Baylor

I guess that we'll have to wait to see how well the Texas, TCU, Tech, and Baylor players do on Saturday night to find one that is Player of the Week.
 
KK's effort and toughness won that ball game... I called her too soft after the last game in Waco- And I stand corrected. When she plays unafraid- I like us against anyone but Uconn- tho, we could give them as good of a run as anybody... KK playing physical makes us a completely different team- She plays like she did tonight from here on out, we have a special future ahead of us.

We have 6 Great basketball players-- And Maddie deserves more time. I feel like if she is given more minutes to ingrain herself in offense she will truly flourish. Anyone see that take on Nina?? That is a special basketball player right there.... She needs more than 10 minutes.....

Sharane had another great game, proud of her. She is finding range. If that becomes consistent.... LOOK OUT! That would really change things for us.

Everyone else had good games, and they played great as a team. I am very proud to be a Sooner today. I know we can play with the best, its good to have proof.



I don't put too much stock into home games, mainly cause I don't put anything in away game losses (in the Big 12). But I felt in Waco- we could play right w them. We just had the worst 10 mins of the season right in there ballpark. Lot of interesting things shaping up for the Big 12 tourney, I can't wait to find what is in store for us. All I know is we looked good last night, and I think we can play even better. Lets keep working and getting better. OU
 
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sybarite said:
The best part of this night was that it was done with everyone playing solid, but not sensational basketball. We didn't win because someone had a great shooting night. Everyone shot about like they should on average. Peyton even had a lower than usual shooting percentage. We just didn't have anyone who had a bad game. Nobody played over their head. Indeed, you wonder what might have happened if someone would have had a good game.

We simply established what this team can do if they play up to par. Gioya was 0 for three from three. Gabbi was one for five. Yet, Gioya did what she does very well. She got into the lane. She hit her jumpers and drove to the hoop. She had her five rebounds and four assists. They had their usual games, but nothing spectacular.
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That's what we - well at least I have - been wanting for a while. Gioya didn't dominate but she showed some of her early season skills and was solid. Sharane was what we've needed from her and gave us the toughness and leadership we needed. Peyton didn't have to go for 30 but had the dagger ready when called upon. And rveryone that played brought the hammer on the defensive end. The thing I liked the most was the way we worked the ball on offense. Even though they were playing us tough we kept going inside. IMO when we do that we're a totally different team. When we fell behind I think we started falling in love with behind the arc.

Whitney kept talking about how when you play a team like Baylor it can take a half to get used to them i think last night it took Baylor a half to adjust to us.
 
If we play like we did last night, does Baylor have an answer for us? They need our mistakes. If we don't panic, how do they score?

We have played several overtime games in the past couple of years. We have lost most of them. But, what is the most irritating thing is that we choked at the end of regulation, or there would have been no overtime. We missed free throws that would have sealed a win. We passed the ball around with nobody wanting to take the shot, eventually losing it on a turnover.

Last night, we fell behind by six. Sherri called time out. We came out, and Kay Kay got a layup. Down by four. Baylor missed. Sharane got a layup. Down by two. Baylor missed. Peyton hit a three. We lead by one. Baylor panics.

Last year, nobody would have taken that shot, or it would have been a feeble attempt. Earlier this year, we might have lost the ball. Last night, three people took the shot, and they meant to hit it. That is a mentality that we have been lacking. We probably lost seven games--or more---because we didn't have it.

I think we have six girls who believe in Kay Kay (recent convert), Gioya, Peyton, Gabbi, Sharane, and Maddie. Vivi still doesn't understand enough to know any better. She is just learning. She didn't really have a good night. But, we have a backbone of people who have the fight to win. I think it will spread, and each of the girls will find something that they can do to contribute. They have learned that winning can be fun.
 
