Catcher Easton Carmichael named Co-Big 12 Player of the Week

Sophomore catcher Easton Carmichael named Big 12 Co-Player of the Week after an incredible four game performance.

It was an electric week for sophomore catcher Easton Carmichael. His production at the plate earned Carmichael Big 12 Co-Player of the Week honors.

Oklahoma went undefeated last week, and Carmichael was pivotal in the Sooners efforts. He hit .615 with four extra-base hits, including two home runs and eight RBIs.

The sophomore went 8-for-13, scoring eight runs, drawing three walks, and even stealing a base for good measure. He also struck out only one time during that impressive run.

On Sunday, he went yard to put the run rule into effect and end the Sooners’ sweep of new Big 12 foe UCF early in the seventh inning.

He’ll split this award with Texas designated hitter Max Belyeu.

Carmichael is the first Oklahoma Sooner to win a Player of the Week award since his brother, Braden, did it last season as Pitcher of the Week.

Carmichael has recorded a multi-hit game for the Sooners in four of the last six games. He’s now batting .472, good for second in the Big 12, while slugging .755, good for fifth. Carmichael is fifth in OPS, fourth in doubles, and tenth in runs batted in.

Carmichael will look to continue his hot campaign this week as Oklahoma plays Oklahoma State and Texas-Arlington and has a weekend series in Fort Worth against a ranked TCU squad.

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Sooners No. 9 in The Oklahoman’s Big 12 basketball power rankings

The Sooners still have a lot to prove as the end of the season winds down, coming in at No. 9 in The Oklahoman’s latest Big 12 rankings.

The Oklahoma Sooners are entering the stretch run of the Big 12 basketball season. With five games left to play, the Sooners are one game under .500 in Big 12 play and 18-8 overall.

They’re in a good position to make the NCAA tournament. The Sooners are at No. 39 in NET Rating, which is a strong indicator that they’ll earn a berth in March Madness.

But they’ve still got a lot to prove if they want to grab a top-eight seed. In The Oklahoman’s latest Big 12 basketball power rankings from Jacob Unruh, the Sooners come in at No. 9.

Will a week off help the Sooners regain their footing? Rivaldo Soares getting healthy would be a big boost, especially with two tough road games on the schedule. – Unruh, The Oklahoman

One has to hope the time off gives [autotag]Rivaldo Soares[/autotag] and [autotag]John Hugley[/autotag] a chance to get closer to game. The two bench pieces have been key to the Sooners success this season.

While things haven’t gone smoothly over the last week, they can reset the narrative a bit with a win over Oklahoma State in Stillwater. Can the Sooners pull off the Bedlam sweep this Saturday before a stretch that features top 10 programs Iowa State and Houston?

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Oklahoma runs out of gas in the second half as they fall to No. 6 Kansas 67-57

No. 25 Oklahoma falls 67-57 against No. 6 Kansas as the Jayhawks sweep the season series.

No. 25 Oklahoma entered Saturday with a chance to earn their third win against a top-25 opponent. Instead, they came up short as Bill Self and his sixth-ranked Kansas Jayhawks completed the season sweep of the Oklahoma Sooners 67-57.

Oklahoma entered the day with severe doubt that two trusted rotation members would play. [autotag]Rivaldo Soares[/autotag] twisted his ankle in the second half of the Sooners’ 79-62 loss at Baylor on Tuesday after leading the team in scoring with 17 points.

[autotag]John Hugley[/autotag] IV injured his knee against Oklahoma State last Saturday and didn’t even travel for OU’s game vs. the Bears.

Soares tested his ankle pregame but ended up not playing, and he and Hugley were sorely missed.

Oklahoma started Javian McCollum, Milos Uzan, Otega Oweh, Sam Godwin, and Jalen Moore. They raced out to a double-digit first-half lead behind hot shooting and terrific defense on Kansas forward Kevin McCullar Jr., who was returning from an injury. Jalon Moore led the way with 13 of his team-high 17 points. Milos Uzan was aggressive and added 8 points, while McCollum contributed six.

