Tag: Lon Kruger

‘Nothing true’: Porter Moser shoots down DePaul rumors

Porter Moser responds to rumors of his departure at the end of the season from Oklahoma.

In year three under [autotag]Porter Moser[/autotag], it is looking like things are starting to click for the Oklahoma Sooners. They have found themselves back in the top 25 after a week out of it.

They’ve also set themselves up perfectly for a [autotag]NCAA Tournament[/autotag] berth. That would be the first NCAA Tournament appearance since [autotag]Lon Kruger[/autotag]’s final season in Norman.

But just as things have started to look up, rumors started to swirl last week that this could be Moser’s final season in Norman. The school that could pull him away was DePaul.

On the surface, that move doesn’t make a lot of sense. DePaul is 3-20 on the season this year. But if you dig a little deeper, it actually makes a lot of sense. DePaul is in Chicago, IL, which is an area Moser knows very well, coming from Loyola Chicago. It’s also a Catholic university which is something that has been reported to mean a lot to Moser.

Moser was asked about these rumors during his media availability on Monday. “I haven’t talked to anybody,” Moser said. “Not even thinking about anything. I’m just absolutely not even engaging in anything like that, 100%. I’m so excited about where we are at with the team. This is everything we’ve tried to build for, is being in this position. Same comment as last year, all rumors, all mill-fodder. Nothing true.”

Whether you think he’s the guy for the job or not, Moser has started to show signs of success. This was a rebuild that was going to take time and he’s made real progress in year three. At the end of the day, having continuity is never a bad thing either.

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Javian McCollum continues to trust his preparation to get him out of his slump

Javian McCollum has been struggling recently but a big game vs. BYU hopes to get him back on track.

On Tuesday, the Oklahoma Sooners men’s basketball team returned to their winning ways with a huge win over the BYU Cougars. It was a complete team win, with the bench contributing 23 points to the victory.

The defense was stellar as they held one of the nation’s best offenses to 66 points and one of the best three-point shooting teams to eight makes on 30.8% shooting.

A big key for the Sooners was the play of their two guards [autotag]Javian McCollum[/autotag] and [autotag]Milos Uzan[/autotag]. It was one of their better performances in recent memory. They combined for 36 points on 47.8% shooting from the field.

McCollum spoke about his recent struggles and how he was able to bounce back vs. the Cougars. “My teammates kept me positive even though my shot hasn’t been falling the way that I’ve wanted it to fall,” McCollum said. “My teammates are here uplifting me, keeping me in high spirits. I’m really not worried about that. I know it’s eventually going to fall. I’m always in the gym. At the end of the day, the goal is to win, get big wins, get these Quad 1 wins out of the way and get to the tournament.”

The Sooners last made the tournament in the 2020-2021 season, which was [autotag]Lon Kruger[/autotag]’s final season as head coach. They are currently sitting in a great spot to make the NCAA tournament this season. They sit at 17-6 with eight regular season games remaining. Ideally, 20 wins gets you in the tournament. Although, as we saw in that 2020-2021 season, you can get it with 16 wins. The Sooners schedule has certainly been tough enough to carry them to March Madness.

But they need to keep stacking wins, and that starts this Saturday with the final home [autotag]Bedlam[/autotag] game as [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] foes. Oklahoma will play Oklahoma State twice in the next six games. The other four games are top 15 matchups with Kansas, Iowa State, Baylor, and Houston.

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Buddy Hield and Trae Young top 10 college guards of the last decade per Jon Rothstein

Buddy Hield and Trae Young had special careers in Norman which ended with them as top 10 guards of the last decade.

The Oklahoma Sooners have been spoiled with some special talent on the hardwood. Whether it was Alvin Adams, Stacey King, Wayman Tisdale, Mookie Blaylock, Ryan Minor or the newer era with guys like [autotag]Blake Griffin[/autotag], [autotag]Buddy Hield[/autotag] and [autotag]Trae Young[/autotag].

Hield and Young had two of the better individual seasons I’ve seen any college basketball player have. Hield’s senior season was remarkable to watch. He averaged 25 points, 5.7 rebounds on 50.1% from the field and 45.7% from 3. He’s the only player I’ve ever seen that when he shot a three it felt like it was going in every time. It’s what led to him winning several national awards.

