Tag: Rivaldo Soares

Oklahoma Sooners guards helping lead the way in resurgent season

The Sooners go as Milos Uzan and Javian McCollum go. So far they’ve been great for the Sooners this season.

The Oklahoma Sooners might be the surprise of the [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] this season. They were great in nonconference and have gotten off to a great start in Big 12 play.

A big reason for their success in 2023-2024 has been their guard play.

[autotag]Javian McCollum[/autotag] and [autotag]Milos Uzan[/autotag] are the two who run the offense. [autotag]Otega Oweh[/autotag] is the one who seems to make the key play when they need it most. Teams have started to pick up on that and have tried their hardest to get the ball out of McCollum’s or Uzan’s hands.

Porter Moser met with the media on Monday and discussed how they’ve been able to manage the opposing team’s defensive approach. “I think they both understand that having each other is a positive,” Moser said. “It’s not all of the pressure on one guy handling it. Both guys are really good passers out of ball screens. Both of those guys can handle it and go downhill and create. To have multiple guys that can do that is huge. I thought Javian, every game in the Big 12, he’s getting more and more acclimated to the physicality.”

That last part has been key. In Moser’s previous two years, his guards have struggled with the physicality in the Big 12. Most notably last year. It’s why people have wanted to wait and see what happens with this year’s team.

So far, they’ve handled it really well, which has contributed to their 3-2 start in Big 12 play.

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.

‘I believe they’ll knock it down every time’: Milos Uzan has confidence in Le’Tre Darthard, Rivaldo Soares

RIvaldo Soares and Le’Tre Darthard play big off the bench for the Sooners.

Oklahoma Sooners’ bench has been up and down all season. They have a lot of veterans in reserve with a ton of experience, but it just hasn’t been consistent enough.

But this past week, the bench was very good for Oklahoma. [autotag]Rivaldo Soares[/autotag] averaged 10.5 points per game on 71.4% from the field and 60% from three. He also grabbed four boards a game. [autotag]Le’Tre Darthard[/autotag] also was pretty good. He averaged five points per game but shot 50% from both the field and from three, including two huge free throws to seal the game vs. Cincinnati.

Milos Uzan discussed how big it is when Soares and Darthard are hitting shots. “When everybody is making shots it makes us a lot better,” Uzan said. “I’ve got a lot of confidence in everybody. With Tre and Waldo, they are great shooters. When they’re set up and they’re feet are set, I believe they’ll knock it down every time.”

Now that they both have had a good week in Big 12 play, the Sooners are going to need more of that going forward. They can’t have the inconsistency they’ve had. The Sooners have two massive home games this week, one against their arch-rival and the other against a very good Texas Tech Red Raiders team who is 15-3  and 4-1 in Big 12 play.

The Red Raiders will also be coming off a week of rest as they don’t have an early week game. So, only time will tell if they can keep this momentum going.

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 Sooners bench plays big in win vs. West Virginia

Rivaldo Soares and the bench played huge in the Sooners win vs. West Virginia.

During Oklahoma Sooners’ two-game skid in conference play, a big critique of mine was how poorly the bench had played. Well, during Wednesday night’s win against the West Virginia Mountaineers, the bench rose to the occasion.

Oklahoma got 26 points from its bench, including 13 from [autotag]Rivaldo Soares[/autotag]. Soares came into the game having scored 13 points total in his last five games. But he showed up with an attacking mindset against West Virginia. He shot six free throws during the game, making five of them. He also went 2 of 3 from the three-point line.

Soares shared after the game about how important it is for the bench to play well, especially in [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] play. “At this point of the season, every team has it,” Soares said. “People start getting hurt, and you have to have some type of depth in order to be good. The teams that don’t really have a lot of depth tend to struggle toward the end of the season.”

The Sooners’ three main guys off the bench, Soares, [autotag]John Hugley IV[/autotag], and [autotag]Le’Tre Darthard[/autotag], average 22 points per game combined this season. But during their three losses, they averaged 11.3 points per game combined.

The Sooners will go as far as their bench can take them.

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.

‘It just keeps me going’: Rivaldo Soares finding multiple ways to impact the game

While his scoring may have not been there the past few games, Rivaldo Soares finds ways to impact the game.

