Tag: Oklahoma Basketball

Three takeaways from Oklahoma’s 79-73 win against Iowa State in Kansas City

Three takeaways from Oklahoma’s 79-73 win over Iowa State in Kansas City in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament on Wednesday night.

After nearly a week without game action, Oklahoma returned to action on Wednesday night in the first round of the 2021 Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City against Iowa State. It was the third meeting of the year between the Sooners and the Cyclones, with Lon Kruger’s group taking each of the first two in mostly competitive games.

Oklahoma entered the matchup on a four-game losing streak and needing a win as bad as any non-bubble team in the country, and they delivered the performance they were desperate for. Nearly every aspect of the game was much better than what we have seen in recent weeks as the Sooners got back in the win column 79-73.

De’Vion Harmon and Austin Reaves were the two leading scorers as per usual putting up 18 and 21 points in the opening round victory. As a whole, it was really a solid all-around team win.

The win gets Oklahoma up to the 15-win mark at 15-9 and gets them a date with Kansas tomorrow in the quarterfinals. Here are three immediate takeaways from the game:

Balanced Attack

When Oklahoma was at their best this season, it was when they were moving the ball around and getting lots of guys involved. Obviously Austin Reaves is your go-to guy with De’Vion Harmon right behind him, but spreading the love and showcasing their depth is how the Sooners toppled so many good teams earlier this season.

On Wednesday night, they did that really well having eight different guys score – all of which got involved in the first half. None of those guys even scored more than seven points, as it was an overall group effort to get them a halftime advantage.

That mostly continued throughout the rest of the game although Harmon and Reaves did assume their place as the leading scorers by game’s end. As a whole though, the offense was mostly balanced out very nicely.

For the Sooners to keep winning in Kansas City this week and to try and win some NCAA Tournament games next week, this needs to be much closer to what they do offensively. The last few weeks the offense has felt so Reaves-reliant that the ball movement has really suffered. While he is certainly their best player and a fantastic one, it isn’t the best recipe for winning. It needs to be more than just him.

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When, where, how to watch Oklahoma basketball take on Iowa State

Everything you need to know before Oklahoma takes on Iowa State on Wednesday night in the first round of the 2021 Big 12 Tournament.

No. 25 Oklahoma basketball (14-9, 9-8) closed the regular season on a four-game losing streak that saw them slide down both the rankings and the Big 12 standings. Because of the dip, the Sooners have found themselves as just the No. 7 seed in the annual conference tournament thus forcing them to play in the opening round on Wednesday night as opposed to getting a bye like the each of the top-6 teams do.

Awaiting Oklahoma in the first round is Iowa State (2-21, 0-18) who certainly had a very tough season that saw them go winless in league play throughout the year. Despite that, the Cyclones did give the Sooners competitive games in each of their two regular season meetings.

The first matchup back on Feb. 6 in Norman was competitive to the final minutes with Oklahoma getting the 79-72 win. The second game came just two weeks later in Ames and saw the Sooners jump out to a big first half lead before Iowa State came storming back to even briefly hold an advantage themselves in the second half before Oklahoma righted the ship and pulled away late.

Needless to say, the Sooners desperately need to find a way to win this game. Removing the fact that they are on a four-game losing streak and simply need victories to try and get some confidence before the NCAA Tournament, a loss to a squad with two wins and zero conference victories at this point in the season is just inexcusable for a team with any postseason aspirations.

For this first round game of the 2021 Big 12 Tournament, here is everything you need to know:

WHEN:   8:30 p.m. CT (Approximate)

WHERE:   Kansas City, Missouri (T-Mobile Center)

HOW TO WATCH:   ESPN (Bob Wischusen, Fran Fraschilla & Holly Rowe)

HOW TO LISTEN:   Sooner Sports Radio Network – 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 G Austin Reaves named first team All-Big 12

Oklahoma senior guard Austin Reaves was named first team All-Big 12 on Monday with De’Vion Harmon getting an honorable mention.

