No worries.....

[WTSooner]

I saw a lot more good today, than I did bad.

Good:
- We opened the game with great effort, and effort was never a problem throughout the game.
- We didn't fold when KSU got up 12 or so in the 2nd half.
- I didn't see us resort to bad attitudes, or finger pointing. The team appears to have stayed together after a rough game.
- While our defense wasn't great, my any means, it really wasn't terrible. I've been saying this all year, but the guys have to learn when containment defense is better than pressuring so much, that your man consistently beats you off the dribble. We got beat WAY too much off the dribble today.
- Hield is starting to play under control. That didn't start today, but it continued today.
- In bounds plays. How do we keep getting dunks off those plays?
- Thought we were outstanding on the boards.

Bad:
- We have young guards, and good pressure defense can still take us out of our sets. You saw that today.
- We also don't have a stud scorer. There was no Hollis, or Ace, or Najera to give the ball to when we had to have a tough basket. We don't run sets to get Pledger open, and as good as Hield is, he isn't that type of player. Yet.
- Turnovers, but that is a direct result of the two "bads" above.

We'll be fine. I don't feel any differently about the team today, than I did after we beat TT the other night. We're MUCH improved over last year, but we're going to have our ups and downs, and at the end of the season, I expect a bubble team. Whether we're in or out is likely going to come down to one or two games. Hopefully we win those one or two games that we need to. UT at home on Monday is one of those games. Win that, and we're right on track.

 

[sanguinetti]

bad: osby at the line.

anyway, we made a ranked team think about it at home. time to get serious at 3-1 in conference.

 

[soonerbms]

Kansas State is a better team than us right now but not by much. I think we'll win the rematch in Norman in a couple weeks. It's absolutely imperative that we beat Texas because I think we're going to lose at Kansas and Baylor.

 

[WTSooner]

Talent-wise they may not be much better than us, but experience-wise they are. I think that will allow them to bring their A-game much more often then OU. That same experience, especially at the guard spots, allows them to deal with pressure better than our guards. KSU is likely the Big 12's #3 team this year. Be shocked to see them finish below 4th.

 

[pnkranger]

I agree with everything in this thread, except the assertion that we don't have a go-to scorer. Osby is that player, and he showed it, scoring 7 points in the last 5 minutes while going less than 50% from the foul line.

We waited WAY too long to isolate him against their bigs.

 

[boutaroust]

OU is currently a good team, and when everyone shows up and plays well, they can beat equally good teams on the road, but they are not a dominant team, yet.

We need to beat the Horns, Monday. It'll likely be a war.

Since we lost this tough one to KS, I expect a sweep of the Jaybirds.

 

[oketex]

I still like this team and the future looks very good. If we keep playing the way we are right now I think they can make post season tourny.

 

[sanguinetti]

I still like this team and the future looks very good. If we keep playing the way we are right now I think they can make post season tourny.

i agree. i still say .500 in conference is a reasonable goal. the bubble is gravy....we got some tough games coming up. UT is a must win at home....if only for the numbers in the w-l column.

 

[OklahomaLibertarian]

I thought Grooms against Gonzelez was huge. At one point we'd gotten to within 6 and Grooms had a layup and he missed it, then gave up a layup to Angel Gonzales on the other end. It was a huge 4 point swing. Grooms should perhaps sit until that ankle is better. Also - why was Pledger out of the game so long in the 2nd? I found myself really liking K-State's offense and how they set so many screens.

 

[skyvue]

I thought Grooms against Gonzelez was huge. At one point we'd gotten to within 6 and Grooms had a layup and he missed it, then gave up a layup to Angel Gonzales on the other end. It was a huge 4 point swing. Grooms should perhaps sit until that ankle is better. Also - why was Pledger out of the game so long in the 2nd? I found myself really liking K-State's offense and how they set so many screens.

That play by Grooms was key. He did a great job of finding a lane and taking it to the hoop and it would have been huge if he'd hit it.

I was surprised that K-State hit "only" 10 threes. Seemed like 12 or 14 or more.

 

[schoonerdriver]

M'Baye has to rebound better. Zero defensive rebounds in 27 minutes is not good, but we did out rebound them as a team. I haven't watched the game yet just noticed it in the box score.

 

[Dave4OU]

Pretty Simple game

Their good thing they did...

Points off turnovers-OU 6,KS 26.

Our Good thing....

2nd chance points-OU 20,KS 5

Difference of 5 points this along with shooting 7/15 from the line was our demise....

 

[coolm]

excellent points WT. I really enjoyed their effort all through the game and the style as well. We're just still lacking a bit.

 

[hoopsaustin]

that blown lay-up was killer.. thats a high school quality play that has to be made.. D-1 girls may miss that lay-up but a fringe starter has to make that lay-up

 

[kingssc]

Another big play/swing (was in the 1st half) was when Cousins stole the inbounds pass. He had two open guys cutting to the rim for an open layup, but missed a short jumper, and then KSU came down on a secondary break and nailed a three.

Edit: Not blaming Cousins (as it was a heady play on the inbounds pass), but that's a play in two years where he'll see the pass.

 

[25mob]

I thought Grooms against Gonzelez was huge. At one point we'd gotten to within 6 and Grooms had a layup and he missed it, then gave up a layup to Angel Gonzales on the other end. It was a huge 4 point swing. Grooms should perhaps sit until that ankle is better. Also - why was Pledger out of the game so long in the 2nd? I found myself really liking K-State's offense and how they set so many screens.

i thought OU did a bad job of playing defense against their screens by going under the screen instead of chasing their shooters of their spots. Neither Magruder or Spradling want to play off the bounce. I thought OU did better when chasing them off their spots but then for some reason OU went back to going under the screens and gave them open looks.