Tag: Le’Tre Darthard

Sooners forward John Hugley to enter transfer portal after one season in Norman

Former Pitt transfer John Hugley is back in the portal after just one year in Norman. Hugley was a big member of OU’s bench this season.

Oklahoma is looking down the barrel at another offseason when they must fill multiple holes via the transfer portal.

[autotag]Otega Oweh[/autotag], a former four-star recruit, entered the transfer portal earlier this week after a sophomore season in Norman that saw him second in scoring, averaging 11.4 points per game.

Another member of Oklahoma’s 2023-2024 team is entering the transfer portal, center John Hugley. Hugley averaged 8.4 points and 3.4 rebounds on 54% shooting in 17.6 minutes per game. Hugley and Sam Godwin split duties as the top big men on Oklahoma’s roster this season.

Hugley was a staple of Oklahoma’s bench unit throughout the season and had some bright spots, especially during Big 12 play. However, foul trouble and a meniscus injury were direct reasons Hugley didn’t play more. He finished with three or more fouls in six of 11 contests.

Hugley transferred from Pittsburgh last spring and will now search for a new home.

For Oklahoma, this departure felt expected but still hurts. The Sooners should be a very active team in the transfer portal, with significant minutes needed to play on the wing vacated by Le’Tre Darthard (graduation), Otega Oweh (transfer), and Rivaldo Soares (graduation).

Now, with Hugley into the portal, the Sooners will be looking for another big man capable of usurping Godwin as a starter or providing at least 20 minutes off the bench.

‘It’s just one of the gutsiest performances that I’ve seen’: Porter Moser on his team’s performance vs. the Cincinnati Bearcats

It wasn’t pretty but given the circumstances, Porter Moser felt it was one of the gutsiest performances he’s seen.

The Oklahoma Sooners are coming off a Jekyll and Hyde type of game in their win vs. the Cincinnati Bearcats. The Sooners start and really the entire first half was one to forget.

Then in the second half, they exploded, scoring 40 points and coming back to win a must-win game in overtime.

What made it even more impressive was the Sooners were without their leading scorer [autotag]Javian McCollum[/autotag]. Their other point guard, [autotag]Milos Uzan[/autotag], fouled out in the second half. He also had one of his worst games of the season.

Still, without a point guard to end the game on the court, the Sooners found a way.

Porter Moser spoke about just how crazy of a game it was.

“It’s just one of the gutsiest performances that I’ve seen under the circumstances,” Moser said. “You just look at the circumstances with senior night, obviously every game is huge, in nine days we played three of the most physical teams in the country, at Iowa State, Houston and Cincinnati, in nine days with these guys. Then they find out they lose Javian, then Los (Milos Uzan) fouls out. We’re playing with no point guard.”

One of the seniors who stepped up was [autotag]Maks Klanjscek[/autotag] off the bench. He hasn’t played a whole lot this season but he had a 7-2 run on his own late in the second half to tie the game.

Overall, it was a complete team effort. It took everyone to pull off a win they shouldn’t have and get them to that ever-important 20-win total.

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‘We’re in good shape’: Porter Moser on the Oklahoma Sooners’ NCAA Tournament chances

The Sooners had been struggling lately but with their win vs. Cincinnati, Porter Moser believes they belong in the tournament.

After a hard-fought game, the Oklahoma Sooners were able to win their 20th game of the season. That’s big in several different ways.

One of those is it’s the first 20-win season at Oklahoma since the 2018-2019 season when they lost in the second round of the [autotag]NCAA Tournament[/autotag]. But it’s the first 20-win regular season since [autotag]Buddy Hield[/autotag]’s Final Four team in 2015-2016. It’s also big because it almost guarantees a berth in the NCAA Tournament, which would be their first time back since the 2020-2021 season.

Porter Moser discussed whether he has talked to his players about their NCAA Tournament chances. “They know how important each game was,” Moser said. “They know where we were at. We had to get another big win against a really good team. That’s probably a Quad 2 win. We’re going to Texas now and they were talking about that more than the other. But they know. We’re just trying to stack some wins now, but I think we’re in good shape.”

It remains to be seen if Oklahoma will get an NCAA Tournament berth. The latest Bracketology had them as a 10 seed, so a loss could have been detrimental.

They have a chance to add to it as Oklahoma takes on the Texas Longhorns this weekend who could be without one of their best players. Then, in the [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] Tournament, it looks like Oklahoma will face the [autotag]TCU Horned Frogs[/autotag] or Texas again as things stand right now. But that won’t be official until games are played later on in the week.

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Oklahoma Sooners outlast Cincinnati 74-71 in overtime, secure win No. 20

Oklahoma Sooners outlast Cincinnati Bearcats 74-71.