Oklahoma senior guard Austin Reaves and his teammates are preparing to try to turn things around this week at the Big 12 Tournament after wrapping the regular season on a four-game losing streak. Prior to that tough stretch to end the season, the Sooners were ranked No. 7 in the country and were one of the big surprise teams all year long.

A huge part of that has been because of the play of Reaves who is the triple crown of the Sooners as the team’s leading scorer as well as leading rebounder and assist getter. Before the season, he was named preseason All-Big 12. On Monday, that came to fruition as Reaves earned himself the all-conference honor. De’Vion Harmon was given an honorable mention nod.

This season, Reaves has averaged a rock solid 17.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game. In conference play, those shift to 18.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists making him the first player in the history of the Big 12 to average those numbers collectively.

If he can close the season in the same place he is in now, he will be the first player in Oklahoma history to lead the team in all three categories of points, rebounds and assists. He has also been one the vocal leaders of the team all throughout the year. Reaves is the 11th player in Sooners history to get an All-Big 12 selection.

He will now look to keep his big season going at the conference tournament starting with a matchup against Iowa State on Wednesday night in Kansas City.

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Oklahoma continues downward slide in bracketology to No. 5 seed going into Big 12 Tournament

Oklahoma continues their downward slide in USA TODAY Sports Bracketology to a No. 5 seed after their four-game losing streak.

Oklahoma has hit their biggest rough patch of the year at essentially the worst time as they concluded the regular season on a four-game losing streak after falling at the hands of Texas on Thursday night. The loss dropped the Sooners all the way down to seventh in the Big 12 entering the conference tournament after being toward the top the bulk of the season.

With the losing streak, Oklahoma’s projected seed in USA TODAY Sports Bracketology for the NCAA Tournament also continues to dip down as they come in as No. 5 seed in the latest projections. Placed in the East Region, they would take on the winner of a play-in game between Drake and Colorado State.

Should they get through the first round, they could potentially see a familiar foe of a few years ago with No. 4 seed Villanova. The top-3 seeds in the region are No. 1 Michigan, No. 2 Alabama and No. 3 West Virginia. The interesting aspect there, of course, is that the Sooners already beat the Crimson Tide this season and also knocked off the Mountaineers twice.

So, all things considered this really isn’t the worst draw considering the clumsy way they have closed the season. While Villanova is a daunting No. 4 seed, Michigan still looks just a slight notch below both Gonzaga and Baylor and the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds would both be teams Oklahoma has shown they can beat.

That being said, the Sooners really need to find a way to pick up some wins in Kansas City this week to try and improve their placement as much as possible. Falling down into a No. 6 seed, or worse, is obviously something they need to find a way to avoid to try and make a run to at least the second week of the tournament. Once you get to the Sweet 16, all bets are off. It is about finding the easiest path to that point, which you get by improving your seed as much as possible.

Oklahoma will return to action in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament on Wednesday night against Iowa State.

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Former Oklahoma star Blake Griffin signs with Brooklyn Nets

Former Oklahoma Sooner Blake Griffin is going to sign with the Brooklyn Nets, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

One of the greatest basketball players in Oklahoma history is on the move in the NBA as six-time all-star Blake Griffin has cleared waivers and will sign with the Brooklyn Nets, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

Originally selected No. 1 overall in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers, Griffin spent his first eight professional seasons in Los Angles before being dealt to the Detroit Pistons in January of 2018. Earlier this month, his contract was bought out by the Pistons leaving him free to sign with anyone in the league, with most expecting him to join a contender.

That is precisely what he has done here, as he joins a Nets team that is absolutely loaded with stars and is among the favorites to win the title this summer. At 24-13, they currently sit in second place in the Eastern Conference and are just 1/2 game behind the Philadelphia 76ers for the top spot.

Griffin has had a prolific career but has battled lots of injuries over his NBA tenure. If he can remain healthy, he will surely be a key piece to what Brooklyn wants to do the rest of the season as they try to win a championship. This will certainly be the first time in his career that he will be this low on the star totem pole, as the Nets already provide an incredible trio of talent with Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving.

