Hugh game. I really think they can win up there. A win and the Bears are all alone in third place.
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(POSTGAME ANALYSIS)
Perhaps this game can be viewed as an opportunity to steal one lost. Perhaps it was just a case where Oklahoma just made a couple of plays down the stretch to help the itself escape, 73-71, Tuesday night at the Lloyd Noble Center.
Games like this do give you a lot of thought about do overs. It's irritating because the Bears were about two minutes away from owning sole possession of the third place. Now, they're in a three-way tie for fourth with Texas and Iowa State.
The fact that No. 17 Baylor (21-9, 10-7) even had a chance to steal this is miraculous. Credit Baylor for never packing it in. It's senior night in Norman, OK. Buddy Hield and company are celebrated. Baylor should just play out of courtesy.
When you fall behind 26-3 to start a game, it looks like the script is playing out. The blowout should be inevitable. We'll see you Saturday at 1:00 p.m. for West Virginia.
The Bears gave everyone a reason to want this to matter. They rallied from a deficit that grew to as many as 26 ON THE ROAD. You don't see that very much.
It's easy to feel that snakebitten because it's like all of that hard work went for naught. But you sometimes see that when teams climb all the way back, they kind of lose the energy because they used so much just to make a game of it.
Regardless, what we watched speaks to the character of the guys in the locker room. This is a pretty tough minded team. They're not going to give in. Maybe that means something next weekend in Kansas City and in the NCAA tournament.
Keep in mind Oklahoma helped them. The Sooners were in major meltdown for about eight minutes. Buddy Hield is looking to salt this away and misses the front end of the 1-and-1 in the closing seconds.
Strategically, everything was sound at the end. Taurean Prince did what you're supposed to do down by two. He actually got his hands on the intentionally missed free throw but the crowd got in front of him to where he never really had a chance to secure it. The ball then found its way to Hield and that was it.
But the point guard play in crunch time is something that this team is going to have to hope will have better days. It's all this group can do. Obviously, recent events against Kansas and Tuesday do little to quell those concerns.
Lester Medford had five assists and four turnovers. You could say that about 80 percent of what he gives this team is really good. It's just that when it comes to the games we've seen over the last week, he makes the major mistake at the wrong time. The Medford turnover with less than one minute to play was a killer.
Having said that, this all wasn't his fault. If you're going to get on him, then you need to direct some criticism toward King McClure (easily his best game as a Bear with 17 points) and his turnover with 2:54 to play. Baylor has the lead, 68-67, and has the ball with an opportunity to extend.
That possession blows up. Isaiah Cousins hits a jumper to give the Sooners the lead, 69-68. Medford then misses a 3-pointer. Hield scores on a layup (pretty nice move) to push it to 71-68.
Then look at the free throws: Baylor was 9-18 and loses by two. There you go.
Another recurring theme in these games with the Sooners is that Baylor's front court is just no factor. When Oklahoma is hitting shots, it takes the other team out of it wants to do. Thus, Johnathan Motley was nowhere with two points and only three field goal attempts. Rico Gathers (eight points) is just not the player he was prior to this illness. Not sure if he's going to be that way for rest of the year. Terry Maston was in the game. That was it.
Saturday at 1:00 p.m. in the Ferrell Center against West Virginia is senior day. Hopefully, a big crowd will be on hand. There is going to be a lot at stake in terms of positioning for the Big 12 tournament including the NCAA tournament.
Story link
(POSTGAME ANALYSIS)
Perhaps this game can be viewed as an opportunity to steal one lost. Perhaps it was just a case where Oklahoma just made a couple of plays down the stretch to help the itself escape, 73-71, Tuesday night at the Lloyd Noble Center.
Games like this do give you a lot of thought about do overs. It's irritating because the Bears were about two minutes away from owning sole possession of the third place. Now, they're in a three-way tie for fourth with Texas and Iowa State.
The fact that No. 17 Baylor (21-9, 10-7) even had a chance to steal this is miraculous. Credit Baylor for never packing it in. It's senior night in Norman, OK. Buddy Hield and company are celebrated. Baylor should just play out of courtesy.
When you fall behind 26-3 to start a game, it looks like the script is playing out. The blowout should be inevitable. We'll see you Saturday at 1:00 p.m. for West Virginia.
The Bears gave everyone a reason to want this to matter. They rallied from a deficit that grew to as many as 26 ON THE ROAD. You don't see that very much.
It's easy to feel that snakebitten because it's like all of that hard work went for naught. But you sometimes see that when teams climb all the way back, they kind of lose the energy because they used so much just to make a game of it.
Regardless, what we watched speaks to the character of the guys in the locker room. This is a pretty tough minded team. They're not going to give in. Maybe that means something next weekend in Kansas City and in the NCAA tournament.
Keep in mind Oklahoma helped them. The Sooners were in major meltdown for about eight minutes. Buddy Hield is looking to salt this away and misses the front end of the 1-and-1 in the closing seconds.
Strategically, everything was sound at the end. Taurean Prince did what you're supposed to do down by two. He actually got his hands on the intentionally missed free throw but the crowd got in front of him to where he never really had a chance to secure it. The ball then found its way to Hield and that was it.
But the point guard play in crunch time is something that this team is going to have to hope will have better days. It's all this group can do. Obviously, recent events against Kansas and Tuesday do little to quell those concerns.
Lester Medford had five assists and four turnovers. You could say that about 80 percent of what he gives this team is really good. It's just that when it comes to the games we've seen over the last week, he makes the major mistake at the wrong time. The Medford turnover with less than one minute to play was a killer.
Having said that, this all wasn't his fault. If you're going to get on him, then you need to direct some criticism toward King McClure (easily his best game as a Bear with 17 points) and his turnover with 2:54 to play. Baylor has the lead, 68-67, and has the ball with an opportunity to extend.
That possession blows up. Isaiah Cousins hits a jumper to give the Sooners the lead, 69-68. Medford then misses a 3-pointer. Hield scores on a layup (pretty nice move) to push it to 71-68.
Then look at the free throws: Baylor was 9-18 and loses by two. There you go.
Another recurring theme in these games with the Sooners is that Baylor's front court is just no factor. When Oklahoma is hitting shots, it takes the other team out of it wants to do. Thus, Johnathan Motley was nowhere with two points and only three field goal attempts. Rico Gathers (eight points) is just not the player he was prior to this illness. Not sure if he's going to be that way for rest of the year. Terry Maston was in the game. That was it.
Saturday at 1:00 p.m. in the Ferrell Center against West Virginia is senior day. Hopefully, a big crowd will be on hand. There is going to be a lot at stake in terms of positioning for the Big 12 tournament including the NCAA tournament.
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