Tuesday night was a messy affair in the Lloyd Noble Center, but the Oklahoma Sooners came out on top when the dust cleared. After a rough start, they clawed their way to a hard-earned 20th win.

Oklahoma hosted Cincinnati for what will go down as Oklahoma’s final Big 12 home game. While the game ended with a 74-71 win in overtime, it was not without its own challenges.

Before the game, it was announced that starter [autotag]Javian McCollum[/autotag] would not be playing after injuring his shoulder during practice.

So before the game started, Oklahoma was down a starter as they got set to face a desperate Cincinnati team. The Bearcats, coached by Wes Miller, came out like the more hungry team as they played with more energy than the Sooners in the opening 20 minutes.

After falling behind 14-3 early, Oklahoma methodically worked its way back into the game. As he’s done many times this year, Rivaldo Soares paced the Sooners early with 10 points and was the only Sooner in double figures as OU put up a paltry 27 points at halftime.

The Sooners shot 40 percent from the field in the half, but the big story was the performance of sophomore Milos Uzan.

On a day when the Sooners needed him to up his contributions without McCollum in the lineup, Uzan was held scoreless in the first half. He also had two turnovers and sat a significant amount thanks to two fouls.

The Sooners entered the break down 28-27 and were fortunate to remain in the game after their poor start.

The second half was even worse offensively for the Sooners, as they shot 32% from the field. However, they shot a surprising 50% from long distance, and they cashed in on 21 of 23 free throws in the final 20 minutes.

A back-and-forth affair came down to the waning moments of the game.

While down two with 17.4 seconds remaining in regulation, Porter Moser drew up a crispy inbounds play to free Le’Tre Darthard in the corner for an open 3-pointer to give OU a one-point lead. Oklahoma fouled Darthard’s former Utah Valley teammate Aziz Bandaogo with mere seconds left, and Bandaogo hit one of two free throws to send the game to overtime.

Oklahoma found its defense in the extra period. Sam Godwin and Otega Oweh came through with clutch buckets, while Darthard went 3 of 4 from the free throw line to close things out. The Bearcats’ last attempt to tie the game clanged off the rim and Darthard secured teh rebound to seal the win for the Sooners on Senior Night.

Soares, Darthard, Godwin, and Maks Klanjscek were honored Tuesday night before the game.

Oklahoma found a way despite being without Javian McCollum and arguably the worst performance of his young career from Milos Uzan. Uzan shot 1 of 10 for 2 points and fouled out in the second half.

Le’Tre Darthard finished as the team leader in points with 18, while Soares and Jalon Moore dropped 16 a piece. Jizzle James, the son of NFL Hall of Famer Edgerrin James, had 16 to lead the Bearcats.

It wasn’t pretty and deserved zero style points, but Oklahoma found a way.

The Sooners were a 10 seed in Joe Lunardi’s bracketology update before the game, and this win should solidify their case as an NCAA tournament team.

If Tuesday’s win wasn’t enough, Oklahoma will have another chance to pad their resume as they travel to Austin to take on the Texas Longhorns on Saturday. They’ll have a chance for revenge in the final regular season iteration of the Red River Rivalry in the BIg 12 before both schools depart for the SEC.

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Jalon Moore’s evolution is pivotal to remainder of Sooners season

Jalon Moore has morphed into Oklahoma’s most important and consistent player.

Last year was a disaster of a season for No. 23 Oklahoma. They were abysmal, inconsistent, flawed, and simply not a good basketball team. Porter Moser knew things had to change, and in college basketball, for better or worse, your team can change entirely over months due to the NCAA transfer portal.

As players from last year’s team departed for professional opportunities, sought fresh starts elsewhere, or committed themselves to the Crimson and Cream, Oklahoma had holes to fill.

The most pressing needs were for athleticism, shooting, and playmaking. And so, Porter Moser and his staff attacked the portal with the desperation of a team down five points with under a minute left.

They pressed the portal hard and landed many players who filled their needs.

Javian McCollum came in with plenty of buzz as a sleeper NBA draft selection should he have a big year in Norman after transferring from Siena. He’s on his way to doing just that.

Le’Tre Darthard was a valuable member of a Utah Valley team that played postseason basketball last year. John Hugley IV transferred from Pittsburgh looking to reclaim the form that landed him on an All-ACC team.

Rivaldo Soares was looking for a more prominent role than he had at Oregon State. Jalon Moore started 15 games for Georgia Tech last year, where he averaged 7.6 points and 4.7 rebounds a game. He was a part of their rotation, but it always felt like he had more to give.

College basketball media even believed it. The pressure was off of him, too. In Norman, he’d get a fresh start, an expanded role, and thus the opportunity to flourish.

Moore has done just that, and Tuesday night’s performance against Kansas State culminated in a season’s worth of growth for Moore.

