal they hope can contribute right away in Javian McCollum, John Hugley IV, Kaden Cooper, and Jacolb Cole.

Those additions with the natural progressions Otega Oweh and Milos Uzan are likely to make and this Sooner team has a chance at being a tournament team come March.

Oklahoma is going to be long and athletic, but they have a hole at the power forward position they have to sort out. Athleticism isn’t something we’ve seen from a Moser team since he arrived in Norman, which adds a lot of excitement about what the Sooners will put on the court this fall.

On Thursday, the Sooners received their final conference schedule as members of the Big 12.

The Sooners will take on the Cincinnati Bearcats, Iowa State Cyclones, Texas Longhorns, Kansas Jayhawks, and Oklahoma State Cowboys at home and on the road.

They play the Baylor Bears, Kansas State Wildcats, TCU Horned Frogs and UCF Knights on the road only.

At home only, Oklahoma will play the Houston Cougars, BYU Cougars, Texas Tech Red Raiders, and West Virginia Mountaineers.

So, Sooner fans will see all of the new teams except UCF in Norman before they head off to the SEC.

Overall, this schedule is shaping up nicely. The Big 12 is obviously still the best conference in basketball but there are a lot of question marks. Texas, Texas Tech, and West Virginia are all replacing their coaches. Although Texas’ coach was named interim during the season last year.

Porter Moser has done a tremendous job filling the roster. Now it’s about getting all of the pieces to fit together for their final run in the Big 12.

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5 players Porter Moser and OU hoops should consider via the transfer portal

A look at a few names the Oklahoma Sooners are targeting in the transfer portal and a couple more they should make a run at.

Oklahoma basketball is experiencing a retooling following consecutive years with no NCAA tournament berths. This year’s Sooners finished last in the Big 12 and, along with Texas Tech, were the only teams from the conference that didn’t make the tourney.

Those results have likely made Porter Moser’s seat somewhat warm, as making the NCAA Tournament is a fairly reasonable bar for most Power Five programs. Oklahoma has a reasonably strong history of basketball success as a program but has never won a national title.

No one expects Porter Moser to turn Oklahoma into the second coming of Coach K and Duke. Still, consistent tournament appearances and fighting for the Big 12 crown seem reasonable.

The blowback from two consecutive seasons of missed postseasons has been evident. [autotag]Jalen Hill[/autotag], [autotag]Jacob Groves[/autotag], Benny Schröder, Joe Bamisile, Bijan Cortes, and [autotag]C.J. Noland[/autotag] are all no longer with the team after entering the transfer portal. Noland committed to Saint Louis, while Schröder landed with George Washington.

These departures also combine with Grant Sherfield’s decision to pursue NBA opportunities. At the same time, Tanner Groves has decided to move on from college basketball entirely after graduating.

As it stands, Oklahoma has lost eight players this offseason, with six of those players logging starter or significant bench minutes. Oklahoma essentially needs a brand-new team. They bring in two four-star prospects in Kaden Cooper and Jacolb Cole, but that won’t be enough especially considering they are true freshmen.

The transfer portal is the only way to rebuild this roster, and we have a few targets Oklahoma should look at.

Sooners forward Jalen Hill to enter the transfer portal

Oklahoma loses another player to the transfer portal with the departure of forward Jalen Hill.

Oklahoma’s basketball program is in some murky waters at the moment. After a tough season that saw them finish last in the Big 12, the Sooners are undergoing some serious roster turnover.

Several seniors are moving on, and a slew of key contributors have left via the transfer portal.

Before Monday, Oklahoma had already seen [autotag]Benny Schroder[/autotag], [autotag]Joe Bamisile[/autotag], [autotag]Bijan Cortes[/autotag], and C.J. Nolan enter the portal. CJ Noland announced Monday he was taking his talents to Saint Louis.

Senior forward Jalen Hill will also enter the transfer portal, per CBS Sports Jon Rothstein.

Hill quickly entered the rotation as a freshman for the Sooners in 2019 before becoming a full-time starter as a junior.

