Tag: Lon Kruger

When, how to watch Oklahoma-Stanford

Two undefeated’s clash in Kansas City, MO. tonight as Oklahoma (5-0) takes on Stanford (6-0) in the second half of the Hall of Fame Classic.

Two undefeated’s clash in Kansas City, Missouri tonight as Oklahoma (5-0) takes on Stanford (6-0) in the second half of the Hall of Fame Classic.

The Sooners and Cardinal meet for just fourth time in program history, with tonight’s matchup being the first meeting since the 1997 NCAA Tournament. Oklahoma is looking for their second win against Stanford,  the first coming in 1951 which was also in Kansas City.

All-time, the Sooners are 7-1 against PAC-12 opponents under Lon Kruger’s tutor-ledge.

The Cardinal and Sooners share four common opponents this season with both schools defeating William & Mary and Maryland Eastern Shore as part of the Hall of Fame Classic. Oklahoma has already beat PAC-12 foe, Oregon State this season, 77-69. Stanford will host Kansas on Dec. 29.

Here’s everything you need to know about Oklahoma’s game against Stanford.

WHERE: Kansas City, Mo.

WHEN: 8:30p.m. CT

HOW TO WATCH: ESPN2

HOW TO LISTEN: Sooner Sports Radio Network—KOKC AM 1520 and KRXO 107.7 FM in OKC, KMOD FM 97.5 and KTBZ AM 1430 in Tulsa (click here for more options if not in either of those markets)

HOW TO STREAM: WATCH ESPN app

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

3 keys for Oklahoma basketball against Stanford

Oklahoma (5-0) heads north to take on Stanford (6-0) as part of the Hall of Fame Classic.

Oklahoma (5-0) heads north to take on Stanford (6-0) as part of the Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City, Kansas.

Both the Sooners and the Cardinal have two common opponents, with both beating William & Mary and Maryland Eastern Shore handily. With both teams coming in undefeated, here is what Oklahoma needs to do to keep their perfect record in tact.

START HOT

The Sooners have had a tough time getting into rhythm early. For Oklahoma to hang with a highly talented PAC-12 team, they need to hit shots early and match the energy that the Cardinal come out with from the start.

Head coach Lon Kruger and his staff have done a fantastic job of adjusting at halftime so far this season, but the Sooners have had to battle for wins that they should easily have cruised through over the first month of the 2019-20 campaign.

BE PHYSICAL

Playing physical is something that Oklahoma will have to do eventually, once Big 12 play begins. The Sooners have yet to show that they can use their size and athleticism on either end of the court.

Guys like Kristian Doolittle, Victor Iwuakor and Kur Kuath will be players to watch beginning tonight as they build towards becoming more physical.

REBOUND, REBOUND, REBOUND

In hand with playing physical, Oklahoma has to rebound well. The Sooners average 41.0 boards a game to the Cardinal’s 35.2. Tonight will be a much better test as to what Oklahoma will face the rest of the season.

Oklahoma and Stanford will tip-off at 8:30 p.m. CT on ESPN 2.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

3 takeaways from Oklahoma’s 91-64 win over Maryland Eastern Shore

Oklahoma (5-0) played host to Maryland Eastern Shore (0-6) in the second leg of the Hall of Fame Classic campus rounds.

Oklahoma (5-0) played host to Maryland Eastern Shore (0-6) in the second leg of the Hall of Fame Classic campus rounds. The Sooners let the Hawks hang around much longer than they wanted to but pulled away late, winning 91-64.

OKLAHOMA IS NOT A FIRST HALF TEAM

The Sooners continue to play lackluster basketball in the opening 20 minutes and struggle to find their stroke from the floor. Oklahoma trailed The Shore 38-37 heading into halftime. Maryland Eastern Shore averaged 52.8 points a game coming into Norman, Oklahoma. The Sooners blew a 12-point lead in the closing 8:35 of the first half, allowing The Shore to take the lead with 32 seconds remaining in the half.

“We would like to play all 40 minutes, we haven’t done that yet,” head coach Lon Kruger told reporters postgame. “So that’s probably going to be the focus (over) the next couple days in practice.”

KUR KUATH IS A PAINT SEALER

Kur Kuath put on a shot blocking performance you only see on instructional DVDs.

Securing three of the team’s six blocks, Kuath drew the awe of the crowd each time he swatted a ball from the air.

As he develops, Kuath will be a defensive weapon for the Sooners in the paint. For what he lacks in physicality, he makes up for in length by tenfold. His ability to go up and get a ball has to make Lincoln Riley wanting him as his next pass catcher.

THIS TEAM IS CLOSE OFF THE COURT

With the game well in hand, Kruger sent out some of the walk ons. Keller Casey, Blake Seacat and Read Streller all recording minutes tonight. Streller, a Bartlesville, Oklahoma, native, recorded his first career points on two foul shots.

“He’s been here for two years, been an awesome teammate for us,” Manek said about Streller postgame. “I live with him so I see him all the time. He’s my boy. Big Read … he knocked them down like it was nothing.”

