Tag: Rivaldo Soares

Oklahoma Sooners preparing for the size of the Cincinnati Bearcats

The Sooners gear up for their final home game of the season against one of the biggest teams in the league.

The Oklahoma Sooners are just days removed from a hard-fought loss to the No. 1 ranked team, the Houston Cougars. Now, they finish off the regular season this week starting with a game Tuesday night vs. the [autotag]Cincinnati Bearcats[/autotag].

The Sooners defeated the Bearcats 69-65 on the road earlier in the season. That would probably be their best chance to get to 20 wins as they close the season on Saturday against a Texas Longhorns team that blew them out in Norman earlier in the year.

Porter Moser spoke about the challenges they’ll face against Cincinnati. “They are huge,” Moser said. “They can really block shots and guard. They’ve been one of the best defensive teams in the country and in our conference. They’re really physical. We just played physical guards in Houston, Iowa State, and it’s another one.”

Cincinnati’s size could play a big factor in this game. Even though Oklahoma won the first meeting, the Bearcats’ size really bothered them as they shot 41% from the field and had seven of their shots blocked. But the Sooners were able to out-rebound them, which was huge in a close back-and-forth game.

They are going to have to have that same defensive effort and effort inside if they want to come out with another win.

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‘They’re hurting’: Porter Moser on the mood in the locker room after tough loss to Houston

While there are no moral victories, Oklahoma can take a few positives away from their game vs. the Houston Cougars.

The Oklahoma Sooners followed up one of their worst performances of the season with one of their best performances in their two-point loss to the Houston Cougars.

The Sooners took the nation’s top team to the wire but ultimately lost to the Houston Cougars on a last-second shot. Still, there were a lot of positives to take away from the game. The Cougars have one of the best defenses in the country, and Oklahoma put up 85 points while shooting 52.7% from the field and hitting 12 threes.

Porter Moser spoke after the game about the mood in the locker room after a hard-fought loss. “It was a tough vibe in there,” Moser said. “It wasn’t like they were just happy to be close. I mean they fought their tales off. I thought they believed, their energy level, they made big plays obviously Houston made big plays as well. They’re hurting and that’s a good sign.”

There are no moral victories in sports but there are a lot of positives you can take away from this performance. This was the first time since probably the Iowa State game in Norman to start [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] play where the Sooners looked like the top 25 team they had been for most of the year. They also played great offense after really struggling in that aspect in conference play.

The question now is, did they play that well because they got up for a big game against the No. 1 team in the nation, or did they play that way because they are starting to turn a corner?

It won’t take long to find out. They play the Cincinnati Bearcats in Norman on Tuesday, and that’s absolutely a game they should win.

Even though the loss was heartbreaking, good teams find ways to take the positives out of it and build upon those. We’ll see what kind of team this year’s Oklahoma team is shortly.

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Oklahoma falls to No. 1 Houston 87-85 on last second jump shot by Jamal Shead

Oklahoma comes up short 87-85 in upset bid of No.1 Houston.

Oklahoma emptied the tank on Saturday evening before a packed-out Lloyd Noble Center as they took on the nation’s number one team, the Houston Cougars.

Though the Sooners failed to knock off yet another highly-ranked Big 12 foe on Saturday evening, there’s certainly no shame in the effort they put on the court.

Jamal Shead, one of the nation’s best players, sent the Sooner faithful home in disappointed after hitting a mid-range jump shot as the seconds ticked down to give the Cougars and former Oklahoma head coach [autotag]Kelvin Sampson[/autotag] the 87-85 win.

In what many figured would be a defensive, grind-it-out affair, the Sooners and Cougars exploded offensively from the opening tip throughout the contest.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair with threes raining from each side in a free-flowing game. OU was 7 of 13 from beyond the arc and 10 of 10 from the free throw line in the game’s first 20 minutes. Overall in the first half, they shot 14 of 28 from the field, while Houston shot 67% percent in the first half.

Rivaldo Soares led the way with 10 points on 3 of 3 shooting and 3 of 3 from the charity stripe. Sam Godwin added eight of his team-leading 17 points.

Houston adjusted at the break before racing out to a 56-47 lead before pushing it out to 63-51with over 13 minutes left.