The Las Vegas native had the best season of his college career in 2022-23, averaging a career-high 9.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. His leadership and defense were integral to everything the Sooners wanted to accomplish on the court. Hill was athletic enough to guard 3’s and 4’s and play small ball 5. He was capable enough to switch and stay with point guards in the screen action.

During conference play, he turned his game up a notch and averaged 10.3 points per game on 51 percent shooting, finishing the season as an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention.

The departure also marks the last holdover from the Lon Kruger era. With Hill out the door, every player on the OU roster now or going forward will be recruited or brought in by Porter Moser.

Oklahoma must be very active in the transfer portal to fill out its needs. They don’t have enough players now to fill out the roster.

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Sooners squash the No. 22 TCU Horned Frogs 74-60 in regular season finale

Oklahoma avenges loss to No. 22 TCU as the Sooners cruise on Senior Day, 74-60.

The story of Oklahoma’s regular season is so complex. The only simple and easily understood part of the team is that they were wildly and frustratingly inconsistent. Another example is Saturday’s regular-season finale and Senior Day game against the No. 22 TCU Horned Frogs.

With their season depending solely on what they do in the Phillips 66 Big 12 tournament, Oklahoma wanted to give themselves some momentum heading into the following week. They did so in a big way and sent their seniors out in style, dismantling the same TCU team 74-60 the Sooners in February.

Before the game, the Sooners honored [autotag]Grant Sherfield[/autotag], Tanner and Jacob Groves, Jalen Hill, and Blake Seacat.

Hill has the option to return due to his COVID option.

Oklahoma was locked in from the start, going 6 of 6 from the field to jump out to a 14-2 lead before the first media timeout.

Stifling defense and white-hot shooting sent a message to TCU that this game would not be like the previous one played in Fort Worth.

Not only did Oklahoma come out hot and stay hot, the game never really got close enough for the Sooners to get worried. They answered TCU runs with their own and kept their foot on the gas until the final whistle.

By the under-eight media timeout, the Sooners’ lead had turned into a 29-12 affair.

In the first half, Grant Sherfield had eight points and Milos Uzan had seven to pace the Sooners. The Groves brothers combined for 14 points and five boards before the break.

The Sooners’ team defense was excellent. They held TCU to 37.7 percent from the field for the entire game.

Oklahoma came out from the locker room with a 38-21 lead, and despite a brief TCU surge, the Sooners maintained an 18-point lead by the under-12 timeout.

Tanner Groves continued to dominate and closed out his final home game with 23 points and 10 rebounds, including four offensive boards. Grant Sherfield, another senior, poured in 20 points on 7 of 15 shooting and was 4 of 7 from three. It was the first time all season both scored 20 in a game. Oklahoma coasted to the finish line, with the lead getting as high as 22 points. They put a bow on an up-and-down regular season with their sixth Quad 1 win.

Oklahoma will have a few days off to get mentally and physically ready, where winning four consecutive games to earn an automatic bid seems like their only shot at the NCAA Tournament.

Oklahoma (15-16 overall, 5-13 Big 12) finishes their regular season in last place and will either face WVU or Oklahoma State in the 7-10 matchup to kick off the Big 12 tournament.

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Social media reacts to the Sooners stunning win over No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide

The Oklahoma Sooners stunned No. 2 Alabama in front of an incredible home crowd on Saturday and social media reacted accordingly.

Nobody would have predicted the type of crowd that the Oklahoma Sooners would pull for their matchup with the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide after their blowout loss to TCU.

But the fans showed up, and the Sooners were incredible on the floor in beating the No. 2 team in the nation. It was a huge win in what could be a defining moment for the 2022-2023 season and the Porter Moser era.

The Sooners had fallen just short in their losses to ranked teams in Big 12 play before their loss to the Horned Frogs. Well, against Alabama, Moser and his crew seemed to play like a team on a mission, hoping to erase everything that had gone on in Big 12 play and start fresh in the Big 12-SEC Challenge. And if today is any indication, perhaps this team figured some things out.