While it’s been clear the Oklahoma Sooners need more production out of their bench, one player who hasn’t given them much from a scoring standpoint but has still made an impact is [autotag]Rivaldo Soares[/autotag]. Soares did finally have a big scoring night against the West Virginia Mountaineers.

He finished with 13 points, which led the bench unit for the Sooners, and was tied with Javian McCollum for second most on the team. But up to that point, his shot had been struggling. So, Soares has quietly become one of the better rebounders for the Sooners.

He’s averaged nearly six rebounds per game in [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] play. Soares spoke after the game about how important it is for not only him but his whole team to rebound at a high level.

“Getting in there and getting some offensive rebounds, like I said last game, it just keeps me going, gets me going,” Soares said. “The free throw line keeps me going. (My) energy stays high and it’s been our mantra all year. “DCO,” defense creates offense. Grab that rebound and go.”

While the Sooners need the points from their bench like they got vs. the Mountaineers, having someone like Soares be able to impact the game when his shot isn’t falling is still big for the team going forward.

They will need that effort as they hit the road this Saturday against the [autotag]Cincinnati Bearcats[/autotag]. In the last 14 Big 12 games, 11 of them have been won by the home team. So, it doesn’t get any easier as the season goes on.

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 Sooners beat West Virginia Mountaineers 77-63

The Oklahoma Sooners improved to 14-3 on the season and 2-2 in Big 12 play with a 77-63 win over West Virginia.

The Oklahoma Sooners bounced back from their 0-2 road swing with a 77-63 win over the West Virginia Mountaineers Wednesday night in the Lloyd Noble Center.

The Sooners and the Mountaineers traded baskets early on, but West Virginia was able to pull ahead for a six point lead in a low-scoring first half. Oklahoma responded over an 8-0 run to take a 20-18 lead at the 4:54 mark of the first half. And they wouldn’t trail for the remainder of the game.

The Sooners did a fantastic job on the defensive end of the floor, holding West Virginia’s leading scorer in check throughout. RaeQuan Battle came into the game averaging 20 points per game and shooting 42.7% from the field. Oklahoma held him to 12 points on 4 of 13 shooting and 2 of 8 from three-point range.

West Virginia had a decent night shooting, but the Sooners dominated the glass, outrebounding the Mountaineers 33-19 and 10-3 on the offensive boards. WVU also had 16 turnovers, which the Sooners turned into 16 points in the win.

It was a fantastic night for [autotag]Jalon Moore[/autotag] who led the way with 16 points on 7 of 11 shooting. Moore added five rebounds and two assists in the big-time performance. Along the way, he had several moments that were Sportscenter Top 10 worthy.

With just over six minutes to play in the first half and the Sooners trailing by four, Moore took a pass at the top of the key before driving down the lane to deliver a thunderous slam over a WVU defender.

Later in the game, after the Mountaineers switched to a 2-3 zone, Milos Uzan found Moore on the backside cut for the highlight reel alley-oop.

Three other Sooners scored in double-figures in the win. [autotag]Javian McCollum[/autotag] and [autotag]Rivaldo Soares[/autotag] each pitched in 13 and [autotag]Otega Oweh[/autotag] overcame a difficult shooting night to chip in 12 points to go along with 10 rebounds for the double-double.

[autotag]John Hugley[/autotag] added eight points and two assists off the bench. Milos Uzan continued to direct the offense well and also had eight points to go with five assists and four rebounds.

On the evening, Oklahoma shot 49% from the field and 33.3% from three. They were able to get to the line 10 more times than West Virginia, going 22 of 30 from the charity stripe. Oklahoma also outscored the Mountaineers in the paint 40-24 and on the fast break 13-2.

After a pair of losses a week ago, the Sooners came home and had a strong night. There are still things to clean up, but West Virginia brought an aggressive and physical game to Norman and the Sooners were up to the task.

The Sooners are now 14-3 and 2-2 in Big 12 play. They’ll get a few days off before going back on the road to take on the Cincinnati Bearcats 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 John on Twitter @john9williams.

 

Luke Northweather provides spark off the bench for the Oklahoma Sooners

Luke Northweather might have been the surprise player off the bench who provided a spark against the Kansas Jayhawks.