Coach Kruger quickly chimed in, telling Manek that he “might have to change the rules around the house now,” drawing a laugh from both reporters and his players.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

3 takeaways from Oklahoma versus William and Mary

Oklahoma (4-0) welcomed William & Mary (4-1) as the first leg of the Hall of Fame Classic campus rounds.

Oklahoma (4-0) welcomed William & Mary (4-1) as the first leg of the Hall of Fame Classic campus rounds.

The Tribe hung around for much more than the Sooners would have liked, but nonetheless Oklahoma pulled away late thanks to some clutch defensive stops and scoring from Austin Reaves among others to win 75-70.

SLOW STARTS

Oklahoma has yet to play a full solid forty minutes. With a young team built around two main veterans it’s bound to happen but the Sooners haven’t jumped out to a good start so far this season. Head coach Lon Kruger noted the slow start post game, telling reporters, “I didn’t think we opened with the energy that William & Mary opened with.”

Kruger went on to say that the Sooners need to match if not exceed the energy that their opponent starts the game with, especially at home.

SOONERS LACK PHYSICALITY

From the opening tip it seemed as though that the Sooners took William & Mary lightly and it showed.

Oklahoma trailed the Tribe in not just rebounds, but in points for the vast majority of the night. In fact, the Sooners gained their first lead of the night with 13:08 left in the second half, only to relinquish the lead on the ensuing play, allowing a wide open corner three.

Defensively, Oklahoma was bullied on the low block by William & Mary’s Andy Van Vliet and Nathan Knight. The duo combined for 46 points and 21 rebounds.

“He’s (Knight) a really good player. He got it going, he got in a rhythm early and was able to sustain that through out the game,” Krisitan Doolittle told reporters postgame. “We just didn’t key in on him as much as we needed to,”.

Knight finished with 30 points and eight rebounds.

DE’VION HARMON IS MORE THAN A SCORER

Freshman guard, De’Vion Harmon continues to demonstrate why he was a five-star recruit. Harmon finished with eight points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals.

“De’Vion’s good to do that. He’s not going to be necessarily measured by how many points he scores.” Kruger told reporters postgame. “De’Vion had four good days of preparation coming into this where he really worked on distributing the ball and moving the ball and I thought he was great at that tonight.”

Having a guard that can take the back seat and not force shots will be paramount once conference play begins. The Sooners had just four turnovers on the night, a vast improvement on teams of recent history.

Oklahoma is back in action on Thursday as they play host to Maryland Eastern Shore (0-0) in the second leg of the Hall of Fame Classic Campus Rounds.

Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. CT and will be broadcasted on FOX Sports Southwest.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Kristian Doolittle named Big 12 Player of the Week

With Jalen Hurts being named offensive player of the week earlier today, Oklahoma forward Kristian Doolittle received some hardware.

Football? Basketball? Why not both?

With Jalen Hurts being named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week earlier today, Oklahoma forward Kristian Doolittle was named Big 12 player of the week.

Doolittle had a double double against Oregon State last Tuesday, tallying 19 points and 16 rebounds in the 77-69 win over the Beavers.

This is Doolittle’s first weekly Big 12 honor of his career and the first weekly honor since Christian James in December of 2018.

Doolittle’s 19 points, 16 rebounds and four assists was just the third such stat line in Oklahoma men’s basketball history. Both Eduardo Najera and Blake Griffin recorded such stat lines, with Griffin doing it twice in his Sooner career.

Doolittle has averaged 8.4 points a game and 6.1 rebounds per game in his career.

Doolittle and the Sooners are set to take on William & Mary at 6 p.m. CT at Lloyd Noble Center. The game can be found on FOX Sports Southwest as well as the Sooner Sports Network.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Oklahoma basketball signs Tulsa native Trey Phipps

Teammate of Bryce Thompson, Trey Phipps, signed with Oklahoma just one day after Thompson committed to the Kansas Jayhawks.

Teammate of Bryce Thompson at Booker T. Washington (Tulsa, Okla.), Trey Phipps, signed his National Letter of Intent with Oklahoma just one day after Thompson committed to the Kansas Jayhawks.

The three-star guard stands 6-foot-2 and weighs in at just 160 pounds, leaving plenty of room for Phipps to grow and develop once he is on campus.

“Becoming a Sooner is something I always dreamed about as a kid,” said Phipps in a press release from the university. “Being able to have the opportunity to play at OU is something I’m extremely grateful and excited for.”

Trey’s father, Conley Phipps was a part of two basketball teams, playing for the 1985-86 and 1986-87 Sooners under Coach Billy Tubbs.

Trey Phipps is no stranger to the big stage. In the 2019 6A Oklahoma State Basketball Championship game, Phipps capped off an MVP postseason with a 42 point performance to help secure a gold ball for the Hornets.

Phipps is a sharpshooter which will prove dangerous once he’s on campus next season.

“Trey is a terrific competitor who is a very hard worker and shoots the ball extremely well,” Lon Kruger said in a press release. “He has a passion to be at Oklahoma and will fit in very well right off the bat. We’re delighted to have him.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

4 takeaways from Oklahoma’s 77-69 win over Oregon State

After a slow start, a huge lead and a close finish, Oklahoma improves to 3-0 on the season with a win over Oregon State.

