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In the blink of an eye, Oklahoma went from No. 24 all the way up to No. 9 in Monday’s AP Poll. Here’s one person that saw it coming.
That was fast.
In the blink of an eye, Oklahoma went from unranked to No. 24 and now all the way up to No. 9 in Monday’s AP Poll. The Sooners will now be the higher ranked team in Monday night’s road matchup with No. 13 Texas Tech. Continue reading “Oklahoma basketball ranks sixth in adjusted shot quality”
In the latest Bracketology from ESPN, the Oklahoma Sooners team rose to the No. 6 ranking after defeating Kansas and Texas this past week.
The Oklahoma Sooners basketball team led by head coach Lon Kruger has had quite the week of basketball. On Saturday, they will play the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Big 12-SEC Challenge. This comes off the heels of back-to-back top 10 upsets of the Kansas Jayhawks and Texas Longhorns. They held on late to defeat their bitter rivals to the tune of 80-79.
Two monstrous victories for the program that have helped elevate them in the latest ESPN Bracketology. In the most recent update, the Sooners were projected as the last four in. This would have put them in a play-in game against North Carolina for the No. 11 seed in the tournament. However, this is an ever-changing situation as the season progresses. Oklahoma finds itself on the rise.
The Sooners remain in region two but they are now listed as the No. 6 seed and would draw Rutgers as their first opponent. The winner of that game would move on to the round of 32 against the winner of Missouri and Grand Canyon. The Baylor Bears would remain in region two as the top seed. The Bears are the only other Big 12 school in region two.
Joining Oklahoma and Baylor in the tournament:
This would put seven of the ten schools from the conference in the NCAA Tournament. Quite frankly this might be the basketball conference in all of college basketball.
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The Oklahoma Sooners currently sits at 3-3 in conference play and 7-4 overall. ESPN recently placed them last four in for the NCAA tourney.
Much like the college football season, basketball is seeing the same level of disruptions. If not more so given the number of games they will play this season. The latest bracketology from ESPN has broken down a field of 68, 48, and 16. The hope that the full field will be available, but this will be a fluid situation.
Lon Kruger’s Oklahoma Sooner squad was listed among the last four in along with North Carolina, Brigham Young, and Stanford. The Sooners are coming off a blowout victory over the TCU Horned Frogs. They evened up their Big 12 record at three games apiece and improved to 7-4 overall. There will be ample time ahead for Oklahoma to enhance their resume.
The current matchup for Oklahoma would pit them against North Carolina to be the No. 11 seed in region two. That winner would then move on to face the No. 6 Connecticut Huskies in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. The Baylor Bears would be the only other Big 12 team in their bracket if the tournament began today.
The Sooners have Kansas State and their rematch with Kansas coming up next before heading to Austin for their first shot at Texas this season. Not much room for rest on the loaded Big 12 men’s basketball schedule with five teams in the top 25.
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Just a day after former UNT guard Umoja Gibson made the Sooners his new home, Cal State-Northridge guard Elijah Harkless did the same.
Transfer quarterbacks and transfer guards always seem to find their way to Norman, Okla.
New beginning’s lets GO!!!‼️ pic.twitter.com/8hOGXqDABy
— Ejay (@ejay_hoops2) April 14, 2020
Just a day after former North Texas guard Umoja Gibson made the Sooners his new home, Cal State-Northridge guard Elijah Harkless did the same.
Harkless, a 6-foot-4 guard from Rialto, California, played two seasons for the Matadors averaging 8.3 points and 2.6 assists per game in his 50 appearances.
Looking to fill what Jamal Bieniemy is leaving behind with his recent entrance into the transfer portal, Lon Kruger gained back the production, at least on paper with the signing of Harkless and Gibson.
Aside from his offensive numbers, Harkless hauled in nearly five boards a game (4.6) during his stint with Cal State-Northridge.
Putting up a career-high 30-points this past season against UC Irvine, Harkless, much like the rest of Oklahoma’s current roster, is a viable threat to go off and take over a game when need be.
Oklahoma currently has one final scholarship remaining for the 2019-20 season after taking on Gibson and Harkless this week. Where they will go with that scholarship is yet to be seen.
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With an abrupt finish to the college basketball season, those eligible to transfer are already planning their futures.
With an abrupt finish to the college basketball season, those eligible to transfer are already planning their futures.
Louisville graduate transfer Darius Perry was contacted by a slew of teams per Rivals insider Corey Evans.
Arizona State, Wichita State, Oregon, Alabama, Oklahoma, and Iowa State are among the group that have placed a phone call in this evening for Louisville grad-transfer Darius Perry, a source tells @RivalsPortal
— Corey Evans (@coreyevans_10) March 17, 2020
The Louisville guard was in talks with Oklahoma as well as others as to where he should play his last year of collegiate ball. Perry made his announcement to leave Louisville public on Monday night via Twitter.
I just want to thank the city of Louisville for everything. Greatest fans ever and some of the greatest people ever. Love everybody and I’m going to miss it there. I have made the decision to enter the transfer portal and open up my recruiting I wish Louisville the best ❤️❤️
— Darius Perry (@dariusperry) March 17, 2020
A 6-foot-2, 195-pound class of 2017 guard, Perry was a four-star recruit coming out of high school per Rivals. The Marietta, Ga. (Wheeler High School), native closed his high-school career as the No. 98 ranked player in the nation before heading to Louisville.
In 100 games with the Cardinals, Perry averaged 16.6 minutes per game, 4.8 points per game, 1.4 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game while shooting 36.4% from behind the arc.
With Alondes Williams, De’Vion Harmon, Kur Kuath, and Jalen Hill being the only ones to come off the bench consistently, Perry could be a welcomed addition for some added depth.
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Less than 24 hours after Trae Young dropped 26 points and 16 rebounds against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena…
Less than 24 hours after Trae Young dropped 26 points and 16 rebounds against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, he watched his alma mater and some former teammates squeak one out against Mississippi State, 63-62.
With less than 15 seconds left, Oklahoma had to lock down the Bulldogs one last time to preserve their one-point lead and secure their thirteenth win of the season. Yet again, the Sooners defense came through big time with Jamal Bieniemy pressuring up the court and Kristian Doolittle defending Nick Witherspoon’s game-winning attempt just enough to force a miss, giving Oklahoma the win.
However, it was Alondes Williams who stole the show. Williams set a new career-high in points with 13 points, 10 of which came in the second half. Sparking the Sooners in the second half, Williams scored five points in 19 seconds, capped off with an emphatic fast-break two-handed slam.
“It was amazing,” Williams told reporters through a smile, reminiscing about the dunk that brought the ‘Peake to their feet.
Brady Manek said post-game that the outburst “…was a game-changer,”
The burst of effort from a bench player was exactly what Oklahoma needed to get them through a grinder of a game against an evenly matched Mississippi State team.
However, just as much as the Sooners stopped them, the Bulldogs got in their own way early and often. Easily Mississippi State’s best player and biggest advantage size-wise Reggie Perry picked up three fouls before 10 minutes could tick off the first-half clock. The 6-foot-10, 250-pound center being benched for much of the first half allowed the Sooners to take advantage before the half, building a 15-point lead before taking an 8-point lead into the locker room. Perry did not foul out but was very much missed by the Bulldogs due to a lack of minutes played to keep him from picking up five fouls.
The win gives Oklahoma a 5-2 record in the Big12/SEC Challenge and the school’s fifth straight win in NBA arenas.
Oklahoma gets back to Big 12 Conference play on Wednesday when they head up to Kansas State (8-5, 5-4). The Broadcast can be watched via Big 12 NOW on ESPN+.
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