The Oklahoma Sooners need more production from their bench. Against TCU, the bench scored 18 points, but 14 of those were from [autotag]John Hugley IV[/autotag], who basically played starter minutes due to foul trouble for [autotag]Sam Godwin[/autotag].

Against Kansas, the bench scored only 11 points. But six of those came from a surprise player. [autotag]Luke Northweather[/autotag] who has only played in 11 of Oklahoma’s 16 games. He hadn’t played any Big 12 minutes before getting some run in Allen Fieldhouse against Kansas. But Northweather came in and gave the Sooners six points on 2 of 3 from the three-point line.

While hitting those shots was good to see, Porter Moser said it was something else about his performance that caught his eye. “What I liked, even in the first half, he looked comfortable,” Moser said. “He looked like the moment, he wasn’t afraid of the moment. That was the sign that I saw. I thought he embraced the moment.”

It remains to be seen if Northweather will get more minutes as the season goes on, but the Sooners are in desperate need of someone to step up off of the bench to give them some scoring. [autotag]Le’Tre Darthard[/autotag], [autotag]Rivaldo Soares[/autotag] and Hugley have shown they can do that but not on a consistent basis to this point.

If Northweather can come in and add to that, it gives Oklahoma even more weapons as the season goes on.

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.

5 takeaways in the aftermath of No. 9 Oklahoma’s loss to No. 3 Kansas 78-66

5 takeaways from the No. 9 Oklahoma Sooners loss to the No. 3 Kansas Jayhawks inside Allen Fieldhouse.

Saturday had the chance to be a special day for the Oklahoma basketball team. Still, it feels like another opportunity wasted as the Sooners failed to capitalize on a significant chance to beat the Kansas Jayhawks at home for the first time in 30 years.

Oklahoma came into the game after a tough loss in their Big 12 road opener against TCU. The Sooners fell flat in the second half of that game and did virtually the same in the second half of the showdown with Kansas on Saturday.

The Sooners went blow for blow with the Jayhawks in the first half. Javian McCollum had 12 pts, while sophomore Otega Oweh scored seven points to accompany Milos Uzan’s seven first-half points.

Foul trouble plagued OU’s attempts to defend K.J. Adams in the first half as he poured in 15 points. The second half saw the Sooners struggle on both ends of the floor. Oklahoma had two stretches where they missed six of seven shots, allowing Kansas to push the lead to double-digits.

Kansas would cruise to the finish line and win by 12.

We have five takeaways in the game’s aftermath as the Sooners look to regroup from back-to-back Big 12 losses.

Milos Uzan continuing to gain confidence as the season progresses

The Sooners may have lost Wednesday night but they continue to get strong play from Milos Uzan after a rocky start to the season.

The Oklahoma Sooners fell for the second time away from home on Wednesday night. This time to the TCU Horned Frogs.

The Sooners turned the ball over 14 times and TCU got them into early foul trouble and led by as many as 17 points before OU cut the final deficit to nine. There weren’t many bright spots for the Sooners but one was the play of [autotag]Milos Uzan[/autotag].

Uzan finished with 13 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds on 6 of 12 (50%) from the field. He also took care of the ball only turning it over one time. Uzan has seemed to find himself these last five games.

He’s averaging 9.6 points and 5.4 assists on 48.7% from the field and 35.3 percent from three during that stretch. In the 10 games before that, he averaged 8.4 points and 4.1 assists on 37% from the field and 24.3% from 3.

Porter Moser was asked before the TCU game about the recent play of Uzan. “I’ve seen it in the last three weeks,” Moser said. “He’s just, he’s Los now. The balls got eyes. He’s finding the right guys. When that happens, then your shot feels better. I just think he’s really coming into his own. He’s such a strength of seeing the ball and getting the ball where it goes. I just see his confidence growing and growing and that’s a great sign for us.”

The Sooners hope that confidence continues to grow because if they want to make any noise in the conference, they are going to need Uzan, [autotag]Javian McCollum[/autotag] and [autotag]Otega Oweh[/autotag] to lead the way.

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.

No. 9 Sooners fall on the road to TCU Horned Frogs 80-71

Recap of No. 9 Oklahoma’s loss in their second Big 12 conference game. The Sooners lost 80-71 to TCU.