Perhaps a team with the ability to take some pressure and necessary workload off of him is just what Griffin needs to break through for that elusive deep postseason run. One thing for certain is that it will be fascinating to watch play out.

Currently on the all-star break, Brooklyn will take the floor next on Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. CT at home against the Boston Celtics.

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Three takeaways from Oklahoma’s 69-65 loss against Texas in Norman

Three immediate takeaways from Oklahoma’s 69-65 loss to Texas on Thursday night in Norman.

No. 16 Oklahoma was back at the Lloyd Noble Center for the final time this season on Thursday night against rival No. 15 Texas in a rematch of their game back in January. On that night, the Sooners upset the Longhorns in their place. In the rematch, it was a different story.

Texas absolutely thrashed Oklahoma inside creating a great deal of separation in the first half and early stages of the second. But, the Sooners would fight back to rally and take a lead led by the spark of Kur Kuath off the bench.

But, at the end of the game, the same issues that have plagued them in this losing skid reared their ugly head once again. The offense got stagnant, they couldn’t get stops when they needed to and just generally weren’t the better team when it mattered most.

Austin Reaves was the high-scorer for Oklahoma in the losing effort with 16 points on 4 of 12 shooting. The Longhorns had two 16-point scorers of their own with Andrew Jones and Jericho Sims.

The loss is the Sooners’ fourth straight and has them finish the regular season at 14-9 and in seventh place in the Big 12 standings. Here are three immediate takeaways from yet another close loss for Oklahoma:

It was a weird night for Kur Kuath

Kur Kuath has had an unusual season for Oklahoma this year, going from a starter to having his minutes severely cut down over the course of the last couple of months.

In this game, he inexplicably never saw the floor in the first half leaving many to assume he sustained some sort of injury. But then, suddenly, he entered the game in the second half and immediately picked up a huge block that brought the Lloyd Noble Center to life. He was the spark plug to a big Sooners run that helped them rally all the way to taking the lead.

Lon Kruger didn’t really shed any light postgame as to why it took so long for him to enter, leaving it largely a mystery as to where he stands going forward. Kruger did say that he was “great” in his minutes and stepped up big when the team needed to him.

It is very difficult to figure out what to make of anything regarding Kuath’s status on the team right now, but it is a storyline that is incredibly interesting and certainly something to keep an eye on moving forward. The impact he is capable of having when he is playing well is obvious, and he can be a really big asset to the team if he gets minutes and is at his best.

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Three takeaways from Oklahoma’s 79-75 loss against Oklahoma State in Stillwater

Three immediate takeaways from Oklahoma’s 79-75 loss to Oklahoma State on Monday night in Stillwater.

No. 16 Oklahoma had a quick turnaround after Saturday’s loss to rival Oklahoma State as they got back to the floor to see those same Cowboys again just over 48 hours later.

The first matchup was an overtime epic that will be remembered for a very long time, and while the rematch wasn’t quite to that level – it certainly was another thriller that provided plenty of drama.

While the Sooners did some really good things, and limited Cade Cunningham far better than the first game, it was still not enough with the Cowboys winning in Stillwater to sweep the season series.

The loss is Oklahoma’s third in a row and pins them at 14-8 on the season and looking for answers. Here are three immediate takeaways from the game:

Hello, Brady Manek

Brady Manek has had a disappointing year, there really isn’t any way around it. He has had flashes of the guy we are used to seeing in recent years, but for the most part that consistent three-point shot has really alluded him and kept him from having the impact he is capable of having.

Monday provided some shades of the Manek of old as he came out firing from deep and was simply huge for the Sooners in this game. His first half was especially vital as really the only consistent scoring option through the first 20 minutes of action.

He kept things rolling through the second half as well finishing things with 20 points on the evening, although did miss a key shot late that would have tied the game.

If Manek can build on this and play his best ball in the most important games the rest of the way, that is a gigantic plus for Lon Kruger’s squad.