Against the Wildcats, Moore had a career-high 23 points on 8 of 11 shooting with nine rebounds. He was pivotal in the first half and equally impactful in the second, especially when Kansas State pushed to tighten things up.

He plays hard every game, even when he shoots poorly, and his motor doesn’t stop. His length allows him to guard positions 1-4 without real trouble. His performance earned him KenPom Game MVP, highlighting his efficiency and positive contributions to his team’s win.

Oklahoma is far from out of the woods, though. A massive road game against UCF is on tap for Saturday. The Knights have already knocked off Texas and Kansas at home. The Sooners need this game, and for them to win, they’ll need more of Moore.

Moore has been the constant, while Otega Oweh, Milos Uzan, and Javian McCollum have been inconsistent from game to game. The steady stream of high energy and winning plays Moore makes nightly could be the essential piece Oklahoma needs to weather the slide they’ve been in and elevate their play as we inch closer to March.

He won’t end up on any All-Big 12 teams because his numbers won’t reflect that, but there’s been no player more valuable to Oklahoma’s success this season than Jalon Moore.

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No. 11 Oklahoma loses hotly contested Big 12 class against No. 20 Texas Tech 85-84

Oklahoma’s free throw woes and inability to hold a lead haunt them as they lose a close game to Texas tech 85-84.

There are no days off for Big 12 basketball. Even the worst teams in the league will push any team to the brink. Saturday was just another day in the Big 12 as No. 11 Oklahoma and  No. 20 Texas Tech played a barn burner of a game in Norman, Oklahoma.

Unfortunately, the effort wasn’t enough for the Sooners, as Texas Tech outlasted them 85-84.

Texas Tech started strong, racing out to a 17-9 lead in the first half, forcing Porter Moser to call a timeout to settle his troops. The Sooners responded with a 12-0 run with much better defense and more fluidity offensively. From that point to halftime, the teams went back and forth. The Sooners went into the half with a one-point lead at 34-33, a carbon copy of what happened earlier in the week when they hosted their Red River rivals, Texas.

Oklahoma had a 22-17 rebound advantage into the break, led by Rivaldo Soares’ seven rebounds, which accompanied nine first-half points. Foul trouble, a common theme for Oklahoma in the first half of this season, persisted, as Sam Godwin, [autotag]Javian McCollum[/autotag], and Le’Tre Darthard all had two fouls.

The first 10 minutes saw both teams continue to trade blows. [autotag]Milos Uzan[/autotag], who, along with McCollum and Otega Oweh, shot a combined 3 for 16, came out from the locker room ready to ball. Uzan scored eight early points after the break, matching Texas Tech’s Chance McMillian’s eight. McMillian would have his best game as he posted 27 points.

With the game tied at 55, five straight points by Oweh, capped by a steal and dunk, helped spark a 13-4 Oklahoma run that had them up 68-59 with 7:30 left in the game. Texas Tech, led by McMillian, Pop Issacs, and West Virginia transfer Joe Toussiant, fought back to tie the game at 73 apiece.

Despite the Sooners fumbling the lead, they had their chance to tie the game and force overtime after Toussaint missed the second of two free throws with 17 seconds left to keep the score at 83-81. Uzan’s’ shot was too strong and clanged off the rim, allowing Isaacs to grab the board, hit free throws, and close the door on Oklahoma’s chances.

Texas Tech made more shots down the stretch and was significantly better at the free throw line, going 16 of 19 at the charity stripe to Olahoma’s 15 of 244 as Tech iced the game late.

Oklahoma was led in points by [autotag]Rivaldo Soares[/autotag] off the bench, who had 19 points and a team-leading ten rebounds. Oweh, Uzan, and Godwin also finished in double figures scoring.

OU (15-5, 3-4) will take their show on the road to Manhattan, Kansas, to take on Jerome Tang and his Kansas State Wildcats Tuesday night.

Texas Tech (16-3, 5-1) will go to Fort Worth to take on the TCU Horned Frogs. 

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Oklahoma Sooners guards helping lead the way in resurgent season

The Sooners go as Milos Uzan and Javian McCollum go. So far they’ve been great for the Sooners this season.

The Oklahoma Sooners might be the surprise of the [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] this season. They were great in nonconference and have gotten off to a great start in Big 12 play.

A big reason for their success in 2023-2024 has been their guard play.

[autotag]Javian McCollum[/autotag] and [autotag]Milos Uzan[/autotag] are the two who run the offense. [autotag]Otega Oweh[/autotag] is the one who seems to make the key play when they need it most. Teams have started to pick up on that and have tried their hardest to get the ball out of McCollum’s or Uzan’s hands.