The Sooners responded to fight back into the game with clutch shooting and timely stops. With the Sooners down 85-82, Sam Godwin was fouled. He made the first of two free throws, but the rebound was saved by point guard Milos Uzan. After a timeout, the Sooners scored off the ensuing inbound pass on a nifty drive to the cup by [autotag]Javian McCollum[/autotag].

On the Cougars’ final possession, Oklahoma got the initial stop, but Shead collected his own rebound from the scrum and hit the buzzer beater to end the Sooners’ upset bit.

The Sooners had five players finish in double figures while shooting over 50% from the field and 40% from three.

Houston will head to Orlando to take on UCF Wednesday evening.

The Sooners will host Cincinnati on Tuesday at 7 p.m. for their final Big 12 home game before heading on the road to face Texas in Austin on the final day of the regular season.

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How to watch, key players for Oklahoma Sooners vs. No. 1 Houston Cougars

Here is how you can watch the Oklahoma Sooners’ upcoming game against the Houston Cougars.

The Oklahoma Sooners return home after a terrible trip to Ames, Iowa where they were smothered by the [autotag]Iowa State Cyclones[/autotag]’ defense. Now, they return to Norman to face the top team in the country.

There is a fun storyline to follow in this one. [autotag]Kelvin Sampson[/autotag] returns to Norman for the first time since leaving after the 2005-2006 season. Sampson finished with a 279-109 record in Norman and is probably the second-best coach in OU men’s basketball history. He won three consecutive conference tournament titles and made the Final Four and the Elite 8 during his time.

Now, he brings his [autotag]Houston Cougars[/autotag] team and smothering defense to Norman, looking to wrap up the [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] regular season title in their first year in the conference soon.

So, let’s look at some key players and how you can watch the game.

Rivaldo Soares returns from injury, comes up big for the Oklahoma Sooners

Rivaldo Soares once again steps up big for the Sooners after a week of uncertainty.

You could argue since the game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders, no one is playing better for the Oklahoma Sooners than [autotag]Rivaldo Soares[/autotag].

Off the bench, Soares is averaging 13.9 points per game, 68.1% from the field, 61.1% from three and five rebounds in that seven-game stretch. It just shows how big it was to not have him in their last game against the Kansas Jayhawks after he suffered an injury late in the Baylor game. There were even some questions if he would even be able to go against Oklahoma State.

Soares talked about what the week was like for him to get ready. “I got with my trainers, strength coach and just did a whole lot of treatment,” Soares said. “Some days I did more treatment sessions than I had meals. I think that was the first collegiate game I missed in my career. I didn’t want to miss it so I definitely didn’t want to miss another one. It was just grinding to get back. I just tweaked it (in the first half) real quick. I felt some discomfort. I subbed out, kept it moving and I was good to go back in.”

Sooners are thankful he did. He finished with 20 points on 7 of 9 shooting and 3 of 3 from three. 14 of those points came in the second half as the Sooners were working back from ann eight-point halftime deficit and in overtime. If he can keep this up, he’ll play a huge role to keep the Sooners dancing in March.

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Javian McCollum’s shot might have saved Oklahoma’s season

Javian McCollum might have hit the biggest shot in recent Oklahoma Sooners memory.

No matter what [autotag]Javian McCollum[/autotag] does the rest of his career at Oklahoma, he will forever be engrained in Oklahoma basketball lore.

In Saturday’s game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the final [autotag]Bedlam [/autotag]game at Gallagher-Iba Arena, McCollum ripped the hearts out of the Oklahoma State faithful in cold-blooded fashion.

Oklahoma struggled early in the game and were down eight at halftime. But they put together a big second half. [autotag]Javon Small[/autotag] who is one of the best free throw shooters in the conference missed the front end of a one-and-one with about four seconds left which sent it to overtime.

That’s when the McCollum show started. After a timeout with nearly 13 seconds left, McCollum got the inbounds. It looked like the Sooners were a little confused about what the play was so McCollum made some magic happen. After a couple of hesitation dribbles, he tried to go to the basket but was cut off, dribbled it back out past the three-point line near the corner, sidestepped and buried the three to win Bedlam, silencing the crowd.

McCollum broke down the feeling of hitting that shot after the game.