Time will tell, but for today, it was a momentous occasion for Porter Moser, the Oklahoma Sooners, and the fans in attendance. Not every game will go this way, but today showed that a strong home presence could be a difference-maker in a big-time basketball game.

Everyone in the program deserved that kind of support, and the Sooners faithful were rewarded with an opportunity to storm the floor after the game went final.

Here are some of the best social media reactions from the Sooners huge win over Alabama.

Relive the Oklahoma Sooners upset win over No. 2 Crimson Tide in fantastic photos

Relive the Oklahoma Sooners’ incredible win over the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide with these fantastic photos.

The Oklahoma Sooners took advantage of an incredible home atmosphere and a fantastic shooting night to stun the No. 2 team in the nation on Saturday at the Lloyd Noble Center.

It was an incredible scene from start to finish as the Sooners shot just under 70% from three, hitting 9 of 13 attempts to beat the Alabama Crimson Tide 93-69. It was the Sooners’ first win over a No. 1 or 2 team in the AP Poll since beating No. 1 Kansas back in 2002.

For a team that was blown out by TCU and Oklahoma State in the last week and a half, the Sooners needed this win to keep their tournament hopes alive and provide a boost to a program that appeared on the ropes.

Grant Sherfield poured in 30 points, Jalen Hill provided 26 of his own, and Tanner Groves had a double-double in the big win over the Sooners.

It was a fantastic atmosphere in Norman, and the fans made their presence felt from start to finish. Sooner Nation was rewarded with a fantastic effort from the home crowd and rushed the court when the final buzzer went off.

Here’s a look at the best photos from the Sooners’ win over Alabama on Saturday.

Oklahoma Sooners dominate No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide in front of raucous crowd

The Oklahoma Sooners dominated No. 2 Alabama in a 93-69 win in front of a raucous crowd at the Lloyd Noble Center.

They didn’t keep the students off the court in Norman as the unranked Oklahoma Sooners defeated the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide 93-69. Less than a week after getting blown out in Fort Worth by TCU, Porter Moser’s squad needed a big win.

They got it.

While Alabama did strike first after a few made free throws by Brandon Miller, the Sooners would end up taking the lead a few minutes later on a Tanner Groves layup. OU led for the remainder of the game.

The Sooners put together a sensational effort on both sides of the floor. They shot 57% from the field and 69% from three-point range. Meanwhile, Alabama rarely had any space to breathe. The Sooners held the Crimson Tide to 37.9% from the floor and 27.3% from three-point range.

Grant Sherfield was simply fantastic. There was an audible buzz in the air every time he had the ball in his hands. He had a big day on offense with 30 points and six assists. Jalen Hill was fantastic as well, pouring in 26 points on 9 of 11 shooting. He was also 6 of 7 from the free throw line and 2 of 2 from three.

An unsung hero, if you could call him that, would have to be Tanner Groves. The elder Groves was everywhere and dominated on the glass, picking up 12 rebounds. Groves also tallied 14 points, giving him a double-double.

It was simply a perfect effort from an OU squad. Their shooting was fantastic for 40 minutes, and while Alabama did seem to be the bigger team, the Sooners held their own around the glass, particularly when Tanner Groves was on the floor. The Tide held a 15-6 edge on the offensive glass, but Oklahoma minimized that impact with their fantastic shooting effort. Despite the huge difference, Oklahoma still narrowly edged out Alabama 36-35 on the boards.

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The Oklahoma Sooners needed that win in a huge way. It was their first win over a team ranked No. 1 or 2 in the AP Poll since beating No. 1 Kansas back in 2002. This has an opportunity to be a season and program-defining win for Porter Moser and the Sooners after struggling in recent weeks. With Oklahoma falling onto the NCAA tournament bubble, this win has a chance to catapult them back into the March Madness field.

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Oklahoma’s Jalen Hill slammed down a supersonic poster dunk on Alabama star Brandon Miller

Whoa, Jalen Hill!

The Oklahoma men’s basketball team wasn’t letting the second-best team in the country off easy.