Porter Moser met with the media on Monday and discussed how they’ve been able to manage the opposing team’s defensive approach. “I think they both understand that having each other is a positive,” Moser said. “It’s not all of the pressure on one guy handling it. Both guys are really good passers out of ball screens. Both of those guys can handle it and go downhill and create. To have multiple guys that can do that is huge. I thought Javian, every game in the Big 12, he’s getting more and more acclimated to the physicality.”

That last part has been key. In Moser’s previous two years, his guards have struggled with the physicality in the Big 12. Most notably last year. It’s why people have wanted to wait and see what happens with this year’s team.

So far, they’ve handled it really well, which has contributed to their 3-2 start in Big 12 play.

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‘It just keeps me going’: Rivaldo Soares finding multiple ways to impact the game

While his scoring may have not been there the past few games, Rivaldo Soares finds ways to impact the game.

While it’s been clear the Oklahoma Sooners need more production out of their bench, one player who hasn’t given them much from a scoring standpoint but has still made an impact is [autotag]Rivaldo Soares[/autotag]. Soares did finally have a big scoring night against the West Virginia Mountaineers.

He finished with 13 points, which led the bench unit for the Sooners, and was tied with Javian McCollum for second most on the team. But up to that point, his shot had been struggling. So, Soares has quietly become one of the better rebounders for the Sooners.

He’s averaged nearly six rebounds per game in [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] play. Soares spoke after the game about how important it is for not only him but his whole team to rebound at a high level.

“Getting in there and getting some offensive rebounds, like I said last game, it just keeps me going, gets me going,” Soares said. “The free throw line keeps me going. (My) energy stays high and it’s been our mantra all year. “DCO,” defense creates offense. Grab that rebound and go.”

While the Sooners need the points from their bench like they got vs. the Mountaineers, having someone like Soares be able to impact the game when his shot isn’t falling is still big for the team going forward.

They will need that effort as they hit the road this Saturday against the [autotag]Cincinnati Bearcats[/autotag]. In the last 14 Big 12 games, 11 of them have been won by the home team. So, it doesn’t get any easier as the season goes on.

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5 takeaways in the aftermath of No. 9 Oklahoma’s loss to No. 3 Kansas 78-66

5 takeaways from the No. 9 Oklahoma Sooners loss to the No. 3 Kansas Jayhawks inside Allen Fieldhouse.

Saturday had the chance to be a special day for the Oklahoma basketball team. Still, it feels like another opportunity wasted as the Sooners failed to capitalize on a significant chance to beat the Kansas Jayhawks at home for the first time in 30 years.

Oklahoma came into the game after a tough loss in their Big 12 road opener against TCU. The Sooners fell flat in the second half of that game and did virtually the same in the second half of the showdown with Kansas on Saturday.

The Sooners went blow for blow with the Jayhawks in the first half. Javian McCollum had 12 pts, while sophomore Otega Oweh scored seven points to accompany Milos Uzan’s seven first-half points.

Foul trouble plagued OU’s attempts to defend K.J. Adams in the first half as he poured in 15 points. The second half saw the Sooners struggle on both ends of the floor. Oklahoma had two stretches where they missed six of seven shots, allowing Kansas to push the lead to double-digits.

Kansas would cruise to the finish line and win by 12.

We have five takeaways in the game’s aftermath as the Sooners look to regroup from back-to-back Big 12 losses.

Milos Uzan continuing to gain confidence as the season progresses

The Sooners may have lost Wednesday night but they continue to get strong play from Milos Uzan after a rocky start to the season.

The Oklahoma Sooners fell for the second time away from home on Wednesday night. This time to the TCU Horned Frogs.

The Sooners turned the ball over 14 times and TCU got them into early foul trouble and led by as many as 17 points before OU cut the final deficit to nine. There weren’t many bright spots for the Sooners but one was the play of [autotag]Milos Uzan[/autotag].

Uzan finished with 13 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds on 6 of 12 (50%) from the field. He also took care of the ball only turning it over one time. Uzan has seemed to find himself these last five games.

He’s averaging 9.6 points and 5.4 assists on 48.7% from the field and 35.3 percent from three during that stretch. In the 10 games before that, he averaged 8.4 points and 4.1 assists on 37% from the field and 24.3% from 3.

Porter Moser was asked before the TCU game about the recent play of Uzan. “I’ve seen it in the last three weeks,” Moser said. “He’s just, he’s Los now. The balls got eyes. He’s finding the right guys. When that happens, then your shot feels better. I just think he’s really coming into his own. He’s such a strength of seeing the ball and getting the ball where it goes. I just see his confidence growing and growing and that’s a great sign for us.”

The Sooners hope that confidence continues to grow because if they want to make any noise in the conference, they are going to need Uzan, [autotag]Javian McCollum[/autotag] and [autotag]Otega Oweh[/autotag] to lead the way.

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