Wednesday night was a pivotal moment in Oklahoma’s season. While it didn’t go Oklahoma’s way, the Sooners got that first road game experience. Wednesday became the second time Oklahoma has tasted defeat all year as the TCU Horned Frogs upset the Sooners 80-71.

Oklahoma entered the game off their first win in Big 12 play after beating a tough Iowa State team at home on Saturday. That same Iowa State team turned right around and beat previously unbeaten Houston on Tuesday evening.

Oklahoma has played many games on neutral courts, but the Sooners’ trip to Fort Worth was anything but inviting.

Porter Moser’s team opened the game trading baskets with TCU before the Frogs pushed out to a 27-22 lead midway through the first half. The Sooners were paced early by [autotag]Milos Uzan[/autotag] and [autotag]Sam Godwin[/autotag]. Godwin had seven first-half points. Uzan filled the stat sheet with six points, six rebounds, and six assists in the first 20 minutes.

Foul trouble and missed shots disrupted Oklahoma’s offensive rhythm in the first half, but the Sooners hung around enough to get into the locker room down 40-34.

Jameer Nelson Jr. and Emmanuel Miller paced the Horned Frogs’ scoring efforts in the first half. Nelson had nine of his 13 in the first half, while Emmanuel Miller poured in 10 of his 27 during the first 20 minutes.

Oklahoma’s 11 fouls and 12 turnovers were the story before the break.

[autotag]Javian McCollum[/autotag] came out fighting as he knocked in back-to-back threes to tie the game at 40 immediately after halftime.

From there, things began to get dicey for Oklahoma. The fouls continued to pile up, and the Frogs never looked back.

The Horned Frogs answered with seven unanswered points and began to run away from the Sooners, pushing the lead to as many as 17 points late in the game. The Sooners fought back to make the score more respectable, but the proof was in the pudding. TCU seized control of the game in the final 20 minutes.

Cold-shooting couldn’t mitigate Oklahoma’s foul trouble. Le’tre Darthard was 0-6 from three, and Rivaldo Soares was 0-3 from behind the arch. The Sooners shot just 28 percent as a team from three, which will never get it done in high-major basketball.

Milkos Uzan flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 13 points, ten assists, and seven boards. John Hugley scored 14 off the bench, and Javian McCollum ended with 17 points to lead all Sooners in scoring.

It won’t get any easier for Oklahoma. They won’t be shell-shocked by a road atmosphere come Saturday as they make a trip to Lawrence, Kan., to take on the Kansas Jayhawks in Allen Fieldhouse.

Kansas lost to Big 12 newcomer UCF just before the Oklahoma and TCU game tipped off. Both teams will be desperate to get off the mat and not have to stew for the next week amid a two-game losing streak.

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.

Rivaldo Soares’ key save helps lead to Oklahoma Sooners win

Rivaldo Soares’ effort keys huge three-pointer in win over Iowa State.

With about 6:50 left in the game, the Oklahoma Sooners held a three-point lead after an [autotag]Iowa State Cyclones[/autotag] jumper. The Cyclones kept battling back to keep the game close.

The Sooners needed a play to be made by someone. John Hugley got the ball in the corner and tried to throw it to a cutting Sooner. The ball was tipped up in the air, and out of nowhere [autotag]Rivaldo Soares[/autotag] caught the ball, turned, and flung it out to [autotag]Milos Uzan[/autotag] all in one motion, who sunk the three pointer.

It was plays like that that were huge in the Sooners’ win over the Cyclones. But those are also the plays the Sooners have made all season long. It’s why they are so fun to watch because you never know who is going to make the hustle play.

Uzan and Soares broke down that play at the end of the game on Saturday. “Rivaldo is strictly about winning, and he’s making winning plays,” Uzan said. “So, I think that he knows the work that I put in, and he knows that I’m a capable shooter. I think him just playing hard and fighting for rebounds, fighting for extra possessions, and then spraying it out to shooters is just how you win games.”

“Anytime I see Los wide open, I give him the ball,” Soares said. “The kid can shoot it.”

Soares led the Sooners with nine rebounds off the bench finished. He just constantly makes winning plays in a reserve role for this team. They are going to need more of it as they navigate through [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] play.

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.