Tag: Rivaldo Soares

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?

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 John on Twitter @john9williams.

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.

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.

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.

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 Bryant on Twitter @thatmanbryant.

How to watch, key players for No. 21 Oklahoma Sooners at No. 7 Kansas Jayhawks

Here is how you can watch Oklahoma’s upcoming game against the Kansas Jayhawks.

The Oklahoma Sooners are fresh off a blowout loss at the hands of the Baylor Bears on the road. Now, they return home against the [autotag]Kansas Jayhawks[/autotag].

The Jayhawks are also fresh off a blowout of their own losing earlier in the week by 29 points. This will mark the second time the Sooners have played Kansas this year and both games will follow a Jayhawks loss.

The Sooners could also be without [autotag]John Hugley IV[/autotag] and [autotag]Rivaldo Soares[/autotag] who are two of their key bench players. But if you aren’t able to make it out to the Lloyd Noble Center, let’s take a look at how you can watch the game and some key players.

Oklahoma Sooners dominated by Baylor Bears 79-62

Baylor drills Oklahoma 79-62 as Oklahoma also loses Rivaldo Soares to an ankle injury.

Oklahoma’s season has been rock solid for the most part. They entered Tuesday night well on pace for 20 wins and well-positioned for a return to the NCAA Tournament. After they went undefeated last week, the Sooners knew they would have a significant jump in competition this week, with games against Baylor and Kansas on deck.

The first of those daunting games saw them travel to Waco, Texas, on Tuesday night for the first time since Baylor opened their shiny new basketball arena. Things weren’t bad to start as the Sooners and Bears traded baskets and raced out to a 20-20 stalemate in the first half.

Javian McCollum, Sam Godwin, and Milos Uzan were the stars of the first half. According to the ESPN2 broadcast, Jalon Moore had been battling the flu before the game. To rub salt in the wound, John Hugley was announced as out because of a knee injury. Moore was taking longer than regular breaks, likely due to fatigue, so freshman Luke Northweather was first off the bench.

Rivaldo Soares continued his excellent run, leading the Sooners with 17 points.

With the score 20-20, Baylor went on a 20-7 run to close out the half, sparked by their suffocating defense and Baylor’s flurry of three-point jumpers. Jayden Nunn was the biggest culprit, with three triples during the Bears’ flurry, and added another two points to end the half.

Nunn and Baylor guard RayJ Dennis were dominant, and the Sooners had no answer as the duo combined for 26 of Baylor’s 40 first-half points.

The second half didn’t get any better. In fact, things got worse. The Sooners came out lifeless as Baylor pushed out to a 21-point lead, the largest deficit the Sooners have faced all year. Rivaldo Soares injured his ankle and had to leave the game with just five minutes remaining.

Baylor continued raining down three-pointers, making a total of 11, which would be the most the Sooners have allowed from distance all season long. Baylor finished the game shooting over 50 percent.

Oklahoma turned the ball over 12 times, which Baylor turned into 22 points. The Sooners could only turn five Bears turnovers into just six points. That was the story of the game for the Sooners.

All eyes now turn to the health of Rivaldo Soares, one of the most indispensable players on Oklahoma’s roster. His ascension has been a revelation, and he’s comfortably been the Sooners’ most important player for a month now.

OU will welcome Kansas to the Lloyd Noble Center at 3 p.m. Saturday for the final time as Big 12 foes. Both teams are banged up, but someone must win this game. Oklahoma will seek revenge for last month’s loss to the Jayhawks in Lawrence.

Baylor will head out to take on West Virginia on the road this Saturday.

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 Bryant on Twitter @thatmanbryant.

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.

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.

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.

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 Bryant on Twitter @thatmanbryant.

Oklahoma Sooners beat BYU 82-66 with strong second half performance

The Oklahoma Sooners picked up a huge bounceback win over the No. 19 ranked BYU Cougars.

Coming out of their loss to UCF, questions were once again beginning to mount as the Oklahoma Sooners fell out of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll and the AP top 25 for the first time in months.

Well, they bounced back from their lackluster performance against the Knights with a big 82-66 win over the No. 19 ranked (Coaches Poll) BYU Cougars.

In a game that was tied at halftime, the Oklahoma Sooners outscored the Cougars 48-32 and held BYU to 35.9% shooting in the game.

BYU, who was one of the more prolific offenses in the nation, were held under 70 points for just the fourth time this season. The Cougars also came into the game leading the Big 12 with 84.4 points per game. Oklahoma shot better from the field and from three-point range to earn the upset victory.

The Sooners shot just shy of 50% from the field in the win and were 9 of 26 from three for 34.6% on the evening.

[autotag]Javian McCollum[/autotag] led the way with 20 points on 5 of 11 shooting. He was just 2 of 8 from three, but was really good inside the three-point arch, going 3 of 3 and he was 8 of 8 from the free throw line.

[autotag]Milos Uzan[/autotag] chipped in 16 points, five rebounds, and four assists. [autotag]Jalon Moore[/autotag] added 11 points and six rebounds. Off the bench, [autotag]Rivaldo Soares[/autotag] continued his nice run of late with 12 points and six rebounds. [autotag]John Hugley[/autotag] also had a strong showing in his reserve role, with eight points and three boards.

Oklahoma won the rebounding battle but gave up five more offensive rebounds than the Cougars. The Sooners defense held BYU to just two second-chance points, highlighting a stellar defensive performance.