The Sooners were proving themselves more than worthy of playing with No. 2 Alabama, as they held a commanding lead over the Crimson Tide during the second half of Saturday’s home contest.

While up 62-46 with 14 minutes and change to go, junior forward Jalen Hill took in a lob as he ran to get under the rim and blasted in a supersonic dunk that reverberated throughout Lloyd Noble Center.

It just so happened that Alabama’s star freshman forward Brandon Miller was on the receiving end of Hill’s poster.

Miller is widely expected to be a top pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, and he doesn’t find himself on the end of a stellar play like that much.

Hill, on the other hand, is undoubtedly going to treasure making such a splash play against such an elite NBA prospect. It’s the kind of firework that has helped Oklahoma play as well as it has against one of the best basketball teams in the nation.

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Best photos from the Oklahoma Sooners narrow loss to Baylor

A look at some of the best photos from the Oklahoma Sooners’ 62-60 loss to the No. 21 Baylor Bears.

The Oklahoma Sooner men’s basketball team has been good this season. It just hasn’t been good enough in the final minutes of games. As has happened often en route to their 11-8 record, the Sooners held a late lead against the No. 21 Baylor Bears, but couldn’t hit enough shots late to pull off the upset win.

“We’re obviously just really mad and frustrated,” forward Jalen Hill said after the game. “We’re playing our butts off out there. We’re competing, and we just can’t find a way to win. That’s obviously frustrating.”

Oklahoma shoots a lot of threes. Porter Moser’s offense creates opportunities for the three ball. But they haven’t been consistent enough from three to warrant 21 attempts in a game. They shot just 23.8% on those 21 attempts from downtown in a game decided by just two points.

Things don’t get any easier for the Sooners who go on the road to Fort Worth to play the No. 14 TCU Horned Frogs next. TCU just went to Lawrence and beat No. 2 Kansas by 23 points. After that, Oklahoma will host No. 4 Alabama as part of the Big 12-SEC challenge.

Oklahoma Sooners drop another close one at home, 62-60 to the Baylor Bears

The Oklahoma Sooners lost another close one to a ranked opponent, losing to the No. 21 Baylor Bears 62-60 on Saturday.

The Big 12 is the best conference in college basketball. But that’s no consolation for an Oklahoma Sooners team that fell to 2-5 in conference play after another close loss. This time, they dropped another tight contest to the No. 21 Baylor Bears 62-60.

The Sooners took a 58-56 lead over the Bears with 1:39 remaining on a [autotag]Milos Uzan[/autotag] lob to [autotag]C.J. Noland[/autotag]. Baylor responded on their next possession with a three-pointer by Jalen Bridges. Grant Sherfield drove to the basket to retake the lead, but his floater off the backboard rattled off the rim. The Bears extended their lead with a contested three-pointer by Adam Flagler. It was a strong defensive possession by Sherfield, Flagler was clutch in the moment to extend Baylor’s lead to four with 24 seconds to play.

Oklahoma pulled within two in the final seconds but couldn’t get the ball back in the waning moments.

It was another frustrating home loss for Oklahoma against a ranked opponent. The Sooners led by four at halftime in what was a tightly contested game that saw multiple lead changes throughout.

[autotag]Jalen Hill[/autotag] led the way with 17 points and nine rebounds. He was 8 of 13 from the field. [autotag]Tanner Groves[/autotag] was the only other Sooner in double-figures with 16 points on 6 of 13 shooting and was 2 of 5 from three.

The Sooners struggled again from three-point range, shooting 23.8% from behind the arch on 21 attempts.

Oklahoma’s leading scorer on the season, [autotag]Grant Sherfield[/autotag], was just 3 of 10 from the field for eight points.

With the loss, Oklahoma falls to 11-8 on the season and is just 2-6 in Big 12 play. For their next challenge, the Sooners head to Fort Worth to take on the No. 14 ranked TCU Horned Frogs (15-4, 9-2 in Big 12). The Frogs picked up a big win on Saturday over Kansas, 83-60.

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