“The feeling was great,” McCollum said. “To know that my teammates and coaches trust me in that moment. But as I said, we had a couple of big plays before that. Waldo (Rivaldo Soares) hit a big three, Otega had an and one and Los (Milos Uzan) came down and hit an and one. It was a whole bunch adding up to it, I just hit the shot.”

That win helped the Sooners sweep the Cowboys in their final year in the Big 12 conference. It’s the first time they’ve done that since the 2018-2019 season.

That also gets Oklahoma to 19 wins and puts them in prime position to make the [autotag]NCAA Tournament[/autotag]. A loss could have greatly affected their chances of making the tournament. So, McCollum’s shot could have saved the season and that’s why he’ll live in the lure of not only Oklahoma basketball but in the history of the Bedlam rivalry.

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Best photos from Oklahoma Sooners men’s basketball’s overtime win over Oklahoma State

A look at the best photos from the Oklahoma Sooners dramatic overtime win over the Oklahoma State Cowboys in Bedlam.

If that was the last time the Oklahoma Sooners and the Oklahoma State Cowboys meet on the hardwood, the two sides played a classic.

The second leg of this season’s edition of Bedlam looked like it might go to the hometown team in Stillwater. The Sooners trailed by as much as 11 points and were down 38-30 at halftime.

But they battled in the second half and were able to push the game to overtime. And that’s when the magic happened.

With time running out in overtime, Javian McCollum hit a stepback three at the buzzer to give the Sooners the win and sweep Bedlam in the 2023-2024 season.

The win pushed their record to 19-8 on the season and 7-7 in Big 12 play with four games to go.

Here are the best photos from Oklahoma’s 84-82 win over the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

Three takeaways from Oklahoma’s 84-82 overtime thrilling win to complete Bedlam sweep

Three takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners buzzer beater overtime win over Oklahoma State.

Saturday could have been a bad day for the Oklahoma Sooners men’s basketball team. For 90% of the game, things weren’t looking great for the Sooners. But somehow, with time dwindling in the second half, Oklahoma fought back to force overtime.

In the extra period, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State went back and forth. As the seconds ticked of the clock and the teams exchanged and-ones, OU found a two-point lead with 1:51 left.

John-Michael-Wright’ rained down a 3-pointer, put Oklahoma State back in front 82-81 with just seconds remaining.

After a timeout, Porter Moser tried to draw up something to get Javian McCollum to the rim. The Cowboys’ defense was stout and McCollum was forced into a step-back three, which he buried as time expired, sealing the season sweep in Bedlam.

They avoided a devastating blow to their NCAA Tournament chances with the win.

It was massive and will go down in Oklahoma basketball history because of the shot and what the win means to the Bedlam rivalry. With that said, here are three takeaways from Oklahoma’s victory over Oklahoma State.

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 Sooners hope to get two key reserves back soon

The Oklahoma Sooners were without two of their key role players but Moser hopes they can return soon.

The Oklahoma Sooners were without two of their key role players in their loss to the Kansas Jayhawks on Saturday. [autotag]Rivaldo Soares[/autotag] and [autotag]John Hugley[/autotag] both missed the game due to injury.

Hugley has missed the last two due to a knee injury and Soares rolled his ankle late in the second half vs. the Baylor Bears which forced him to miss the loss to Kansas as well. It couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Sooners.

Soares has arguably been the team’s best player in the last six games. He’s averaged 12.8 points per game on 65.8% from the field and 53.3% from 3 during that stretch.

Those two being out probably played a role in the team wearing out late in the game. Porter Moser talked about the impact it had on the team.

“It hurt,” Moser said. “I’m not going to say it’s an excuse for the game but those two guys are two of our better defensive rebounders. We didn’t have any defensive rebounds from our two 5s that played (Sam Godwin and Luke Northweather). We didn’t have one defensive rebound against that. So, it hurt with that.”

Moser said earlier last week he hopes to get both guys back sooner rather than later. Soares warmed up with the team before the game but ultimately didn’t play. It sounds like he’s closer to being able to play than Hugley is.

Now, the Sooners have a full week to get at least one and hopefully both back before playing their final [autotag]Bedlam[/autotag] game as [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] foes in Stillwater on Saturday.

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