W E E K D AY E D I T I O N | F E B R U A R Y 2 6 - 2 8 , 2 0 18 | T W I C E W E E K LY I N P R I N T | O U D A I LY. C O M
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(Clockwise from top left) Sophomore forward Kristian Doolittle, junior center Jamuni McNeace, freshman guard Trae Young and junior guard Rashard Odomes during the game against Kansas State Feb. 24.
SOONERS SHOW LIFE
Team fights complacency, brings energy to game against Kansas State to revive possibility of making NCAA run
O
klahoma was gasping for air Saturday night. The team didn’t just want to win — it needed to win. The Sooners did all the things they had to do to walk away with an 86-77 victory over Kansas State — the things they weren’t willing to do all of February. They rebounded, dove for loose balls, hit open shots and, most importantly, swung back when they were hit in the face. “We needed this,” junior guard Christian James said. “We came out and fought, and it showed tonight.” After a six-game losing streak, the Sooners finally walked away with a win just a few days before the month of March. Only two games and the Big 12 Tournament stand between them and the “Big Dance,” and while it’s almost certain the Sooners will go dancing, a multitude of obstacles still sit in
GEORGE STOIA • @GEORGESTOIA front of them. With only two regular season games remaining — Baylor on the road and Iowa State at home — Oklahoma has little time to fix the glaring issues it’s had for the last month, not to mention the Sooners currently sit at the No. 8 seed for the Big 12 Tournament. This means they would have to face in-state rival Oklahoma State in the first round, who recently beat Oklahoma in overtime and is known as one of the scrappier teams in the conference. There are only three days left before the month of March, and Oklahoma will need all three to keep its season’s hopes and dreams alive. Even though the odds are against the men in crimson and cream, Saturday night proved they still have some fight left in them. T h e “ T r a e Yo u n g s h o w ” seemed to return, with the side acts of Christian James and
Brady Manek once again spending time in the spotlight. But, while Oklahoma looked to be, in Young’s words, “back” Saturday night, one question still remains: Can the Sooners turn that spark into a fire before the NCAA Tournament?
“We just wanted to win a game. Obviously when you lose six straight, you want to focus and get better on the next one ... Yeah, we were ready to play today.” TRAE YOUNG, FRESHMAN GUARD
All season, Oklahoma has played under a magnifying glass, with college basketball analysts and national media outlets
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Freshman guard Trae Young gives high-fives to fans after winning the game against Kansas State on Feb. 24.
scrutinizing its every move. At the beginning of the season, faith in the Sooners was low as they were coming off a disappointing 11-20 season, but optimism grew with the addition of Young. Regardless, no one thought the Sooners would go on the run they did — beating teams like Oregon, Wichita State and Texas Tech. While many praised the Sooners for being nearly perfect in the first half of the season, they were quick to point out each error Oklahoma made when things began to go south. That scrutiny wouldn’t be here if OU didn’t have arguably the best player in the country. Every game became a national watch party, with promos and highlight videos of Young hyping the Sooners up each time they stepped on the court. Young took the nation by storm, scoring 43 points on Oregon, dropping 22 assists against Northwestern State and leading Oklahoma to an upset win over then-No. 3 Wichita State. Opposing team’s fans began to hate the 19-year-old phenom and his teammates, booing him or chanting obscenities each time he touched the ball. The pressure to be perfect quickly began to take a toll on Young, who would become noticeably more frustrated with every missed shot and turnover. Young began forcing shots, trying to counter each big shot by the opponent with an even bigger shot of his own. He was in the worst slump of his career, going 11-of-56 from beyond the arc at one point. During the six-game skid, the tide turned once again, and it felt as if a new national debate formed around the Sooners: Is Young too good for his teammates? Is Young overrated? Is Oklahoma worthy of playing in the NCAA Tournament? For 25 days, the Sooners listened to the noise. They crumbled down the stretch in Austin,
dropped their first game in Norman, got manhandled in Ames and Lubbock, saw their home crowd leave the Lloyd Noble Center early and finally hit rock bottom in Lawrence. Six games, six losses. Oklahoma’s win Saturday night wasn’t just another tally in the win column, it was the confidence boost it desperately needed. “We just wanted to win a game,” Young said. “Obviously when you lose six straight, you want to focus and get better on the next one ... Yeah, we were ready to play today.” Following the game, coach Lon Kruger was asked if he thought his team had turned the corner. In the most-Lon Kruger way, he jumped around the question, smiling and saying, “We made progress this week. Again, like these guys said, it’s just good to win a game.” All 16 Oklahoma players walked off the court at the Lloyd Noble Center Saturday with smiles on their faces. Their body language expressed a sense of relief, but it may be short-lived. The month of March will be an uphill battle, and the Sooners will face teams that know how to slow down their high-powered offense and pick apart their open defense. No matter their seed, the spotlight will be brighter than ever with Young leading the way. “(We had) the awareness that we’re running out of games,” Kruger said. “You’ve got to line up and play better.” Maybe Oklahoma did turn the corner Saturday, but only time and March will tell. If they want to have any chance at all, the Sooners have to play like the Oklahoma of old — splashing 3s and playing physical at the rim. If the Sooners can get back on their feet, maybe, just maybe, they can dance all the way to San Antonio. George Stoia
georgestoia@ou.edu