OU will play at Alabama in Big 12/SEC Challenge

[OUHoops]

http://www.soonersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=31000&ATCLID=211606996

 

[ksSooner13]

Collin Sexton v Trae Young...that'll be a fun match up

 

[skyvue]

Another tough non-conference matchup, especially given it's on the road. I'm beginning to feel we're going to have to be vastly improved to make the tournament.

I don't mean to sound alarmist -- I'm very excited about this team -- but I don't think this is the year to load up the non-conference schedule with an even tougher slate of opponents than last season. We could be a very good team by year's end and still be on the outside looking in because of early losses that just weren't necessary.

If we gel from the jump, great -- we'll be pleased to have those impressive wins -- but it's a lot to ask, especially of TY.

 

[Oscar Uniform]

Looks like Saban has started recruiting basketball players too.

 

[thewez]

Another tough non-conference matchup, especially given it's on the road. I'm beginning to feel we're going to have to be vastly improved to make the tournament.

I don't mean to sound alarmist -- I'm very excited about this team -- but I don't think this is the year to load up the non-conference schedule with an even tougher slate of opponents than last season. We could be a very good team by year's end and still be on the outside looking in because of early losses that just weren't necessary.

If we gel from the jump, great -- we'll be pleased to have those impressive wins -- but it's a lot to ask, especially of TY.

This game will be in the middle of conference play though. So if we aren't close to playing our best by then, it won't matter anyways

 

[skyvue]

This game will be in the middle of conference play though. So if we aren't close to playing our best by then, it won't matter anyways

Yes, I saw that, but it's a tough road matchup. We could play very well and still lose. If we've already had a rough go in the non-conference play and the Big 12 is tough sledding, as it has been for some years now, then another non-conference loss could be problematic.

I'm not advocating a schedule filled with pushovers, but our non-conference slate seems unwisely overloaded to me. If we come out of the gate strong, we'll be fine, but if it takes us a while to come together (and for Trae to adjust to D1 play), we may regret scheduling so many good teams.

 

[coolm]

meh ... if we're good enough to be playing in march then it all equals out in the wash. this team wont be good enough and not going.

 

[skyvue]

meh ... if we're good enough to be playing in march then it all equals out in the wash. this team wont be good enough and not going.

You know that's not necessarily the case. We could be rolling by February, but still have dropped one or two too many games from November-January to make the cut.

If we didn't play in such a tough conference, that'd be one thing, but we do, so there's simply no need, with a team that will likely still be finding its footing in the first couple of months of the season, to play a super-tough non-conference schedule.

It's easy in May to say, "Bring 'em on! We'll take on all comers!" but if we're on the outside looking in come March, plenty here won't be happy (and I'll be among them). I handled last season pretty well and I think most others here did, too. But I'll be very frustrated -- and I won't be alone -- if we miss the tourney again solely because we overreached in our scheduling.