Tag: Le’Tre Darthard

Oklahoma Sooners open Big 12 play with a 71-63 win over the Iowa State Cyclones

The Oklahoma Sooners opened Big 12 play with a 71-63 win over the Iowa State Cyclones to move to 13-1 on the season.

The Oklahoma Sooners opened their final year of Big 12 play with a 71-63 win over the Iowa State Cyclones in Norman.

[autotag]Javian McCollum[/autotag] led the way for the Sooners with 15 points on 6 of 16 from the field.

It took just under two minutes for either team to register their first points of the game, which set the tone for defensive battle Saturday evening. That McCollum three put Oklahoma in front to start the game and they wouldn’t trail again until there were less than five minutes to play.

After leading for nearly the entire game, the Sooners were forced to respond as the Cyclones took a one-point lead with 4:47 to play in the game. And respond, they did. Oklahoma went on to outscore the Cyclones 16-7 over the remainder of the game.

The final stretch saw the Sooners make several defensive stops to keep the Cyclones from coming back to tie the game. And it was their free throw shooting that put the game away. Oklahoma was 7 of 8 from the line in the final 1:23 to seal the game.

Oklahoma shot 47% from the field and 40% from the three-point line and held Iowa State to 43% shooting and 19% from three-point range. Though the Sooners lost the rebounding battle and the turnover battle, they were able to keep Iowa State from taking advantage. Oklahoma also held the edge in fast break points.

In addition to McCollum’s big game, Milos Uzan had 12 points, four rebounds, and five assists. [autotag]Le’Tre Darthard[/autotag] had 11 points off the bench, shooting 3 of 4 from three-point range. [autotag]Sam Godwin[/autotag] was the other Sooner in double figures, scoring 10 points on 5 of 8 from the field. Godwin also had six rebounds in the win.

The Oklahoma Sooners moved to 13-1 on the season and 1-0 in Big 12 play. They’ll have a chance to make some noise with a pair of road trips to TCU on Wednesday and to Allen Fieldhouse next Saturday to face the Kansas Jayhawks. The Horned Frogs took the Jayhawks to the bring on Saturday, falling short in a controversial 83-81 loss in Lawrence.

The Sooners are off to a fantastic start, but these next two games will have big-time Big 12 title and NCAA tournament seeding implications.

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 John on Twitter @john9williams.

Oklahoma Sooners impressive in win over Green Bay, but can still get better per Porter Moser

The Oklahoma Sooners put on a show in their win over Green Bay, but Porter Moser believes they still have room to improve.

The Oklahoma Sooners are 10-0 and one of just four undefeated teams remaining in college basketball. After a pair of lackluster seasons to start the Porter Moser era, the Sooners are off to a blistering start in the 2023-2024 season.

Their 81-47 win over the Green Bay Phoenix on Saturday night was the latest impressive showing on the nonconference schedule.

It was the Sooners’ fourth 30-point win of the season and seventh by 20 or more. And it was a game where their depth continued to show out. Seven players scored eight or more points, with three in double figures.

On the season, the Sooners have three players ([autotag]Otega Oweh[/autotag], [autotag]Javian McCollum[/autotag], and [autotag]John Hugley IV[/autotag]) averaging more than 10 points per game. They also have three more players ([autotag]Milos Uzan[/autotag], [autotag]Jalon Moore[/autotag], and [autotag]Sam Godwin[/autotag] averaging more than eight points per game.

[autotag]Le’Tre Darthard[/autotag] and [autotag]Rivaldo Soares[/autotag] are averaging just under eight points per game, giving the Sooners eight players scoring seven or more points per game this season.

As impressive as the offensive numbers are, the defense is what is turning heads. Oklahoma had 12 steals and four blocks while forcing 20 Green Bay turnovers. On the glass, the Sooners outrebounded the Phoenix 42-26 in the win.

It was another strong statement to the NCAA tournament selection committee. Sure, the opponent isn’t going to move the needle, but the way Oklahoma has dominated teams like Green Bay will certainly make the committee take notice in March.

But according to [autotag]Porter Moser[/autotag], this is a team that can continue to improve.

“I see the gaps of mistakes keep shrinking,” head coach Porter Moser said after the win. “And here’s what’s crazy: I feel like we’ve got a big room to get better, and I think (the players) would say the same thing.”

It was just a one-point game with just under six minutes to play in the first half. But then, the Sooners turned up the defensive pressure, forcing six turnovers in the final six minutes and going on a 15-0 run to close the half.

