Onward

[WTSooner]

And if UT splits their last two games (Baylor/KSU), I don't think they "should" be in. Not sure if they actually get in or not, but you should not be able to go 7-11 in conference play, finish 8th out of 10 teams, and make the Dance. I'm really not sure they get in at this point, unless they can find a way to beat at least Baylor, and possibly Baylor and KSU.

OSU is likely to finish 1-1 also. That will put them at 8-10. Just not sure I agree they should be in. The Big 12 is a good conference, but it's not good enough that the NCAA should be letting sub-.500 teams in, I don't think.

 

[WTSooner]

When fans complain after a victory, it shows that the OU program is fully recovered from the debacle at the end of the prior coaching staff. Expectations are on the rise. This is a good sign, if one wishes to look at it this way.

To be fair, I'm not complaining about the "close" win. I know those happen over the course of a long season. I just don't like our effort. Our body language. Just seems like this team, and really the last couple, coast way more often then they should. If they'd just come out night after night and leave it all on the floor, we'd probably be in a position to win the conference outright this season. But far too often we play games with bad starts, where we have to pull it together and rally for wins. It bothers LK too. Can't remember what game it was, but he ripped into the guys at halftime not long ago for just that. For not bring an appropriate level of effort/intensity. And like he said, if you can't bring it now, when are you going to bring it? If not now, with everything that is on the line, then when?

That is what frustrates me.

 

[coolm]

I dig the fact we prevailed during lean play. The kids were tough enough and had enough moxy to stick it out and claw at a "W". I think that will serve them well later this season as well as next season.

It doesn't require crimson colored glasses to look at even the negatives as learning opportunities and lessons. For a coach the best win is usually one where you survive and are still able to pull some great stuff from the experience to build upon.

Honestly I dont understand why negative nancies even bother watching sports. It's the BUILDING that is fun. Throwing all strikeouts is fascist.

 

[brettromar]

As a coach I take into consideration the week off and the upcoming schedule.

I wonder if Ou practiced for ISU all week. If they come out and play well in Ames I will feel okay. If they lay an egg again there could be some issues going forward as people are pointing out.

Need cousins to be better offensively and Spangler to get out of his funk since people have figured out he only goes right.

 

[dksooner]

To be fair, I'm not complaining about the "close" win. I know those happen over the course of a long season. I just don't like our effort. Our body language. Just seems like this team, and really the last couple, coast way more often then they should. If they'd just come out night after night and leave it all on the floor, we'd probably be in a position to win the conference outright this season. But far too often we play games with bad starts, where we have to pull it together and rally for wins. It bothers LK too. Can't remember what game it was, but he ripped into the guys at halftime not long ago for just that. For not bring an appropriate level of effort/intensity. And like he said, if you can't bring it now, when are you going to bring it? If not now, with everything that is on the line, then when?

That is what frustrates me.

I don't agree with WT often but I do here. Kruger got onto the guys at halftime of the game in stillwater. What makes me upset is when a guy blows an easy play and sulks instead of hustling back on defense. I don't feel like I see maximum effort every game and maybe that is because of lack of depth. I hope from here on we see all out effort where guys are asking for a breather every now and again.

 

[SoonerTraveler]

To be fair, I'm not complaining about the "close" win. I know those happen over the course of a long season. I just don't like our effort. Our body language. Just seems like this team, and really the last couple, coast way more often then they should. If they'd just come out night after night and leave it all on the floor, we'd probably be in a position to win the conference outright this season. But far too often we play games with bad starts, where we have to pull it together and rally for wins. It bothers LK too. Can't remember what game it was, but he ripped into the guys at halftime not long ago for just that. For not bring an appropriate level of effort/intensity. And like he said, if you can't bring it now, when are you going to bring it? If not now, with everything that is on the line, then when?

That is what frustrates me.

It frustrates me also. Very much so. But I have been watching TV and have seen many of the better teams around the country do the same thing. The better teams find a way to "pull out" a lot of games in the last 5 minutes after a lackluster effort for the first 35 minutes.

Just think how much more frustrating it would be if OU was losing these games.

I would be so pleased if OU would hit the floor with focus and intensity and get off to a quick start. I am hopeful that Coach Kruger finds the magic formula to make it happen.

 

[skyvue]

What is laughable is still bringing up the officiating. Sheesh.

