Tag: Jalen Hill

Oklahoma men’s basketball still sits just outside the USA TODAY Sports top-25

The USA TODAY Sports Ferris Mowers Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll still has OU in the receiving votes section entering a big week.

Oklahoma has been knocking on the door of the USA TODAY Sports Ferris Mowers Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll for some time.

The Sooners are still just on the outside looking in of the latest edition with 29 points in the receiving votes section. If ranked all the way out, that would place Oklahoma No. 28 nationally.

OU resided in the receiving votes category every week throughout the month of December. This week’s 29 points represent Oklahoma’s season-high tally. Previously, the Sooners’ best total came in the Dec. 20 Ferris Mowers Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll when OU received 21 points.

A chance to impress exists for Oklahoma this week. The Sooners travel to Waco to take on defending national champion and No. 1 Baylor on Tuesday night at 6 p.m. before playing host to No. 11 Iowa State on Saturday at 5 p.m. inside the Lloyd Noble Center.

After Baylor at No. 1, the rest of the top five looks like this: No. 2 Duke, No. 3 Purdue, No. 4 Gonzaga and No. 5 UCLA.

Kansas checks in at No. 6 and is followed by No. 7 Arizona, No. 8 USC, No. 9 Auburn and No. 10 Michigan State.

Texas at No. 16 and Texas Tech at No. 25 are the other two Big 12 schools that are ranked in the Ferris Mowers Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll.

As is expected in the rugged Big 12, the month of January is littered with challenging games for the Sooners.

Following this week, OU has a trip to No. 16 Texas, home dates with No. 6 Kansas and No. 1 Baylor and a road trip to West Virginia who join the Sooners in the receiving votes section.

Here’s a look at the full Ferris Mowers Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll, powered by USA TODAY Sports.

Rank Team Record Points Change
1 Baylor (32) 13-0 800 –
2 Duke 11-1 760 –
3 Purdue 12-1 713 –
4 Gonzaga 11-2 693 –
5 UCLA 8-1 657 –
6 Kansas 11-1 654 –
7 Arizona 11-1 559 –
8 USC 12-0 517 +1
9 Auburn 12-1 512 +2
10 Michigan State 12-2 507 –
11 Iowa State 12-1 450 -3
12 Ohio St 9-2 412 –
13 Kentucky 11-2 344 +4
14 Houston 12-2 328 –
15 Villanova 9-4 286 +7
16 Texas 11-2 285 +2
17 Providence 13-1 284 +4
18 Tennessee 9-3 253 -3
19 Colorado St 10-0 229 +1
20 Alabama 10-3 223 -1
21 LSU 12-1 208 -5
22 Seton Hall 9-3 160 -9
23 Wisconsin 10-2 156 –
24 Xavier 11-2 136 –
25 Texas Tech 10-2 110 –

Schools Dropped Out

None

Others Receiving Votes

Illinois 37; Connecticut 30; Oklahoma 29; Loyola-Chicago 16; Arkansas 15; Minnesota 14; San Francisco 6; Brigham Young 5; Saint Mary’s 4; Florida 4; West Virginia 2; Florida State 1; Davidson 1

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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.

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Oklahoma receiving votes in newest Ferris Mowers Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll

After convincing wins over then-No. 10 Arkansas and UT Arlington, OU is receiving votes in the newest Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll.

Oklahoma is still on the outside looking in of the newest Ferris Mowers Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.

The Sooners received 21 points in the receiving votes category. That total is up from the 13 points Oklahoma received in the Dec. 13 poll and the seven points OU received in the Dec. 6 poll.

Defending national champion Baylor is the nation’s No. 1 team for the second consecutive week. The Bears received 800 points and are 10-0 after winning at Oregon over the weekend 78-70.

Duke is ranked No. 2 and Purdue is No. 3. Gonzaga and Arizona each received 673 points and are both ranked No. 4.

The rest of the top 10 looks like this: No. 6 UCLA, No. 7 Kansas, No. 8 Iowa State, No. 9 USC and No. 10 Michigan State.