KCRuf/Nek said:
That's what we - well at least I have - been wanting for a while. Gioya didn't dominate but she showed some of her early season skills and was solid. Sharane was what we've needed from her and gave us the toughness and leadership we needed. Peyton didn't have to go for 30 but had the dagger ready when called upon. And rveryone that played brought the hammer on the defensive end. The thing I liked the most was the way we worked the ball on offense. Even though they were playing us tough we kept going inside. IMO when we do that we're a totally different team. When we fell behind I think we started falling in love with behind the arc.

Whitney kept talking about how when you play a team like Baylor it can take a half to get used to them i think last night it took Baylor a half to adjust to us.
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Going inside should be our first option on most possessions. The question is, will the team do that in the next game? Based upon past history, I'm not sure the answer is yes.

But, if we play defense like we did last night in every game from here on out, we should have a chance to win against any Big 12 team.
 
Good post. Especially about us losing the games at the end. IMO, one of the toughest things to do is to right the ship when things are going badly and the pressure is on. I disagree a bit about VV. although she made some mistakes - those passes. Ugh - I thought she held her own. She played some tough minutes and went against some tough girls. She is learning but you can see it's there. She's young still and I expect a big change from this year to next year.

And it already has spread. As I mentioned earlier some of the biggest cheerleaders are the ones that don't really contribute. I think these girls truly believe in each other.
 
BlackwellSooner said:
I couldn't watch the game - - are you saying that Skeletor started screaming and ripping off her clothes? :D
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I finally got to watch the game at 2am local time this morning. Great win by OU!

A couple of observations about coaches and attitudes. I noticed in the first half KM was at the far end of the bench and looked like she was getting into it with the crowd. Read on another site that she did have some words with some of the students. Not sure what was said, but interesting that she would let it get to her, much less respond. Second half I noticed KM out on the floor almost running into the official a couple of times.

The players definitely mimic their coach. OU players might shake their heads, roll their eyes or give a wry smile when a bad call goes against them but that's about it. Baylor players are very demonstrative and theatrical when any call goes against them, bad or not.

Sherri was more emotional that I've seen her in ages after the game. The fist pumping and the raw emotion in her TV interview were awesome to see. This win meant a lot.
 
brokebacksooner said:
I finally got to watch the game at 2am local time this morning. Great win by OU!

A couple of observations about coaches and attitudes. I noticed in the first half KM was at the far end of the bench and looked like she was getting into it with the crowd. Read on another site that she did have some words with some of the students. Not sure what was said, but interesting that she would let it get to her, much less respond. Second half I noticed KM out on the floor almost running into the official a couple of times.

The players definitely mimic their coach. OU players might shake their heads, roll their eyes or give a wry smile when a bad call goes against them but that's about it. Baylor players are very demonstrative and theatrical when any call goes against them, bad or not.

Sherri was more emotional that I've seen her in ages after the game. The fist pumping and the raw emotion in her TV interview were awesome to see. This win meant a lot.
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I'd love to know more about what may have happened between Mulkey and the student section. If they got on her nerves, good for them!

Some idiotic Baylor fan posted below the DOK's article that "Cole" was acting immature and unprofessional," and that Mulkey is a "class act." That's probably someone who'd support Charles Manson if he coached at Baylor and won.
 
NMSooner'80 said:
I'd love to know more about what may have happened between Mulkey and the student section. If they got on her nerves, good for them!

Some idiotic Baylor fan posted below the DOK's article that "Cole" was acting immature and unprofessional," and that Mulkey is a "class act." That's probably someone who'd support Charles Manson if he coached at Baylor and won.
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Someone should post a link to Mulkey's antics during the Louisville game in reply to that Baylor fan's comments.
 
NMSooner'80 said:
I'd love to know more about what may have happened between Mulkey and the student section. If they got on her nerves, good for them!