Young’s season was special as well. I remember watching him play basketball at the YMCA in Norman when he was in junior high. You could tell then he’d be special but I never thought he’d be that special. In his lone season in Norman, he led the nation in points (27.4) and assists (8.7) per game which had never been done before.

More: Oklahoma men’s basketball all-time roster: Sooner Legends

Those special seasons helped land both on CBSSports’ Jon Rothstein’s top 10 list of best college guards in the last decade.

Now, it says it is in no particular order so who knows who is first and who is 10th. It’s also a great list with a lot of great guards. Still, you can’t convince me any of those guys are better than Hield. That’s how special that season was.

It helped get Oklahoma back into the Final Four and although that didn’t turn out how Sooner fans would have wanted, it was one fun ride.

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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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Florida men’s basketball all-time roster: Gator Legends

Take a look at who Gators Wire picked for the all-time men’s basketball roster, including three coaches, the starting lineup, and the reserves.

This year’s edition of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament kicks off on March 12 with the annual Selection Sunday event. However, the field of 68 schools will be missing the Florida Gators who have been a steady fixture in the Big Dance over the past few decades but are out of the picture in [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag]’s first year as head coach.

The Orange and Blue’s tournament history began in 1987 when [autotag]Norm Sloan[/autotag] led a squad that featured three future NBA players: Vernon Maxwell, Dwayne Schintzius and Clifford Lett. Seven years later, during their fourth appearance, the Gators made their first deep run under coach [autotag]Lon Kruger[/autotag], whose squad was bumped out of the Final Four by a dominant Duke Blue Devils team.

In total, the Gators have made the NCAA Tournament 22 times with a combined record of 48-20, though due to sanctions, the 1987 and 1988 records have been vacated by the NCAA making their official mark 45–18.

Gators Wire chose one head coach, two assistant coaches (who are essentially the honorable mention head coaches) and 10 players split between the starters and backups that make up the University of Florida’s all-time roster. The tipoff starts with the head coach.

Former OU Men’s Basketball coach Lon Kruger heading to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame

Former Sooners men’s basketball coach Lon Kruger to be inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.

The Oklahoma Sooners will have another coach enshrined in the Hall of Fame as former OU Men’s Basketball coach Lon Kruger was elected to the 2022 class of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.

Kruger was a head coach for 35 seasons at the collegiate level amassing a 674-432 record for a career win percentage of .609, making the NCAA tournament 20 times. Kruger made it to the sweet 16 five times, the elite eight three times, and the final four twice.

He spent time at UT Pan-Am, Kansas State, Florida, Illinois, and UNLV prior to his 10 seasons with the Oklahoma Sooners.

In those 10 seasons in Norman, Kruger’s Sooners went 195-128 (.604), made the NCAA tournament seven times (tournament was cancelled in 2020), including a sweet 16 appearance in 2015 and a final four in 2016.

Kruger is the first men’s basketball coach from Oklahoma to be elected to the Hall of Fame and will join former player Wayman Tisdale as Sooners inductees.

During his tenure, the Sooners produced the 2016 National Player of the Year, Buddy Hield, and the 2018 Freshman of the Year, Trae Young. Oklahoma had six first-team All Big-12 selections during his 10-year run.

He was the 2019 winner of the John Wooden Legend’s of Coach award recognizing the lifetime achievement of coaches who exemplified Wooden’s high standard of excellence.

Lon Kruger will be inducted on Nov. 20 in Kansas City during the Collegiate Hall of Fame weekend.

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Oklahoma Basketball among USATODAY Sports’ best teams to never win a title

According to USATODAY Sports, the Oklahoma Sooners are among the best men’s basketball programs that haven’t won an NCAA title.

A win or two more in the regular season or a win over Texas Tech in the Big 12 conference tournament would have been enough to get the Oklahoma Sooners Men’s Basketball team into the NCAA Tournament. While on the cusp, it’s unlikely [autotag]Porter Moser[/autotag]’s first Sooners team would have been able to do enough to make a run.

And that’s kinda where Oklahoma has been in basketball more often than not. The Sooners are typically competitive in a deep Big 12 basketball conference that has a strong argument to be considered the best in the nation. Unfortunately, that competitiveness hasn’t bled over into consistent tournament appearances or title runs.

