NCAA Second Round // Oklahoma vs. VCU // Gameday Thread

[OUHoops]

http://www.soonersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=31000&ATCLID=210816389

SETTING THE SCENE
Making its 30th NCAA Tournament appearance and fourth straight under fifth-year head coach Lon Kruger, second-seeded Oklahoma (26-7 overall, 12-6 Big 12) won its opening-round game on Friday and advanced to play 10th-seeded VCU (25-10, 14-4 A-10) on Sunday in the round of 32. The contest will be played at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City and will tip at 4:15 p.m. CT.

If the Sooners win Sunday and earn their second straight trip to the Sweet 16, they will face the winner of the Texas A&M (No. 3 seed) and Northern Iowa (No. 11 seed) matchup next week in Anaheim, Calif.

ON THE AIR
All of OU’s NCAA Tournament games will air on the Sooner Radio Network (KRXO 107.7 FM in Oklahoma City; KTBZ AM 1430 in Tulsa) with Toby Rowland (play-by-play) and Scott Thompson (analyst) calling the action. Sunday’s game will be televised nationally by CBS with Carter Blackburn, Mike Gminski and Jaime Maggio announcing. It will also air on the Westwood One Network (Sirius 93, XM 203) with Tom McCarthy and PJ Carlesimo on the call.

FAST FACTS ON THE VCU RAMS
• VCU (25-10), the West Region’s No. 10 seed, beat No. 7 seed Oregon State 75-67 in Friday’s opening game in Oklahoma City. The Rams shot 48.2 percent from the field while holding OSU to a 41.7-percent mark, and outrebounded the Beavers 40-28. This is VCU’s 15th NCAA Tournament appearance, ninth since 2004 and sixth straight. It advanced to the Final Four in 2011.

• The Rams tied with Dayton and St. Bonaventure for the Atlantic 10 regular season title with a 14-4 conference record. The No. 2 seed in the league championship, they lost 87-74 in the title game to No. 4 seed St. Joseph’s.

• Senior guard Melvin Johnson is VCU’s leading scorer on the year with his 17.2 points per game. He has made 105 3-pointers in 35 games and is shooting .383 from long distance.

• Junior guard JeQuan Lewis registered game highs of 21 points and 8 assists while adding 7 rebounds Friday against Oregon State. Junior forward Mo Alie-Cox finished with 20 points and a game-high 8 boards.

• The Rams are under the direction of head coach Will Wade (Clemson ‘05). Wade was a VCU assistant (2009-13) under current Texas head coach Shaka Smart before serving as the head coach at Chattanooga the last two years.

• VCU and Kansas are the only teams in the country to win at least 24 games in each of the last 10 seasons.

SOONER STORYLINES
• LET'S KEEP DANCING: Making its 30th NCAA Tournament appearance and fourth straight under fifth-year head coach Lon Kruger, second-seeded Oklahoma (26-7 overall, 12-6 Big 12) won its opening-round game on Friday and advanced to play 10th-seeded VCU (25-10, 14-4 A-10) on Sunday in the round of 32. The contest will be played at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City and will tip at 4:15 p.m. CT. This will mark the fifth matchup all-time between OU and VCU (currently tied 2-2), including the second played inside Chesapeake Energy Arena. The teams also met in OKC for the All-College Classic on Dec. 20, 2008 (OU won 81-70).

• CLOSE TO HOME: Oklahoma opens the 2016 NCAA Tournament at Chesapeake Energy Arena in OKC for the first and second rounds, which is approximately 21 miles north of OU's Lloyd Noble Center. The Sooners have four student-athletes on their current roster hailing from the state of Oklahoma (C.J. Cole, Daniel Harper, Ryan Spangler and Jordan Woodard).

• KEEPING IT (OVER) 100: The Sooners aren’t short on experience or leadership this season. OU’s quartet of Isaiah Cousins, Buddy Hield, Ryan Spangler and Jordan Woodard has started every game (101 consecutive) for OU the past three seasons, tallying 404 combined starts during that span. With the addition of Khadeem Lattin (33 starts), OU boasts a starting five with 464 combined career starts. Each member of the 'core four' has at least 1,000 points in his respective career at Oklahoma.

• GETTING OFFENSIVE: OU currently ranks second nationally in 3-point field goal percentage (.429) by hitting 345-804 of its shots from downtown. Oklahoma’s all-time record for 3-point field goal percentage in a campaign is .414 (1986-87). OU has connected on at least 10 treys in 22 games this year (a school record) and it’s 10.5 3-point makes per game ranks sixth nationally (first in Big 12). OU's 345 total 3-point field goals made this season ranks fifth in the country (first in the Big 12).

• BUDDYBUCKETS: Senior Buddy Hield is currently averaging 25.0 points per game, which ranks first in the Big 12 and second nationally (first among Power 5 conferences). The two-time Big 12 Player of the Year has scored at least 20 points in 24 games this season and his 46.4 percent (130-280) shooting from downtown ranks fourth in the country. His 3.9 3FGM per game is tops in the nation. The Bahamas native has 10 games of at least 30 points this season (same total as the rest of Big 12 combined, tied for most in the nation) and 12 total such games in his career at Oklahoma (second-most in Big 12 history).

 

[jackson_supersooner]

Re: NCAA Second Round // Oklahoma vs. VCU // Pregame Notes

Here are VCUs season stats. Paints a little clearer picture.