The win brings the Sooners even at 5-5 in Big 12 play and gives them another nice note for their NCAA tournament resume. They’re just two games out of first place in the conference but have to continue putting together performances like this one for a solid 40 minutes.

The Sooners did a fantastic job down the stretch, keeping in control and hitting their free throws when the referees began ushering players to the foul line. If they can continue to close games like that and provide that kind of defensive effort for a full game, they’ll have a chance to make some noise this spring.

The Oklahoma Sooners paid tribute to music icon and supporter Toby Keith by placing a guitar in the spot he occupied when attending Oklahoma Basketball games.

Feb 6, 2024; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; The Oklahoma Sooners pay respect to Toby Keith by placing a guitar, hat, and red solo cup in his seat before the start of a game against the Brigham Young Cougars at Lloyd Noble Center.  Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

Porter Moser shared in the postgame press conference just what Keith meant to him and even remarked that the players played in honor of Toby Keith in the win.

More: Sooner Nation pays tribute, mourns the loss of Toby Keith

 

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 John on Twitter @john9williams.

No. 11 Oklahoma loses hotly contested Big 12 class against No. 20 Texas Tech 85-84

Oklahoma’s free throw woes and inability to hold a lead haunt them as they lose a close game to Texas tech 85-84.

There are no days off for Big 12 basketball. Even the worst teams in the league will push any team to the brink. Saturday was just another day in the Big 12 as No. 11 Oklahoma and  No. 20 Texas Tech played a barn burner of a game in Norman, Oklahoma.

Unfortunately, the effort wasn’t enough for the Sooners, as Texas Tech outlasted them 85-84.

Texas Tech started strong, racing out to a 17-9 lead in the first half, forcing Porter Moser to call a timeout to settle his troops. The Sooners responded with a 12-0 run with much better defense and more fluidity offensively. From that point to halftime, the teams went back and forth. The Sooners went into the half with a one-point lead at 34-33, a carbon copy of what happened earlier in the week when they hosted their Red River rivals, Texas.

Oklahoma had a 22-17 rebound advantage into the break, led by Rivaldo Soares’ seven rebounds, which accompanied nine first-half points. Foul trouble, a common theme for Oklahoma in the first half of this season, persisted, as Sam Godwin, [autotag]Javian McCollum[/autotag], and Le’Tre Darthard all had two fouls.

The first 10 minutes saw both teams continue to trade blows. [autotag]Milos Uzan[/autotag], who, along with McCollum and Otega Oweh, shot a combined 3 for 16, came out from the locker room ready to ball. Uzan scored eight early points after the break, matching Texas Tech’s Chance McMillian’s eight. McMillian would have his best game as he posted 27 points.

With the game tied at 55, five straight points by Oweh, capped by a steal and dunk, helped spark a 13-4 Oklahoma run that had them up 68-59 with 7:30 left in the game. Texas Tech, led by McMillian, Pop Issacs, and West Virginia transfer Joe Toussiant, fought back to tie the game at 73 apiece.

Despite the Sooners fumbling the lead, they had their chance to tie the game and force overtime after Toussaint missed the second of two free throws with 17 seconds left to keep the score at 83-81. Uzan’s’ shot was too strong and clanged off the rim, allowing Isaacs to grab the board, hit free throws, and close the door on Oklahoma’s chances.

Texas Tech made more shots down the stretch and was significantly better at the free throw line, going 16 of 19 at the charity stripe to Olahoma’s 15 of 244 as Tech iced the game late.

Oklahoma was led in points by [autotag]Rivaldo Soares[/autotag] off the bench, who had 19 points and a team-leading ten rebounds. Oweh, Uzan, and Godwin also finished in double figures scoring.

OU (15-5, 3-4) will take their show on the road to Manhattan, Kansas, to take on Jerome Tang and his Kansas State Wildcats Tuesday night.

Texas Tech (16-3, 5-1) will go to Fort Worth to take on the TCU Horned Frogs. 

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 Bryant on Twitter @thatmanbryant.

Oklahoma Sooners find the right pieces in the Transfer Portal

The Sooners have been one of the Transfer Portal success stories so far in college basketball this season.

The transfer portal era has created both positive and negative consequences for college sports. The good thing is it’s made it so that teams can plug some holes they have going into the next season. It also gives players an alternate avenue if their current situation isn’t working out.

But that can also be a bad thing. It also teaches players if things don’t work out, don’t wait it out and try to improve. Just hit the portal. Several teams have had to rely on the portal. Since [autotag]Porter Moser[/autotag] took over at Oklahoma, they’ve been one of those teams.

But they hadn’t had much success with the portal until this season. The additions of [autotag]Javian McCollum[/autotag], [autotag]Le’Tre Darthard[/autotag], [autotag]Rivaldo Soares[/autotag], [autotag]John Hugley IV[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalon Moore[/autotag] have seemed to fit perfectly.

Moser shared Monday about why they’ve had so much success this season. “Javian, we really needed speed, shooting at that guard spot,” Moser said. “We needed some older big wings that could defend physically against higher level athletes, Rivaldo Soares and Le’Tre Darthard. John gives us a big physical presence. So, we did well in the portal by getting the needs we have and I don’t think that you could look further than the Big 12 at a league that has done the same.

The Sooners hit a home run with their portal class. It’s a credit to him and his staff for the evaluations they did on these players and knowing they could fit together. Which has brought winning basketball back to the Lloyd Noble Center.

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.