The Oklahoma Sooners have just three more nonconference games before opening Big 12 play with a date against Iowa State. The biggest test to date comes when they travel to Charlotte, N.C., to take on the UNC Tar Heels in their backyard. The Tar Heels might have three losses on the schedule, but it’s the Tar Heels. They’re one of the blue bloods in college basketball.

Wednesday’s game in the Jumpman Invitational provides Moser and the Sooners an opportunity to put a feather in their cap before the grind of Big 12 play begins. With the way the Sooners are playing, it’s hard to count them out of any contest. They’re simply finding ways to win with their efforts at both ends of the floor.

Sooners cross the century mark, blast Arkansas-Pine Bluff in McCasland Field House

Oklahoma shot 57 percent from the field and had five double digit scorers in a 21 point win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

Oklahoma had a fun night Thursday evening. Porter Moser’s basketball team had a blast in front of a packed house at historic McCasland Field House. – The Sooners dominated Arkansas-Pine Bluff 107-86 in front of 3,124 Oklahoma students.

The game was a back-and-forth affair for the first seven or eight minutes until the Sooners flipped a switch and turned up the defensive pressure. That allowed OU to go on a 16-2 run right near the halfway mark in the first half. From there, the Sooners never looked back.

Oklahoma earned 27 of their 52 first-half points via the three ball, where they shot a blistering 47 percent. The Golden Lions out of the SWAC couldn’t stop the avalanche once it got going.

[autotag]Jalon Moore[/autotag] had quite the first half, leading the way with 14 points, six boards, and two of the team’s nine first-half triples. Sophomore [autotag]Otega Oweh[/autotag] chipped in 10 of his game-high 20 in the first. [autotag]Javion McCollum[/autotag] and Utah Valley transfer [autotag]Le’Tre Darthard[/autotag] also finished in double figures. Pittsburgh transfer big man [autotag]John Hugley[/autotag] rounded out the double-digit scorers with his double of 15 points and ten boards. Team captain and starting point guard [autotag]Milos Uzan[/autotag] ran the show as smoothly as silk while dropping eight assists in transition and the halfcourt offense.

Oklahoma’s defense was far from elite, but the Sooners locked in enough to separate, and the offense never allowed Arkansas-Pine Bluff back in the game.

The Sooners take the floor in the Lloyd Noble Center on Dec. 5 when they play host to the Providence Friars for the Big East-Big 12 Battle. The game will tip at 6 p.m. and be shown on ESPNU.

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 Bryant on Twitter @thatmanbryant.

Sooners land fourth transfer of offseason in guard Utah Valley’s Le’Tre Darthard

Oklahoma continues to attack the portal hard, landing a commitment from Utah Valley transfer guard Le’Tre Darthard.

Oklahoma’s attempt to bounce back from a tumultuous season is firmly underway. The last few weeks have been busy among the Oklahoma basketball office reconfiguring a roster that lost eight bodies to either the transfer portal, graduation, or, professional basketball opportunities.

The project has gone well as Oklahoma has brought in multiple transfers already. All of the incoming Sooners have been productive players at their previous spots.

That trend continued on Thursday as the Sooners earned a commitment from Le’Tre Darthard.

Darthard is a 6-foot-4 guard from Utah Valley University, where he played three seasons. He started all 37 games for the Wolverines this season.

In 2022-2023, he averaged a career-high 13.4 points and 3.5 rebounds per game on 42.5 percent shooting. He was an All-WAC first-team selection and all-defensive team member as well.

Darthard’s offensive efficiency (117) and defensive efficiency (97) numbers rank among the best in the nation. The sport of basketball has morphed so that teams with a surplus of efficient two-way players have an infinitely higher ceiling than a team that doesn’t.

Darthard won’t dominate the ball. He has a strong ability to score off the ball will be a huge boost. He’ll fit well with Siena transfer [autotag]Javian McCollum[/autotag] who is likely to take the reigns as the primary ball handler and playmaker in half-court sets.

Darthard shot 36 percent from beyond the three-point line, which is more than serviceable and helps alleviate one of Oklahoma’s biggest offensive weaknesses last year.

The Sooners continue to add up productive and experienced guard depth via the portal, as this commitment marks the third guard transfer of the offseason. Oklahoma also added Pitt center [autotag]John Hugley[/autotag] a few weeks back.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1368]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz7cqqgxy50qwt player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

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 Bryant on Twitter @thatmanbryant.