After a slow start, a huge lead and a close finish, Oklahoma improves to 3-0 on the season with a win over Oregon State.

The Sooners’ 77-69 victory over is the Beavers’ first loss of the season.

THIS TEAM IS FUN

When the Sooners are clicking, they are a really fun group to watch. Oklahoma showed off their athleticism, shooting abilities and defensive prowess against the Beavers. It did not matter who was out there, once the Sooners found their groove, they were going to score.

Four Sooners finished the game in double digits with Kristian Doolittle leading the way with 19 points.

austin reaves is a walking heat check

Austin Reaves is really going to hurt an opposing fan base one day. The transfer from Wichita State was 5-9  from three point range, finishing the game with 17 points and one rebound.

KRISITAN DOOLITTLE CONTINUES TO IMPROVE

In his second game back from suspension for playing in an unsanctioned summer league (a suspension in which ESPN commentator, Jay Bilas ripped the NCAA for), Doolittle looked like he does when he plays to his full ability.

Doolittle was the Sooners’ leading scorer and rebounder with 19 points and a career high, 16 boards. Six of those points came from deep as Doolittle tickled both times he shot behind the arc.

Aside from his 19 and 16 efforts, Doolittle also had three assists in his 32 minutes.

FULL TEAM WIN

Not just the starters got in on the action. Kur Kuath, Jalen Hill, Victor Iwuakor and Alondes Williams all posted stats against the Beavers. For what they lacked with their 18 combined points, they made up for in play that be kept with numbers. The Sooners kept Oregon State relatively quiet, forcing the Beavers on multiple minute-long scoreless streaks.

Oklahoma’s next game is Monday, November 18, against William & Mary at the Lloyd Noble Center. The game will be broadcasted on Fox Sports Southwest. Tip-off is set for 6pm CT.

https://embed.sendtonews.com/oembed/?SC=EkxepfaGmq-652218-7498&autoplay=on&V=2&format=json

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Bryce Thompson commits to Kansas over Oklahoma

In state 2020 product, Bryce Thompson chose Kansas over Oklahoma in front of a national audience on CBS Sports.

In state 2020 product, Bryce Thompson chose Kansas over Oklahoma in front of a national audience on CBS Sports.

The five-star guard out of Booker T. Washington (Tulsa, Okla.) had his choice of school, narrowing his decision to Kansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and North Carolina.The Jayhawks prevailed even though the Sooners and Cowboys both made late charges.

Thompson is already 6-foot-4 and weighs in at 180 pounds, he does not have to do much to his body to get ready for collegiate basketball.

With a program steeped in history and tradition alike, Thompson adds another feather to the cap of Jayhawk head coach, Bill Self who has consistently had Kansas atop the Big 12 during his tenure.

Thompson’s commitment to Kansas jumped the Jayhawks up 40 spots in the 2020 recruiting rankings. Previous to Thompson’s commitment, Kansas had the No. 51 overall 2020 class of recruits coming to Lawrence, Kan. Now the Jayhawks are the No. 11 class in the country and back where they traditionally are ranked when it comes to recruiting.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

3 keys for Oklahoma against Oregon State

Nothing quite like an OU-OSU matchup in November.

Oh, wait… it’s not the same OU-OSU I was thinking of.

Nothing quite like an OU-OSU matchup in November.

Oh, wait… it’s not the same OU-OSU I was thinking of.

Oklahoma (2-0) and Oregon State (2-0) are facing off for the fifth time ever as part of the Phil Knight Invitational. The Sooners lead the series with a perfect 4-0 record against the Beavers. The last matchup came in 2000 when the schools played in the Big Island Invitational in Hilo, HI.

Both teams are off to solid starts to the season with Oklahoma winning its games against UTSA (85-67) and Minnesota (71-62). Oregon State comes off victories over Cal State Northridge (87-67) and Iowa State (80-74).

Here are three things the Sooners need to do in order to remain undefeated against the Beavers.

STOP TRES TINKLE

Although it sounds simple, Oregon State senior forward Tres Tinkle, has been an unstoppable force through two games.

Leading the Beavers in points per game (26.0), rebounds per game (10.5) and assists per game (5.5), Oklahoma is going to have to key in on Tinkle, forcing the Beavers to have anyone else beat the Sooners.

KEEP IT LOW SCORING

Oregon State is 15-0 when scoring more than 80 points in a game over the past three seasons. Oklahoma may have to change their pace to slow the game down and keep the Beavers in front of them. The Sooners, under Lon Kruger have played both up tempo and slow during his tenure.

FORCE THE BEAVERS OFF THE THREE POINT LINE

Oregon State has been unconscious as a team from three point territory so far this season. The Beavers are shooting 46.3 percent from deep as a team and Tinkle is shooting 69.2 percent from three on his own.

The Sooners have two options: Run Oregon State off the three point line or make over half of their attempted threes. The prior being the much more reliable and realistic option for Oklahoma.

Tip-off is set for 10 p.m. CT on ESPN2.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]