@DanHarrison1985 When will your fellow members of the media start voting Oklahoma inside the Top 15 like you have?
What can I say? I'm ahead of the curve -- again. I have been over-voting the Sooners for the last couple of weeks, but in the wake of Oklahoma's win over Oklahoma State Monday night, I am guessing my fellow balloters (or is it balloteers?) will catch up and give this team their due.
Last August, I was in Norman to do an interview with Bob Stoops. As it happened, Lon Kruger's basketball team was practicing in advance of a trip overseas, and he invited me to come by and watch. This, I assure you, was not any kind of special treatment. Unlike many of his peers, who run a closed practice as if they work for the NSA, Kruger invites friends and family into all of his practices. He has even live-streamed them on Oklahoma's website. There were probably 50 or so people in the gym that day. When I mentioned to Kruger that this was unusual, he shrugged and said, "We don't have any secrets."
After watching that workout, I came away thinking this team would be lucky to make the NCAA tournament. What I did not realize was that freshman point guard Jordan Woodard would be this good, this soon. He is only shooting about 35 percent from the field, but Woodard has done a terrific job this season running the offense and attacking the rim. His 9-for-13 performance from the foul line Monday night was decisive, partly because it led to foul trouble for numerous Cowboys starters. I also did not realize that Ryan Spangler, the 6-foot-8 transfer from Gonzaga, would prove to be so tough on the boards. Throw in a couple of big-time scorers in 6-7 senior forward Cameron Clark and 6-4 sophomore guard Buddy Hield, and you have all the pieces in place for a top 15 team.
The most important piece, of course, is the man on the sidelines. Wherever Kruger has been in college, he has won -- at Texas Pan-American, Kansas State, Florida, Illinois, UNLV and now OU. The only exception was his three-year stint with the NBA's Atlanta Hawks. Kruger is a composed, intelligent and, yes, somewhat boring coach, but his teams reflect that cerebral approach to the game, as well as his even temperament. The Sooners are no joke, and it's only a matter of time before the rest of the world stops laughing.