Kansas pushed back towards the end of the half to cut Oklahoma’s lead to 5 at the break. OU entered the locker room up 34-29 after an excellent all-around first half minus 3/8 free throw shooting in the first half.

The second half started, and Kansas began to find themselves.

Kansa and OU played a close game with the game tied on a number of occasions before Hunter Dickinson found McCullar for a three-pointer that gave KU its first lead since 5-4. Kansas would go on a 14-4 run and would not look back.

Oklahoma continued to fight, but their first-half shooting cooled dramatically as they shot 3 of 19 from the field in the second half. The Sooners’ inability to stop Kansas in the half-court, specifically Hunter Dickinson, doomed the them despite having a five-point halftime lead.

Javian McCollum was 3 of 6 from three and finished with 15 points.

Hunter Dickinson posted a 20-point, 16-rebound double-double to set the tone for the Jayhawks. Freshman Johnny Furphy added 15 points on 5/8 shooting with three makes from distance to help his team.

For Oklahoma, the Sooners will have the week off and not play until next Saturday when they make their final Big 12 visit to Stillwater in basketball to wrap up the Bedlam season series.

Kansas will host Texas next Saturday back home in Allen Fieldhouse.

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Sooners back into the top 25 of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

Oklahoma Sooners back into the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll after beating BYU Cougars and Oklahoma State.

The Oklahoma Sooners went through a tough stretch, losing four of six, dropping them out of the top 25 in both the USA TODAY Sports Coaches and AP Polls.

But they’ve rebounded in a strong way, winning three of their last four, including a 20-point win over Kansas State and 16-point win over top-20 ranked BYU Cougars.

They’re coming off of a tough, gritty win over Oklahoma State and are now 18-6 on the season and looking like a shoe-in for the NCAA tournament.

After falling out of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, the Oklahoma Sooners jumped back in, moving all the way to No. 21 in the nation ahead of a tough stretch. Over the next five games, they’ll play No. 13 Baylor, No. 7 Kansas, Oklahoma State, No. 10 Iowa State, and No. 3 Houston. They’ll then close the season at home against Cincinnati and at Texas.

While it’s a tough slate, the strength of their schedule should be looked upon favorably by the tournament committee. If they can come away from their final seven games with a winning record, that’ll fortify their resume ahead of the Big 12 tournament and March Madness.

A look at the full Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports:

Rank Team Record Points Change
1 UConn 22-2 792 (24)
2 Purdue 22-2 776 (8)
3 Houston 21-3 722 +2
4 Marquette 18-5 647 +3
5 North Carolina 19-5 643 -2
6 Arizona 19-5 642 +2
7 Kansas 19-5 635 -3
8 Duke 18-5 529 +2
9 Tennessee 17-6 524 -3
10 Iowa State 18-5 510 +4
11 South Carolina 21-3 475 +9
12 Auburn 19-5 421 -1
13 Baylor 17-6 402
14 Illinois 17-6 356 -2
15 Alabama 17-7 337 +1
16 Creighton 17-7 242 +2
17 BYU 17-6 202 +2
18 Dayton 19-4 195 -1
19 St Mary’s 20-6 185 +7
20 Kentucky 16-7 136 -5
21 Wisconsin 16-8 117 -12
21 Oklahoma 18-6 117 +10
23 Virginia 19-5 109 +7
24 Indiana State 22-3 106 +3
25 Colorado State 19-5 96 +4

Schools Dropped Out

No. 21 Utah State; No. 22 Florida Atlantic; No. 23 Texas Tech; No. 24 San Diego State; No. 25 New Mexico

Others Receiving Votes

Utah State 94; Texas Tech 89; Florida Atlantic 63; Clemson 38; Gonzaga 35; San Diego State 34; Nevada 27; TCU 20; Washington State 18; Grand Canyon 13; Texas A&M 9; New Mexico 8; Florida 8; Northwestern 6; South Florida 5; Wake Forest 4; VCU 4; Michigan State 4; James Madison 3; Richmond 1; App State 1

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Bench steps up in Oklahoma Sooners win over Oklahoma State

Le’Tre Darthard hit two huge threes and helped lead Oklahoma to a big win.

