Tag: Oklahoma Basketball

Oklahoma’s Austin Reaves and Alondes Williams will both be out against Texas Tech

Oklahoma’s Austin Reaves and Alondes Williams will miss their second straight game on Monday night due to COVID-19 protocols.

Just as they were on Saturday against Alabama, Oklahoma starters Austin Reaves and Alondes Williams will both be out for the Sooners’ Monday night game against Texas Tech due to COVID-19 protocols.

It is unclear at this time if the players have contracted the virus themselves or if it is a situation of contact tracing that has kept them out now for two consecutive games.

Oklahoma did manage to defeat No. 9 Alabama on Saturday despite the two key players being out, but this may be an even more difficult task to go on the road against a Big 12 foe that they have already fallen to once this season.

The good news for the Sooners here is that they should still be able to have some level of confidence given the win without them already. Not to mention the fact that they have built up a lot of good will with the NCAA Tournament committee with all of the big wins they have already racked up.

In Saturday’s game, Umoja Gibson and Jalen Hill moved into the starting five in Reaves and Williams’ place. That will likely be the option Lon Kruger turns to again on Monday.

Oklahoma is set to face the Red Raiders at 8:00 p.m. CT in Lubbock.

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Oklahoma basketball becomes first team to have 4 top-10 wins in a month since 1974

With a win over No. 9 Alabama, Oklahoma put the finishing touches on one of the most prolific months in the history of college basketball.

With a 66-61 win over No. 9 Alabama, Oklahoma has put the finishing touches on one of the most prolific months in the history of college basketball.

The Sooners are the first team to beat four different top-10 teams since 1974 and only the third team to ever accomplish the feat. Oklahoma upset No. 9 West Virginia on January 2 before rattling off three in a row over No. 9 Kansas, No. 5 Texas and now No. 9 Alabama.

The last team to manage four top-10 wins in a month was the 1974 NC State Wolfpack. That team finished 30-1 and won the NCAA Tournament.

Even more impressive: the Sooners were without the services of two starters on Staurday, including leading scorer Austin Reaves.

Not only are the Sooners looking to add to their already impressive NCAA Tournament resume, they have a chance to make it four consecutive wins over top ten teams when they face No. 10 Texas Tech on Monday.

Oklahoma crashes college basketball party, makes statement with win over No. 9 Alabama

Oklahoma kept their incredible stretch going with yet another top-10 win on Saturday over No. 9 Alabama at the Lloyd Noble Center.

Buddy Hield after hitting the three against Texas.

Blake Griffin after one of his emphatic dunks.

Oklahoma after beating its fourth top-10 opponent in the same month with a limited crowd.

It all felt the same.

“I thought the crowd was in it the entire way,” said Oklahoma head coach Lon Kruger. “I think they recognized early that it was going to be a tough ballgame. The crowd was great. Back to back big impact on games in back to back weekends.”

The Lloyd Noble Center shook in a way it hasn’t in a long time on Saturday, providing the true high-level home-court advantage that makes college basketball so great. A piece of the game that has often been missing in the COVID-19 world.

“It was a really good crowd, probably the best one this year for sure,” Brady Manek said. “What we had today, that was loud enough. We had a really good crowd, a lot of people came out, and it was a good feeling to have people behind us. I do think we fed off of them. They kept the energy of the game up.”

The Sooners hosted No. 9 Alabama on Saturday as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge hoping to make history. They were attempting to be the first team in 47 years, and just the third team ever, to beat four top-10 teams in a single month.

Despite being down two starters in Austin Reaves and Alondes Williams, they managed to find a way to bring home the win with supreme effort and defensive intensity Oklahoma has hung its hats on all year.

“The guys did a good job of getting to their shooters,” Kruger said after the game. “I thought the key was the guys did a pretty good job of guarding the ball.”

“I think early on they (Alabama) were surprised at how well we play defense,” Elijah Harkless said. “They didn’t play a lot of Big 12 teams. You know, the SEC, they’re kinda down right now.”

Oklahoma’s 66-61 defeat of the Crimson Tide was their third consecutive against a top-10 team continuing a stretch that puts the Sooners on the map.

“Any time you can beat a top-10 team of course it’s great,” Kruger said. “It’s huge, any time you can win a game like that. It’s big from a resume standpoint, big from a confidence standpoint. and momentum is continuing to move in the right direction. So the wins you never take for granted.”

With Reaves and Williams both missing the game due to COVID-19 protocols, a lot was going to be needed from the normal rotational players to step up and pick up the slack.

It had been a really rough go for Brady Manek the last several games after his bout with COVID-19, and this one was looking to follow that same trend for a long while. But, a key bucket while drawing a foul with just over 12 minutes left in the game seemed to shake off all of the frustration.

He shortly after hit a big three-pointer that got the crowd fired up. Manek finished the day with 12 key points and six rebounds including multiple important ones down the stretch.