You're the one who brought up that game; I didn't. And the Dallas Morning News agreed with me about the impact the officials had on that game. In any case the only reason I mentioned it at all was that officiating played no role in KU and ISU's games in Manhattan and they still lost to that team "that will definitely not be Dancing."

Let's face it, you misrepresented that nine-game stretch, plain and simple.

 

[skyvue]

It frustrates me also. Very much so. But I have been watching TV and have seen many of the better teams around the country do the same thing. The better teams find a way to "pull out" a lot of games in the last 5 minutes after a lackluster effort for the first 35 minutes.

Just think how much more frustrating it would be if OU was losing these games.

I would be so pleased if OU would hit the floor with focus and intensity and get off to a quick start. I am hopeful that Coach Kruger finds the magic formula to make it happen.

It's pretty rare for most teams that they play a great game start to finish. If we had a great first half, but faltered in the second half and had to hold on to win, fans would still complain.

In short, any game we don't win by double digits, people will squawk about, and you're just not going to have that many big-margin wins in a tough conference like the Big 12.

 

[SoonerTraveler]

It's pretty rare for most teams that they play a great game start to finish. If we had a great first half, but faltered in the second half and had to hold on to win, fans would still complain.

In short, any game we don't win by double digits, people will squawk about, and you're just not going to have that many big-margin wins in a tough conference like the Big 12.

True, but those tight games, or worse, playing from behind, are tough on us old dudes. I get high anxiety and high blood pressure and stressed out. It is even more frustrating watching on TV, as I seem to let off steam better when I am sitting inside the arena.

Just kidding of course, but it is almost more than I can bare.

Those 20 point OU leads are much more comfortable, for me the fan .. :ez-laugh:

***

Like coolm, I am proud of this team, even given my angst and frustration at times. I think the angst and frustration just come with being a fan, and badly wanting these kids to succeed.

 

[skyvue]

heh. I think we're probably about the same age, Traveler, and I'm certainly not pretending that I find the close games easy to watch -- quite the opposite. I'd love us to win every game by twenty, but I don't kid myself that's going to happen.

And I'm not saying this team is above reproach and has no room for improvement -- it certainly does.

But I hate it when, in frustration, a fan misstates the situation and poo-poos an 8-out-of-9 streak in what is said to be the toughest conference in the country. I honestly can't recall a game out of those nine that people here weren't fretting over -- maybe our first game against Tech, but then they had already beaten ISU, so I'm sure there were some wringing their hands over that one, too. So we go on and win eight of those nine, and it's still not enough for some.

And then we have posters claiming that wins over oswho and ut mean nothing because those teams are supposedly not locks for the tourney (even though both are in, according to projections and each has been ranked for a good chunk of the season), that a win over WVU means little because they can't win on the road (which is demonstrably untrue), that four wins over TCU and Tech mean nothing because they're low in the standings (even though both have pulled off upsets and played many strong teams tough)

And a 19-point win over ISU goes unacknowledged altogether.

Anyone who can't manage to enjoy winning eight of nine in a tough conference is destined for a disappointing life as a fan. Because it just doesn't get much better than that during the regular season.

 

[SoonerTraveler]

...

Anyone who can't manage to enjoy winning eight of nine in a tough conference is destined for a disappointing life as a fan. Because it just doesn't get much better than that during the regular season.

Yes sir. The other teams have good players and good coaches and a fan base that wants to win just as much as we do. Wins do not come easy. If you cannot enjoy victory, why be a fan at all.

 

[WTSooner]

For the record, since a poster above keeps saying ut is in, 2 of the 3 brackets I check regularly have them out after losing to KU, and the 3rd bracket hasn't updated their info since the loss. Personally, I don't think ut gets in, unless they find a way to win their next two games.

 

[BoulderSooner]

Sloppy? Only 10 turnovers. How sloppy.

Lazy? We outrebounded them on both ends and had 6 blocks.

Tough game. We didn't shoot that well and they had a hot first half.

We had them 39-24 the second half. That takes very good defense particularly with the way Anderson was playing.

Sometimes you have to give the other team some credit too. They had won 3 of 4 and the loss by 6 at Kansas.

first half was very sloppy ... 8 of those 10 TO's 4 by Jordan .. the second half we dominated and looked like the top 15 team that we are