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Oklahoma projected as No. 4 seed in latest bracketology after dropping last two games

Oklahoma comes in as a No. 4 seed in the latest USA TODAY Sports Bracketology after losing their last two games.

Oklahoma is coming off of one of their more shaky weeks of the entire season with losses each of the last two times out against Kansas State and Oklahoma State. The skid has dropped the Sooners down to No. 16 in the latest AP Poll going into the final week of regular season action.

Also taking a dip is their seed projection in the latest USA TODAY Sports Bracketology. A No. 3 seed for most of the last several weeks that was steadily climbing into the conversation for a possible No. 2 spot, Oklahoma is now saddled with a No. 4 seed in the East Region in the fresh projections.

The Sooners would be lined up against No. 13 seed UC-Santa Barbara in the first round with their potential second round opponent being the winner of the matchup between No. 5 Virginia and No. 12 Connecticut or Virginia Commonwealth (play-in game). While the drop in seed is obviously troubling going into the final games before Selection Sunday, Oklahoma would get the fortune of avoiding the big three teams in the country of Gonzaga, Michigan and Baylor if this was how the bracket shook out.

Illinois is the listed No. 1 seed in the East Region. So while the Sooners certainly don’t want a dip in their seed line, avoiding the the juggernauts of the top-3 teams in the country in their region may be worth the trade off.

Oklahoma will run it back with the No. 17 Cowboys tonight in Stillwater in a massive game with heavy tournament implications.

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

Everything you need to know before Oklahoma takes on Oklahoma State Monday night in Stillwater.

The Oklahoma Sooners (14-7, 9-6) are set to get right back to action on Monday night against Bedlam rival Oklahoma State (16-6, 9-6) in a rematch of their overtime epic on Saturday afternoon in Norman.

It doesn’t happen often in college basketball that two teams face one another in back-to-back games, let alone in-state rivals at a pivotal point in the season. If the Sooners want to find a way to make up for their loss in the first meeting, they will have to find a way to slow down Cowboys’ star Cade Cunningham.

On Saturday, Cunningham exploded for 40 points and was seemingly unstoppable down the home stretch of regulation and in the overtime period. Without much time to to find a way to keep him at bay, Lon Kruger and company will need to do just that this time around to try and get the road win.

What has been an incredible season for Oklahoma has hit its biggest rough patch at a pivotal time in the final days of the regular season. The Sooners have just two more games, including this one, to get things back on track before the Big 12 Tournament and selection Sunday.

For what is quite possibly the biggest game of Oklahoma’s season, here is everything you need to know:

WHEN:   8:00 p.m. CT

WHERE:   Stillwater, Oklahoma

HOW TO WATCH:   ESPN (Bob Wischusen & Fran Fraschilla)

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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Former Oklahoma star Buddy Hield makes NBA history with 1,000th three point shot

Former Oklahoma star Buddy Hield became the fastest in NBA history to 1,000 made three-pointers on Sunday night.

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Former Oklahoma star Buddy Hield has been a very solid NBA player over his first five professional seasons, but has largely flown under the radar of just how good he has really been.

On Sunday night, Hield hit a milestone that puts that on full display as he made his 1,000th career three-pointer, becoming the fastest player in league history to do so in terms of number of games played. He got there in just his 350th career game, which shattered the previous record held by Stephen Curry who did it in 369 games.

The record-breaking shot came off of a pass from teammate De’Aaron Fox in the middle of the third quarter of the Sacramento Kings’ game with the Charlotte Hornets.

Hield is the all-time leader in three-pointers made in Sooners basketball history by a wide margin making 349 of them over his four seasons in Norman, including an astonishing 147 knocked down in his senior year to help get Oklahoma to the Final Four in 2016. Of course, the team Twitter account was sure to congratulate the former Wooden Award winner.

Hield and his Kings will next be in action on Wednesday night at home against the Los Angeles Lakers at 9:00 p.m. CT.

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