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FINAL FOUR Senior guard Buddy Hield holds the NCAA Regional trophy above his head after beating Oregon 80-68 on Saturday. Hield led the team in scoring with 37 points.
ASTRUD REED/FOR THE DAILY
Hield propels Sooners closer to championship SPENSER DAVIS • @DAVIS_SPENSER
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NAHEIM, Calif. — About 30 minutes after Oklahoma’s 80-68 victory over No. 1 Oregon, Buddy Hield stood just off the floor of Anaheim’s Honda Center and signed autographs for pleading Sooners fans. “You never say no,” Hield said. “I never had the opportunity to have someone (give me) an autograph. And my mom, if I tell someone ‘no,’ she tells me to go sign it.” Hield’s signature was in high demand for good reason. He scored 37 points on 13-of-20 shooting, sending the Sooners to the Final Four. Hield was locked in from the beginning, nailing his first four shots of the game. Teammates said he was boasting the night before he would have a great game. “Buddy told me he was going for 40 last night,” OU guard Jordan
Woodard said on Saturday. Hield’s humble demeanor was evidently tested by comments from Oregon players the day before the game. “You don’t play with fire,” the senior guard said. “I saw the comments from Oregon, and certain guys were saying they were going to ‘go at Buddy Hield.’ So I was like ‘OK, if you go at me, I’m going to go at you. “I was really focused. I was just happy I was able to back up my word.” Hield’s heroics have landed the Sooners in the Final Four for the first time since 2002. “Oh, it’s special, to be honest with you,” Hield said. “As a kid you dream of having games like this. But I just thank my teammates and my coaching staff to put me in the position to score the ball. And they gave me the confidence to put the ball up. Even though I had
an off-night last game, I just came in confident, and they gave me the confidence to be aggressive every night.” OU coach Lon Kruger has had a front row seat for Hield’s progression over the last four years.
“You don’t play with fire.” BUDDY HIELD, SENIOR GUARD
“Buddy just makes shots,” Kruger said. “He’s just unbelievable in getting the ball up on top of the rim. He shoots with great confidence — doesn’t force many. That’s the thing that’s been most amazing on the year. He shoots it for such a good percentage. He’s not a high-volume shot taker. He just makes a lot of shots.”
Hield had other motivation for taking over the game on Saturday — his basketball idol, Kobe Bryant, was watching. “I knew Kobe was going to be there — I had to,” Hield said. Hield drilled a deep three-pointer to give OU a 48-30 lead in the waning seconds of the first half. On a night full of special shots, Hield says that was his favorite. “After that I looked at Kobe, and he saluted me afterwards, so that was the favorite one,” Hield said with a laugh. Hield’s emergence has caught the eyes of many across the college sports landscape, including the Lakers superstar. Hield said he’s still surprised when he gets recognized in everyday life. “I can’t even tell you how crazy it’s been,” Hield said. “Even when I would walk around in (Los Angeles) with my girlfriend and
my brother and my mom, everybody was like ‘Buddy! Buddy! Buddy!’ “I was like ‘How do you even know me?’” Hield is about to be thrust further into the spotlight as OU prepares for the Final Four. While the Sooners say they are unsatisfied, reaching this point has always been a goal for Hield and Oklahoma. “Certainly Buddy’s at the core of it,” Kruger said. “But Buddy’s the first one to tell you he was the happiest guy in the gym on Thursday when he saw all those other guys playing well and being productive. Buddy was the first one to say he wants and needs everyone to do that. “ Spenser Davis
davis.spenser@ou.edu
Players arrive in Norman to warm welcome Fans stay up late to greet players at arena SIANDHARA BONNET @SiandharaB
The sound of sirens blared through the air at 2 a.m. On any other night, people would be worried, but for the small crowd of people gathered outside of the Lloyd Noble Center, it was music to their ears. The fans stood, waiting, facing the rain and wind, until the Sooners arrived with a police escort. And once the buses pulled up, before the doors could open, the Sooners got an earful. “Final Four! Final Four! Final Four!”
“It means a lot,” senior forward Ryan Spangler said. “We tried to make (the fans) happy all year, and then (the fans) show (their) support for us.” The support comes after OU’s 80-68 win over No. 1 Oregon. Buddy Hield scored a game-high 37 points in the win and closed the door on the Ducks with 20 second-half points. Freshman guard Christian James, who added a team-high of 10 rebounds in the win, was also appreciative of the fan support. “It’s a blessing to have loyal fans,” James said. “We really appreciate the loyalty and everything (the fans) have done for us.” Siandhara Bonnet
arahdnais@hotmail.com
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Senior guard Isaiah Cousins (right) takes a selfie with a fan at the Lloyd Noble Center early Sunday morning. The Sooners will travel to Houston for a Final Four matchup with Villanova.
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