 

[jackson_supersooner]

Re: NCAA Second Round // Oklahoma vs. VCU // Pregame Notes

From looking at these stats they aren't a great 3 point shooting team and actually aren't really great at FG% defense. They remind me a lot of a poor mans WVU in a few ways. They force around 15 TO per game so that will be a big thing for us. We have to take care of the ball. This is a game where we need our bigs to step up and rebound like they usually can. Can't have the half @$$ed effort that Spangler and Lattin laid out yesterday. Gotta out rebound this smaller team.

 

[Chaser728]

Re: NCAA Second Round // Oklahoma vs. VCU // Pregame Notes

From looking at these stats they aren't a great 3 point shooting team and actually aren't really great at FG% defense. They remind me a lot of a poor mans WVU in a few ways. They force around 15 TO per game so that will be a big thing for us. We have to take care of the ball. This is a game where we need our bigs to step up and rebound like they usually can. Can't have the half @$$ed effort that Spangler and Lattin laid out yesterday. Gotta out rebound this smaller team.

Yep. assert ourselves and play like the 2 seed we are... Shoot, if we can outrebound WVU or Baylor, then we can outrebound these guys.

 

[Soonerinkc]

Re: NCAA Second Round // Oklahoma vs. VCU // Pregame Notes

Yep. assert ourselves and play like the 2 seed we are... Shoot, if we can outrebound WVU or Baylor, then we can out rebound these guys.

it just isn't going to happen...(I saw a post where Bakersfield out rebounded us yesterday...)

I know you know that, just sayin the post are really going to need to step it up.

 

[Chaser728]

Re: NCAA Second Round // Oklahoma vs. VCU // Pregame Notes

it just isn't going to happen...(I saw a post where Bakersfield out rebounded us yesterday...)

I know you know that, just sayin the post are really going to need to step it up.

Well and the fact that happened is inexcusable... They (CSBU) did not have the size to compete with us on the boards, but as we all know, rebounding is mostly about effort. OUr guys have to want it more than VCU... But I guess we will see how our guys respond... I believe in Kruger and think him and his Assistant coaches are all over that and will have our guys prepared. Boomer!!!

 

[sanguinetti]

Re: NCAA Second Round // Oklahoma vs. VCU // Pregame Notes

the A 10 is starting to look like a pretty good league. at least some good teams at the top.

anyway, this is a game we should win. most of the top seeds took care of business saturday, let's be them.

 

[oudna]

Re: NCAA Second Round // Oklahoma vs. VCU // Pregame Notes

From looking at these stats they aren't a great 3 point shooting team and actually aren't really great at FG% defense. They remind me a lot of a poor mans WVU in a few ways. They force around 15 TO per game so that will be a big thing for us. We have to take care of the ball. This is a game where we need our bigs to step up and rebound like they usually can. Can't have the half @$$ed effort that Spangler and Lattin laid out yesterday. Gotta out rebound this smaller team.

It's only their bench guys that bring the numbers down - they won't be shooting em. Their big 3 aren't far off Hield, Cousins and Woodard.

They aren't a poor man's WVU, their probably just as good.

They remind me a lot of OU.

 

[Soonerinkc]

Re: NCAA Second Round // Oklahoma vs. VCU // Pregame Notes

Well and the fact that happened is inexcusable... They (CSBU) did not have the size to compete with us on the boards, but as we all know, rebounding is mostly about effort. OUr guys have to want it more than VCU... But I guess we will see how our guys respond... I believe in Kruger and think him and his Assistant coaches are all over that and will have our guys prepared. Boomer!!!

yup, totally...position, blocking out and reading the shot. I would like to believe everyone will be focused and locked in. It's a game and the other team is good as well.

Boomer :OU-logo:

 

[tomkar98]

Re: >>>NCAA Second Round // Oklahoma vs. VCU // Gameday Thread<<<

Can't wait to see Buddy's last game as a Sooner in the Sooner State! I'll be cheering him on in the stands in hopes for victory! Sooner Magic is with him!

Boomer!:OUbball-logo: :lon :buddy :OU-logo: :chestram2: :dance005: :woot

 

[OUHoops]

...

@ryaber: #Sooners C Akolda Manyang flew home to Minnesota to be with his family after a death in the family and will not be with team today.

 

[JBaker]

I would like to extend a firm "screw you" to the state of Oklahoma for making me miss all or most of this game.

Driving up from Dallas for the game and have been sitting around Ardmore for 45 minutes thanks to the never-ending construction on 35. And still nowhere close to the actual lane closure.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[OUReality]

Play Ball!

 

[sanguinetti]

i think a tough game from Spangler is what we need. c'mon Ryan....let's do it. be smart with the ball in the half court, make free throws.

 

[Big Old Booger]

Barkley picks us to win because he says our guards can handle pressure. Am I missing something? :ez-roll:

 

[Big Old Booger]

I would like to extend a firm "screw you" to the state of Oklahoma for making me miss all or most of this game.

Driving up from Dallas for the game and have been sitting around Ardmore for 45 minutes thanks to the never-ending construction on 35. And still nowhere close to the actual lane closure.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Did you make it?

Rule #1, when driving from DFW to OKC or vice-versa, you need to allot a big window of time for driving. I-35 is always a mess especially not on football gameday's. It's bad on football gamedays but it's even worse every other day.

 

[NickZepp]

2-0 VCU early.

 

[opsooner]

Good sign - Lattin makes the jam.

 

[NickZepp]

Lattin with 4 points early.

 

[opsooner]

Love the prep and execution against the overplay.