The Oklahoma Sooners capped off a massive week by going 2-0 with a win over the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the final home Bedlam game as conference opponents. It was an ugly game for the Sooners, but sometimes you have to win ugly.

It was tied at four nearly seven minutes into the game. But then the Sooners found their rhythm offensively. They ended up shooting 45.7% from the field and 39.1% from three, but once again, they were poor from the foul line. They went 15 of 24 (62.5%), which is really what kept Oklahoma State in the game, or this one could have been a blowout.

The biggest plays of the game might have been two [autotag]Le’Tre Darthard[/autotag] threes. One was in the final seconds before halftime. The other hit the front of the rim, and bounced up and in, giving the Sooners a three-point lead with just over three minutes left in the game. The Sooners ultimately never gave the lead back.

Porter Moser spoke in his press conference about those two huge plays. “Even like at the end of the half,” Moser said. “What a veteran. We got a stop with seven seconds left and Waldo (Rivaldo Soares) got it, escaped dribbled, two dribbles up the sideline for a big three. Those are really good momentum turners right there.”

Those were massive shots from a guy many thought was getting too many minutes. But Darthard was massive for Oklahoma, going 3 of 4 from three and scoring nine points. They’ll need him and the other bench players to keep it up with a stretch of games against top 15 opponents coming up.

It starts with No. 13 Baylor on Tuesday night.

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Oklahoma outlasts Oklahoma State in first round of Bedlam 66-62

Oklahoma staves off an upset attempt from their Bedlam rivals and win 66-62.

Since taking the head coaching job at Oklahoma, Bedlam has been unkind to Porter Moser. He entered Saturday’s matchup just 1-4 against the Cowboys. For stretches of Saturday’s rock fight of a basketball game, it looked like Oklahoma State could give him a fifth loss.

Yet, when things settled, the Oklahoma Sooners came out on top with a 66-62 win.

Mike Boynton and his Oklahoma State Cowboys entered the day 10-13 overall, and their 2-8 record in conference play was dead last in the Big 12. However, from the opening eight minutes Oklahoma had its hands full.

When the first media timeout rolled around, the teams were tied 4-4, and both were shooting under 20 percent.

Oklahoma’s defense was rock solid in the first half, and they never allowed the Cowboys to shoot better than 25%. A big-time three from Le’Tre Darthard, who had a team-high +7 and was 3 of 4 from three, helped Oklahoma into the break with a 31-26 lead. Otega Oweh finished the first half with three fouls and OU’s eight turnovers helped keep the Cowboys in the game.

Things didn’t improve at the start of the second half, as three technicals and a flagrant foul by John Hugley IV allowed Oklahoma State to hang around. The Sooners never shot the ball well enough to pull away, and Oklahoma State was rock solid from the free-throw line, going 21 of 28 compared to Oklahoma’s 15 of 24.

After Oklahoma fell behind 56-52, the Sooners went on a 9-0 run to push out to a five-point lead with a few minutes remaining. The Sooners finished strong and closed out a game they couldn’t afford to lose.

Jalon Moore was stellar, contributing 15 points, eight rebounds, and four blocks. He was the only Sooner in double figures. Rivaldo Soares and Milos Uzan both had eight. Hugley and Javian McCollum added seven points a piece

Oklahoma’s attention turns to a massive trip to Waco, Texas, on Tuesday to take on the Baylor Bears. The Sooners are now 18-6 on the season and 6-5 in Big 12 play.

Oklahoma State will have the week off and not play until next Saturday when they host No. 21 BYU.

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How to watch, key players for Oklahoma Sooners vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys

The Sooners are back in action for round one of Bedlam against the Oklahoma State Cowboys and this is how you can watch the game.

The Oklahoma Sooners got a massive must-win game vs. the BYU Cougars on Tuesday. Now, they face their in-state rival in round one of [autotag]Bedlam[/autotag] against the [autotag]Oklahoma State Cowboys[/autotag].

This is another one you just have to win. Not because you are still reeling but because this is a home game against the last-place team in the conference. This is just a game simply Oklahoma cannot lose.