Two other Big 12 teams are ranked in the Ferris Mowers Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll. Texas is ranked No. 17 and Texas Tech just snuck into the poll at No. 25.

West Virginia is also in the receiving votes category where the Mountaineers received 23 points.

Senior guard Umoja Gibson led the Sooners with a team-high 14 points and eight rebounds in Oklahoma’s 70-50 win over UT Arlington.

Afterwards, Oklahoma head men’s basketball coach Porter Moser praised his guard’s ability to accept coaching and Gibson’s work ethic.

“Everybody respects him because of how hard he works. He puts in so much time with his shot. I mean, he’s here like literally almost every single morning getting extra shots in. What I love about Mo is I challenged him after the Butler game to do more than shooting and I challenged him pretty aggressively.

“He took it to heart. Sometimes you can coach a really good player hard and try to tell them the truth and they don’t believe it. Even if he didn’t believe it, he went out and tried to prove that he’s a better defender, better rebounder, more all-around player. Man, he has done a lot of different things. His best couple defensive games the last couple games, his best rebounding games and he’s been more of a complete player. That’s a credit to him and his character,” Moser said.

Oklahoma returns to action on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. inside the Lloyd Noble Center when the Sooners host Alcorn State.

Full Ferris Mowers Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports

Rank Team Record Points Change
1 Baylor 10-0 800 –
2 Duke 10-1 754 –
3 Purdue 10-1 689 +1
4 Gonzaga 9-2 673 –
4 Arizona 11-0 673 –
6 UCLA 9-1 670 -3
7 Kansas 9-1 639 –
8 Iowa State 11-0 501 +3
9 USC 12-0 480 –
10 Michigan State 9-2 446 +2
11 Alabama 9-2 422 -3
12 Auburn 10-1 412 +2
13 Ohio State 8-2 400 +2
14 Houston 10-2 398 -1
15 Seton Hall 9-1 383 +1
16 LSU 11-0 254 +4
17 Texas 8-2 243 –
18 Kentucky 8-2 217 +3
19 Tennessee 8-2 215 -1
20 Xavier 11-1 204 +5
21 Colorado St 10-0 203 +2
22 Villanova 7-4 158 -12
23 Providence 11-1 149 +4
24 Wisconsin 9-2 129 +2
25 Texas Tech 8-2 89 -1

Schools Dropped Out

No. 19 Arkansas; No. 22 Connecticut

Others Receiving Votes

Arkansas 36; Connecticut 34; Illinois 24; West Virginia 23; Oklahoma 21; Loyola-Chicago 16; Minnesota 15; San Francisco 12; Wake Forest 9; Saint Mary’s 3; Florida 2; Brigham Young 2; Michigan 1; Indiana 1

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Oklahoma bounces back, hands No. 10 Arkansas first loss inside BOK Center 88-66

Oklahoma routed No. 10 Arkansas 88-66 behind 21 points from senior guard Elijah Harkless inside the BOK Center.

Oklahoma jumped out to a 13-0 lead and raced away from No. 10 Arkansas in the game’s final 9:55 from inside the BOK Center in Tulsa after the Razorbacks had made it a one-possession game.

Senior guard Elijah Harkless paved the way for Oklahoma, scoring a team-high 21 points, including eight in the first four minutes and change. Then, after Arkansas made it a one-score game at 57-54, OU finished the game with a flurry to win going away 88-66.

The Sooners bounced back emphatically from the loss earlier in the week to Butler where OU saw a 13-point lead evaporate.

“You know, I thought it started with our defense and obviously making some shots, but, you know, executing some things we wanted to do. I think that was a big part of it. Rebounding. We have a ton of respect for how they rebound the ball and we got outrebounded the last game against Butler and really had a tough 72 hours talking about what we needed to do to beat Arkansas and it started with rebounding. I thought we set the tone. We really challenged the guards for some rebounding. Elijah had 11, Jalen had eight. Even Mo had three in the first half. We just said we needed all hands on deck to rebound against an elite rebounding team. I think the guys came out from the jump with an edge and it came into the game. Sometimes you can come out with an edge and then you don’t transform it into the game and I thought our guys did for 40 minutes,” Oklahoma head coach Porter Moser said.