But they’ve had several really good teams over the course of the last 40 years, but came up just short in their bid to snag that elusive NCAA championship. Looking at some of the best teams to never win a title, Erick Smith of USA TODAY Sports included the Oklahoma Sooners as one of the best programs to never win a title.

Besides making the Final Four in 1939 and 1947, the Sooners had no NCAA history to speak of before Billy Tubbs arrived in 1980. They were seeded No. 1 four times in a six-year span starting in 1984 and lost the national championship game in 1998 to Kansas. In total, Oklahoma is equal with Gonzaga in being a No. 1 seed five times. Only six teams have done it more. Kelvin Sampson and Lon Kruger also led the school to the Final Four in 2002 and 2016, respectively, giving the school five national semifinal appearances. – Smith, USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma Sooners have been able to attract superstar players over the years and that’s helped keep the program relevant. At some point though, they’ll need to come away with a title to establish themselves as a basketball school.

That’s the task ahead of Porter Moser. To turn the Oklahoma Sooners into an annual participant in March Madness and build them into a title contender.

It was a promising first year for Moser, but the struggles through January and February revealed a program that has work to do. Now in his first full offseason, Moser can begin building his recruiting and transfer portal classes to help the Sooners get back toward the top of the Big 12.

The good news is the Sooners have a solid foundation to build upon.

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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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Where does Joe Lunardi project OU Men’s Basketball in his preseason Bracketology?

With the start of the season tonight, where does ESPN’s Joe Lunardi have the Sooners finishing in his preseason Bracketology projections?

A new era of Oklahoma Sooners basketball begins tonight at Lloyd Noble Arena as the Oklahoma Sooners get set to take on the Northwestern State Demons.

Porter Moser takes over for Lon Kruger, who helped the Sooners reach the NCAA Tournament seven times in his 10 seasons at the helm. In 2015-2016, Kruger helped lead the Buddy Hield Oklahoma Sooners to as high as No. 1 in the AP Top 25 and a Final Four appearance.

Moser is coming off an impressive season himself, taking the Loyola (Chicago) to a regular season and tournament conference championship and an elite eight run in the NCAA Tournament.

As the Sooners get set to tip-off, all of the changes have ESPN’s Joe Lunardi skeptical that Oklahoma can return to the NCAA Tournament in the 2021-2022 season. In Lunardi’s first Bracketology of the college basketball season, he has Oklahoma on the outside looking in as one of his first four out.

Of course, these are just the initial tournament projections. The Oklahoma Sooners have a talented team to open the season with a really good coach. Navigating a deep Big 12 conference will be challenging, but Oklahoma made noise last year.

Despite the losses of Austin Reaves (NBA) and Brady Manek (transfer portal), the Sooners restocked with experienced players who should be able to step right in and help lead this team back to the NCAA Tournament. Tanner and Jacob Groves, Jordan Goldwire, Marvin Johnson, and Ethan Chargois have played a lot of minutes in NCAA basketball. Add that group to Umoja Gibson and Elijah Harkless, who were big-time contributors for the Sooners last season, and this team has the makeup to make some noise in the Big 12 and the nation.

It’s an exciting time for Oklahoma Sooners basketball, and it all gets started tonight at 7 p.m. at Lloyd Noble Arena.

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Tom Izzo has no intentions of retiring anytime soon

With the recent announcements of legendary head coaches retiring, people have started to wonder if Izzo is going to retire soon as well.

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With the recent announcements of legendary head coaches Lon Kruger, Roy Williams and Mike Krzyzewski retiring, people have started to wonder if Tom Izzo is also on his way out at MSU. Izzo put that to bed as he said he has “no intentions” to retire.

Izzo noted that he does not plan on following his compadres footsteps into retirement. He acknowledged his worry for the future of college basketball due to the new transfer rules. Kruger and Williams admitted that the sport’s changes have played a little role in their decision to retire.

Izzo does not like how the transfer rule changes have made it easier for players to leave their current school and immediately play at the next. He brings up how this could have wide-ranging consequences on academics, player development, fan experience and more. It may also drop the number of three- and four-year players.

Izzo did say that once the “annoyance level supersedes the enjoyment then it’s time to go.”

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