Some idiotic Baylor fan posted below the DOK's article that "Cole" was acting immature and unprofessional," and that Mulkey is a "class act." That's probably someone who'd support Charles Manson if he coached at Baylor and won.
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From what I read, a couple of the students early in the game were comparing the passing by Agbuke to Bryce Petty. They said it (OU source) in a way to basically say Agbuke was a man; which I don't condone at all; and she confronted them with "what did you say". They repeated and she said something back, but the source couldn't hear what it was. In any event the saying about wrestling with pigs (both sides) came to mind when I read it.
 
I noticed that on Sherri's show at Rudy's last night, the host indicated that OU had not played all that well, that nobody had gone off for thirty, that it wasn't OU playing over its head. It was just solid basketball. Sherri made the comment that if you watched what they were doing, the little things, that they were doing the right things. It frustrated Baylor.
 
sybarite said:
I noticed that on Sherri's show at Rudy's last night, the host indicated that OU had not played all that well, that nobody had gone off for thirty, that it wasn't OU playing over its head. It was just solid basketball. Sherri made the comment that if you watched what they were doing, the little things, that they were doing the right things. It frustrated Baylor.
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Well that is because Baylor gets poor coaching. Miss M makes way too much money. :ez-laugh::ez-laugh::ez-laugh::ez-laugh: ;)
 
From a leadership standpoint this was Sharane's best game. No quit in her effort, no panic in her play, just determination. Very happy for her to get a win like this.

I agree with coach, the girls did a lot of little things very well. Usually a team learns more from losing. This game showed them they can play with the best.

Gabby, Gioya and Peyton were moving without the ball and, since each is capable of driving, Baylor couldn't pack in tight giving Kay Kay and Sharane room. In the first game, OU's guards weren't as active.
 
A couple of observations...

To be truthful, I didn't think we could keep Baylor from running on us, but we did quite successfully. Great game plan, great preparation for that plan, and great execution. This was first and foremost a coaching win.

That said, great performances by the players also. Gabbi was every bit the equal of Nyah Johnson in this game.

One of the reasons that the middle was so open for us was that the player guarding Peyton never came off of her to help on anyone else. This meant that when Peyton was out on a wing, there was a driving lane open on her side. I particularly noticed Maddie at one point posting up Davis at the elbow and then going right around her to the basket in a move that was a mirror image of one that Stacey Dales put on the Duke's Alena Beard in 2002. And in spite of the shadow coverage, Peyton still managed to make the key basket of the game!

When she's on, KK is easily the best center in the Big 12. Can anyone else think of a better one?
 
I think the Baylor fans see this much as a lot of OU fans saw this. Baylor was better than OU. It would take an upset for OU to beat Baylor, and upset of major proportions. Some of us had been saying how OU could win. Several believed.

When Sherri stood in front of the crowd pumping her fist, she wasn't celebrating an upset. That is too ephemeral to celebrate that much. Sherri was making a statement, "we're back!" She has watched this young team develop, and she has had faith. She believed in Kay Kay when I certainly didn't. Kay Kay didn't let her down this time. Kay Kay didn't let herself down this time.

Tango is right about Gabbi. Gabbi's improvement was a key to this game. She had to be able to contain or at least slow down Niya. We had to have someone keep Nina off the boards. We even had Nina's shots get blocked a couple of times.

The team celebrated because they realized for the first time that they had made a statement. They're back. By playing together, they can play with anyone. They may not beat UConn. But, they won't back down and cower as they did in the first game against Baylor. As Sherri said, we played no defense in the first game. Even when we began to score, they kept the lead because we played defense in a panic mode for forty minutes. We had no panic in us this time.

It makes it easier on Gioya if she doesn't have to have a great game. It makes it easier on Peyton if she can miss a shot. It makes it easier on Kay Kay if she doesn't have to block the shot. They can win by just doing it right for forty minutes. If you do it right, the dry spells last a couple of minutes, not ten. The runs are six, not twenty-six.

Once you learn what they now know, the game becomes easier. There is no reason to panic against Kansas or Oklahoma State. Just come to play. Do that every game.
 
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