Moser said he felt the 3-pointer that Harkless hit against Butler to force overtime carried over into this game against Arkansas.

“What I loved that I’m really seeing is he hit that shot to go into overtime against Butler and he had been really struggling with his shot. He works his tail off on it. He’s in the gym nonstop. I think he just got his confidence back after that shot. He hit one in overtime. He hit some tonight. I think he’s got his confidence back. Defending, rebounding, I thought he was excellent,” Moser said of Harkless’ performance against the Hogs.

Harkless has shot just 26 percent from three-point distance thus far this season but he has connected on 4-of-9 3-pointers over the Sooners’ past two games.

“That’s something that I work on a lot. You know, I just kind of didn’t have a good start to the season, but I think opportunities will catch up to me because I put in the work every single day. Just kind of falling for it right now and I hope to continue it and keep showing everybody else that I can really shoot the ball. Coaches believe in me, my teammates believe in me, so I mean it’s kind of on me to believe in myself and make it happen,” Harkless said.

It was the first time Arkansas was held below 70 points in a game this season. Oklahoma held the Razorbacks to just 34 percent field goal shooting overall and just 29 percent from three-point range as Arkansas lost for the first time in its 2021-22 campaign.

The difference in four days time on the glass was stark for OU. After being out rebounded by 13 and surrendering 15 offensive rebounds against Butler, the Sooners bounced back by winning the rebound margin against Arkansas 36-29.

“I think it’s just finishing possessions defensively. I think we did a great job of just defending Butler on the initial kind of actions and shots, the first shot, but they got a lot of second chance opportunities that helped them win that game. I think coach made a big emphasis in practice, you know, coming into this game on just finishing possessions defensively and just rebounding honestly and that’s just something that we did really well tonight,” Harkless said.

All five Oklahoma starters finished with double-figure scoring. Harkless had 21, Tanner Groves scored 16, Jordan Goldwire added 14, Umoja Gibson finished with 12 and Jalen Hill chipped in with 11.

It’s the second top-15 win already for OU. The Sooners beat then-No. 12 Florida last week 74-67.

Oklahoma has two games left before starting Big 12 play on New Year’s Day against Kansas State. Up next, OU plays host to UT Arlington on Dec. 19 at 2 p.m. and then Alcorn State at 7 p.m. on Dec. 22.

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Oklahoma basketball earns first top-25 win of Porter Moser era

Tanner Groves scored 20 points and Jalen Hill added 18 to lead the Sooners to a 74-67 upset win over No. 14 Florida inside the LNC.

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Oklahoma used 20 points from center Tanner Groves, 18 from small forward Jalen Hill and 15 from guard Umoja Gibson to spark a 74-67 upset win over previously unbeaten and No. 14 Florida.

It was the first victory over a top-25 team in the Porter Moser era and represented the 300th victory in Moser’s career.

“You know, I thought our guys withstood a bunch of punches from Florida. Florida’s a great team and I thought we got off to a great start and what great teams do—they were on the road—they settled down and they punched back. I thought the second half we started out well again. I thought both teams kept on fighting back after the other team’s runs. I thought Jalen Hill, Tanner Groves, you know, Jordan had to handle the ball a lot. I thought Jordan did a great job. A couple times early, he got a little fatigued, but, man, he made some big plays down the stretch. Jordan Goldwire did. So, I thought it was a great team effort and I thought we’re growing and getting better,” Moser said.

The Sooners raced out to a 9-0 lead early in front of a packed, raucous Lloyd Noble Center crowd.

“Yeah, I mean, I think our team prides itself on defense and so that was our goal tonight. We always preach the first four minutes of the game and the first four minutes after the half, the last four minutes of the game. Those are like the most crucial times of the game. The first four minutes I think we got off to a great start defensively and we were just able to spark that run that lasted throughout the whole game. It was awesome,” Groves said.