“Finally seeing that three go in was good,” Manek said. “Hit the front of the rim about eight times it felt like tonight, and I needed to hit one and I hit it at a big time right after that and-one.”

It’s been since Hied’s final season that a team has had an entire fanbase wrap themselves around a basketball team.

They play with an edge and an effort that the fans covet. The players and coaches know it, too. Kruger’s fist pumping and intensity has risen, the energy from the bench players not in the game for things like big rebounds.

It’s nostalgia, really. Football and basketball are taking people back to early 2000s.

“This group has been great,” Kruger said. “To see the progress, to see their intentionally trying to get better individually, they spend a ton of time in the gym on their own. You know, shots in the morning, shots before practice, after practice. So any time teams invest like that, it’s fun to watch them get results that they deserve.”

While the stretch the Sooners are on has been unprecedented and remarkable to watch play out, they are far from satisfied and will be looking to keep it rolling through the end of the season. That starts with a quick turnaround against another strong opponent in No. 10 Texas Tech on Monday night in Lubbock.

“This is a special group,” Harkless said. “We got to be special. We’re never satisfied. Tomorrow we’re getting back to work and I think he (Lon Kruger) does a great job of never letting us be satisfied.

“We got a win tonight, we’ll celebrate that. But tomorrow is a new day. and a new opponent.”

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Three takeaways from Oklahoma’s 66-61 win against Alabama in Norman

Three takeaways from Oklahoma’s 66-61 win over No. 9 Alabama on Saturday in Norman as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge.

No. 24 Oklahoma picked up their third straight win over a top-10 opponent, and fourth this month, in a thrilling 66-61 defeat of No. 9 Alabama on Saturday at the Lloyd Noble Center.

The energy in the arena was palpable, as two very good basketball teams duked it out all the way to the end.

Despite missing two starters in Austin Reaves and Alondes Williams due to COVID-19 protocols, the Sooners found a way to outlast the Crimson Tide late due to high-level defensive play and overall gritty effort down the stretch.

De’Vion Harmon was big once again for Lon Kruger’s squad scoring 18 points to lead the charge. Elijah Harkless was the high-impact player we’ve become accustomed to seeing as well making plays in a variety of ways all game long.

The win pushes Oklahoma to 11-4 on the season and very much in the conversation as a top-10 team in college basketball themselves. Here are three takeaways from the game:

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Three reasons why Oklahoma took down No. 9 Alabama for its fourth top-10 win in a month

Oklahoma made it happen again. The Sooners have knocked off top-10 teams in Kansas, Texas and now Alabama in consecutive games

Oklahoma made it happen again.

The Sooners have knocked off top-10 teams in Kansas, Texas and now Alabama in consecutive games. The first team to do that in 25 years, and the first team with four top-10 wins in the same month as Oklahoma took down West Virginia a couple weeks ago.

On Saturday, the Sooners were dealt a short hand as Austin Reaves and Alondes Williams were ruled out due to COVID-19 protocols. That didn’t stop Oklahoma from jumping out to an 11-2 lead, or a 52-41 game midway through the second half or deal with the Crimson Tide fighting and clawing back into the game when they looked to be out.

The Sooners establish themselves as a team to watch for in March. Oklahoma got big performances from De’Vion Harmon, Elijah Harkless and Jalen Hill in the absences of Reaves and Williams. Brady Manek came on strong for the first time since his bout with COVID-19.

Here are three reasons why Oklahoma beat Alabama on Saturday.

How Twitter reacted to Oklahoma’s third-straight win over a top-10 opponent in upset of Alabama

Toughness. Grit. Effort. Oklahoma basketball is currently on a streak that has been done once before. Here is how Twitter reacted.

Toughness. Grit. Effort.

Oklahoma basketball is currently on a streak that has been done once before and then became the first team to win four games over top-10 opponent since at least 1974. The Sooners have now won three-straight games over top-10 teams, which is also the first team to do such a thing in 25 years.

The Sooners were short-handed on Saturday against No. 9 Alabama. They were missing its star in Austin Reaves and starting counterpart Alondes Williams due to COVID-19 protocols.

It didn’t matter, though, as Oklahoma wanted this game more than Alabama from the start. The Sooners had 13 offensive rebounds to the Crimson Tide’s six. Oklahoma had 28 points in the paint to Alabama’s 20 and finished with two more steals.

A late bucket by Elijah Harkless pushed the lead to four points with 19 seconds to go in the same. A free throw after a stop sealed the 66-61 win.

It’s another huge win for the Sooners, whose stock is soaring right now. Oklahoma could possibly be a top-15 team come Monday, maybe higher.

Here is how Twitter reacted to the big win.

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 basketball to be without star Austin Reaves, Alondes Williams for Alabama

Oklahoma basketball is looking to make history and will need to do it without its best player and another starter. 

Oklahoma basketball is looking to make history and will need to do it without its best player and another starter.