Also, this is the last few times you get to play Oklahoma State for the foreseeable future so you want to get bragging rights.

So, let’s take a look at how you can watch the game as well as some key players for both teams.

‘I’m disappointed’: Porter Moser not happy with Oklahoma’s performance vs. Texas

Sooner fans were out in support but Oklahoma didn’t take advantage in the loss to Texas.

Since arriving in Norman, [autotag]Porter Moser[/autotag] has made it his mission to fill the stands and rebuild this program. Moser got his wish on Tuesday as the Oklahoma Sooners had one of their better crowds in recent memory.

The issue is it seems like every time fans come out and support the team, they don’t reward them with good basketball. That happened once again as they suffered another loss to their bitter rival, the Texas Longhorns. The Sooners have lost six straight to Texas, including five straight at home. Moser hasn’t beat Texas since taking over and is also 1-4 vs. the [autotag]Oklahoma State Cowboys[/autotag].

More: Social Media Reacts: 2nd half struggles, officiating doom Sooners.

Moser spoke after the game about letting down the crowd. “I’m disappointed,” Moser said. “I’m disappointed because the fans were awesome. I worked my ass off to get people here and that’s on me. We’re thinking about the race here. Obviously, we didn’t play to our standard. You’ve got to give them credit. But, it starts with me. I put that team out there today and I thought that we were ready and we looked tired in the second half.”

That last part is the worry going forward. This conference is a grind. You don’t get an easy game to recover. So, if you are already tired this early into the slate, it could get really ugly if you aren’t able to pick yourself up. That’s going to be the challenge for Moser and his staff going forward. They’ll have a top 25 matchup with Texas Tech this Saturday to bounce back.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Jaron on Twitter @JaronSpor.

Updated Big 12 Men’s Basketball Standings

Updated Big 12 standings.

The Big 12 has been a gauntlet this season. Even the highest-ranked teams in the conference have had their struggles, especially when going on the road.

Houston, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Baylor, the league’s four highest-ranked teams, have are a combined 12-8 this season. Houston is one of four teams in the conference without a road win.

It’s tough to win games in the best basketball conference in the country, especially on the road, where teams are a combined 10-25 this season.

Seven teams are currently within one game of first place in the conference and 13 of the 14 teams are within two games of first place in the Big 12. It’s going to be a wild six weeks in conference play and the Big 12 tournament is going to be must-see television.

Here’s a look at the latest Big 12 standings.

Oklahoma State QB Alan Bowman to return for a seventh year

Bowman is returning for another run at the Big 12 title.

Cam Rising, Tyler Shough, and Alan Bowman were all quarterbacks who were part of the 2018 recruiting class. Bowman became the latest of the three to announce they would return for a seventh season of college football.

In 2018 Rising signed with Texas before transferring to Utah. Shough was originally with Oregon before transferring to Texas Tech and more recently to Louisville. Bowman started with Texas Tech before a stop in Michigan and then Oklahoma State last season. Bowman hopes to finish what he started in 2023, just falling short of a Big 12 championship.

Bowman announced on X (formerly Twitter), that he just received word that he was granted another year of eligibility.

“Just want to say thanks to all my Oklahoma State teammates, the coaches and fans for helping make the 2023 season the most fun I’ve ever had playing football. Bowman continued, “That said, I just heard back that I was granted another year of eligibility, and we have unfinished business. I love Stillwater and this program, so I’ll be back in 2024 to make a championship run. Go Pokes!”

Oklahoma State finished 10-4 and 7-2 in Big 12 play this past season. Along with Bowman, the Cowboys will have Doak Walker Award winner Ollie Gordon II as well. That is a great start for the 2024 campaign in the new-look conference.

The Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners will officially leave for the SEC on July, 1, when the Big 12 will officially welcome the Arizona Wildcats, Arizona State Sun Devils, Colorado Buffaloes, and Utah Utes. Depending on the schedule, we could see Cam Rising and the Utes face off against fellow seventh-year quarterback Alan Bowman and the Cowboys.