Hill then electrified the LNC late with a rim-rocking dunk to put OU in front 65-56 with 5:17 remaining.

“Well, I remember Tanner coming up for the screen and my defender, he kind of tried to jump it, so I had a hard jab and I saw the lane clear up and I just knew what I was going to do from there. Just saw one, two dribbles, cocked it back and just tried to punch it really. Just seeing the crowd get hyped and go wild over that and then making them call a timeout was very useful. Kind of helped us I feel like seal the W,” Hill said.

Moser was grateful for the fan turnout.

“I’d be remiss if I didn’t lead by saying thank you to the students and the people there. Man, they created a great atmosphere. A great crowd and just want to say thank you to them, because they made a difference,” Moser said.

Moser made sure to make his appreciation for the student support felt as he raced over to celebrate in front of the student section after the final buzzer sounded.

Groves said the environment was part of the reason OU was able to separate in the second half and then hold on late for the victory.

“It was incredible. The fans were amazing. After the game, we always do a big lap around the arena. We always thank the fans. They were huge tonight. They were a huge momentum shift for us. You know, I don’t think if a lot of them weren’t there, I don’t think we would have won that game. I think they were huge for us, especially down the stretch when the other team was shooting free throws just the last four minutes. They were huge. Just the energy they brought was insane and their energy was rubbing off on me and I think the other guys. Their energy brought our energy up and helped us win that one,” Groves said.

It was a special night all around as former head coach Lon Kruger was in the house and recognized at halftime. The video tribute included personalized messages from former Sooner stars Buddy Hield and Trae Young who both starred for Oklahoma under Kruger.

“Well, I hope someone recorded it because we were in the locker room, you know, talking adjustments, but I just was talking to coach just now, him and Barb. I can’t imagine any coach having a transition as gracious of a person that sat in that seat before you as Lon Kruger. I mean, the transition I’ve had. He’s been gracious, he’s introduced me to people, he’s seen how he can help, he’s come by practice. He’s just a special man and a Hall of Fame coach and I wish I could have been courtside and giving a standing ovation, because young people in this profession, myself need to see people and have Lon Kruger as a great example. Won the right way, high character. All the boxes checked with Lon Kruger,” Moser said.

The Sooners improved to 7-1 with the win. Now, Oklahoma gets set to host Butler next Tuesday night at 8 p.m. inside the LNC as part of the Big East-Big 12 Battle.

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Oklahoma Basketball: Tanner Groves named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week

After averaging 18 points per game in the Sooners’ two wins, Oklahoma senior center Tanner Groves was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week.

After averaging 18 points per game and 60 percent shooting in the Sooners’ first two games, senior forward and center Tanner Groves was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week in the 2021-22 season’s first men’s basketball honors.

Groves finished with 15 points in Oklahoma’s 77-59 season-opening win over Northwestern State and then scored 21 points in a 96-44 OU victory over UTSA.

The Spokane, Wash., product knocked down a pair of 3-pointers in both contests and shot 15-of-25 overall in the two games combined. He also pulled down 14 rebounds in the two games.

“It just felt great to get back out there. It was awesome. I love being a Sooner.  I love putting on the uniform and getting to play in front of these fans. It’s awesome and it felt great to just be back out there and playing basketball again in front of fans,” Groves said after the Oklahoma win over Northwestern State.

Oklahoma head men’s basketball coach Porter Moser liked that Groves was aggressive in the Sooners’ first two games as compared to OU’s exhibition win over Rogers State when he only attempted three shots.

“I thought Tanner had good energy. I thought that he got back to having that confident bounce with him,” Moser said after the win against Northwestern State.

Through their first two games, the Sooners are averaging 86.5 points per game on 56.8 percent field goal shooting. Oklahoma is shooting 39.2 percent from three-point range as a team.

Senior guard Umoja Gibson and junior small forward Jalen Hill are the Sooners’ other two players averaging double-figures in the scoring column thus far. Gibson is averaging 11.5 points per game, while Hill is averaging 10.5.