The Sooners have won three games against top-10 teams in the last three weeks, and have a chance to add onto that on Saturday against Alabama. Oklahoma, though, is going to be without Austin Reaves and Alondes Williams due to COVID-19 protocols, the Sooners announced about an hour until the game tips-off.

Reaves has been the steadying force for the Sooners late in games. He has helped close out multiple games so far in the 2020-2021 season and is Oklahoma’s leading scorer (15.8 points per game), leads in assists (5.1) and is tied atop in rebounds (5.1). The Sooners will have to look towards North Texas transfer Umoja Gibson and freshman Trey Phipps to help pick up some of the scoring.

Williams has also been a fixture in the starting lineup. His defense, length and athleticism is what he brings to the table. Sophomore Jalen Hill will have to step up and have a bigger role.

Oklahoma and Alabama are set to tip-off at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN.

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When, where, how to watch Oklahoma basketball take on Alabama

Everything you need to know for when Oklahoma hosts Alabama on Saturday in Norman as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge.

No. 24 Oklahoma (10-4, 6-3) is playing their best basketball of the season after back-to-back top-10 wins, and now they will get a chance for a third when they host No. 9 Alabama (14-3, 9-0) on Saturday as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge.

The Sooners have won four straight games in the last couple of weeks and are fresh off of a massive resume-boosting road win over No. 5 Texas on Tuesday night.

Since inserting Elijah Harkless into the lineup, Oklahoma has simply been a different team. While the Sooners would still like to see Brady Manek get himself going again, it feels like this team is close to reaching its top potential with how they have performed as of late.

The Crimson Tide, meanwhile, have been one of the biggest surprises of college basketball this season. In just the second year under Nate Oats, they are still yet to lose a conference game and feature a medley of players who can impact a game. With four guys averaging double figure points per game, this team can score at a high rate. Alabama averages 81.1 points each time out, so Oklahoma’s defense will get a big time test in this matchup.

For this very interesting non-conference matchup, here is everything you need to know:

WHEN:  11:00 a.m. CT

WHERE:  Norman, Oklahoma

HOW TO WATCH:  ESPN (Jason Benetti & Dan Dakich)

HOW TO LISTEN:  Sooner Sports Radio Network – KRXO 107.7 FM The Franchise in Oklahoma City; KTBZ 1430 AM in Tulsa; Tune In Radio App (Toby Rowland & Kevin Henry)

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Oklahoma picks up second straight top-10 win in 80-79 road defeat of No. 5 Texas

Oklahoma picked up their second straight win over a top-10 team when they knocked off the No. 5 Texas Longhorns on Tuesday night in Austin.

Oklahoma is starting to put the college basketball world on notice in a major way.

Just three days after knocking off a top-10 team in Kansas at the Lloyd Noble Center, the Sooners did it again. This time, on the road against No. 5 Texas at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin.

“Just really happy for a lot of the guys who individually are doing a great job,” Lon Kruger said after the game. “They are playing with confidence. Again, a string of top ten teams here so you need to be playing with confidence. And certainly happy for the guys to get another win out on the road.”

After leading for the entirety of the second half, the game tightened up significantly late with the Longhorns narrowing the gap on several occasions and getting it down to one in the final moments. But, despite not hitting a field goal for the final several minutes of the game, Oklahoma found way to make the plays necessary to lock down the big win.

Instrumental in the victory were two very key plays made by Jalen Hill, the first being the decision to foul Texas’ Andrew Jones with the just over five seconds remaining and the Longhorns down by three. The other came on the ensuing inbound, for after Hill’s pass was deflected right back at him, he alertly made sure to get his feet back in-bounds before grabbing the basketball to take the foul. Those two plays were highly-important to the Sooners hanging on late.

“Jalen’s instincts are great,” Kruger said. “He’s alert, he knows all five positions, he can guard all five, he moves without the ball well, he’s a very good rebounder. So yeah, he’s got a lot of poise, a lot of composure. He’s played a lot of basketball in his life and great to see him step in there and make a good play.”

Once again, Oklahoma’s depth was a huge help in this game – specifically the play of Umoja Gibson, Victor Iwaukor and Hill off the bench. Gibson had 12 points in his 32 minutes, getting more playing time than everyone other than Austin Reaves.

“Umoja was great,” Kruger said. “He had some shots that he’s going to kick himself for not going down but he works so hard in preparation. You know anyone that works that hard a coach has confidence in. And all of our guys work hard, but they have a little more confidence, all coaches do, when you know how much they’ve invested. How much they’ve prepared. How ready they are.”

The bench as a whole continues to be such a luxury for the Sooners, with the team not losing much at all when some of the starters get their rest at different stretches of the game.

“It’s huge, the more players you have that can contribute is better,” Austin Reaves said after the game. “We have a deep team. We have a lot of guys that can make a lot of plays and we trust them doing that. It’s really big to have a bench like that and they just got to continue doing what they’re doing right now.”

Oklahoma will now look for an unprecedented third straight top-10 win when they host No. 9 Alabama at the Lloyd Noble Center on Saturday as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge.

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