Oklahoma next plays on Thursday night at 6 p.m. versus East Carolina in the Myrtle Beach Invitational from Conway, S.C.

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Oklahoma Sooners men’s basketball 2021-2022 roster

As they get set for their regular-season opener on Tuesday against NW State, take a look at the roster for the 2021-2022 Oklahoma Men’s Basketball team.

The Porter Moser era of Oklahoma basketball tips off for real this Tuesday night at the Lloyd Noble Center as the Sooners play host to Natchitoches, Louisiana’s Northwestern State.

Moser joins an Oklahoma program fresh off an NCAA tournament appearance, taking over team that has seen a lot of turnover due to the transfer portal and Austin Reaves’ departure for the NBA.

Gone are Reaves, Brady Manek, Kur Kuath, and De’Vion Harmon. In are Jordan Goldwire from Duke, Marvin Johnson from Eastern Illinois, Ethan Chargois from SMU, and Jacob and Tanner Groves from Eastern Washington.

Umoja Gibson and Elijah Harkless return to provide the same energy that Oklahoma have a fantastic 2020-2021 season. With so much turnover, they’ll be counted on to lead the new-look Sooners into the 2021-2022 season.

Take a look at the full roster for the Oklahoma Sooners.

Oklahoma Basketball: 5 Reasons to be excited about the Sooners

The Porter Moser era begins as the Oklahoma Sooners play their lone exhibition contest against Rogers State at 7 p.m.

The Porter Moser era gets underway tonight at 7 p.m. inside the Lloyd Noble Center as Oklahoma welcomes in Rogers State for the Sooners’ lone exhibition contest before officially tipping off the season Tuesday, Nov. 9 against Northwestern State.

Here’s five reasons to be excited about what the 2021-22 men’s college basketball season has in store for Oklahoma.

WATCH: Oklahoma’s Jalen Hill throws down huge dunk in game with No. 9 Alabama

Down came the hammer. 

Oklahoma and Alabama have been in a tight battle amidst a top-25 matchup with huge NCAA Tournament implications

Down came the hammer.

Oklahoma and Alabama have been in a tight battle amidst a top-25 matchup with huge NCAA Tournament implications. The Sooners, though, have been the tougher, more physical game through the first 25 minutes.

That has resulted in an offensive rebound margin that has helped Oklahoma tremendously. One of the main culprits to Alabama’s inability to rebound has been sophomore guard Jalen Hill.

And he made the Crimson Tide pay.

After a long rebound by Hill, the lane was wide open. He drove and threw down a ferocious dunk over an Alabama player.

The Sooners currently have a 10-4 offensive rebounding advantage and leads No. 9 Alabama 47-40 with under 12 minutes to go in the second half. A win would give Oklahoma four wins over top-10 opponents in the last three weeks.

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Oklahoma’s Jalen Hill will be back for Bedlam, Brady Manek still out

Oklahoma’s Jalen Hill will be returning to action for Saturday’s Bedlam matchup, but Brady Manek will still be inactive.

Oklahoma’s Brady Manek and Jalen Hill have both been out due to COVID-19 protocols the last two games against Kansas and TCU. A key starter and a key bench piece, Manek and Hill are two guys the Sooners have certainly been missing despite the team playing well in their absence.

Now, ahead of Bedlam on Saturday in Stillwater, head coach Lon Kruger said on Thursday that Hill would be making his return this weekend – but that Manek would still more than likely be out.

Oklahoma has employed a smaller lineup with Elijah Harkless in Manek’s starting spot since he has been on the shelf, and the expectation is that will remain the same for Saturday’s matchup with Oklahoma State. Hill, meanwhile, will be reintroduced to the fold and will provide a welcomed boost off the bench.

A good rebounder with the ability to put the ball in the basket, Hill coming back will be helpful to a team trying to get a tough road win. It is unclear at this time how much longer Manek will be out, but it will extend for at least another game.

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