This team plays in spurts

[Sam]

This team has 2-3 minute pockets of energy and efficiency about 5-6 times a game. During these spurts the Sooners appear to have figured it out and have cut into their deficit to anywhere between 10-2 points.

This causes me to go into full time homer/believing/crazy optimist mode.
"Sooner Magic! Going to come back! We can beat KU this year playing like this!" All that good rah rah stuff.

The problem is immediately after these little spurts it is followed up by 4-5 minutes of pure failure. Dribble off a leg, sloppy pass for break away slam, get stripped in the back court, badly shot three and my favorite teaser "play great D for 30 seconds, force a bad shot and then give up an offensive rebound for a put back". This is becoming a habit of this team to play just like this (go back and watch Arkansas, tonight, heck even some of Virginia).

All I am saying is it will drive me crazy and if this stuff continues. Its toying with my heart, the blind homer in me wants to believe all is well and this team has figured it out during these spurts. Then bam! I get knocked back onto my tail and I go oh yeah. To quote the guy from waterboy "We suck again"

If this trends continue I can almost certainly say I will go "Scranton Strangler" on somebody near me after one of these heart breaking swoons by this team. Then at my trail I hope my lawyer tries to get me off by pleading "insanity for being an OU basketball fan".

So points of this post.
1. We can't even play a complete half vs a "good team" anymore which is a horrible sign.

2. Don't be near me during OU games this season and if you're at the LNC and you see somebody choking another person you will know why.

 

[outest]

This team has 2-3 minute pockets of energy and efficiency about 5-6 times a game. During these spurts the Sooners appear to have figured it out and have cut into their deficit to anywhere between 10-2 points.

This causes me to go into full time homer/believing/crazy optimist mode.
"Sooner Magic! Going to come back! We can beat KU this year playing like this!" All that good rah rah stuff.

The problem is immediately after these little spurts it is followed up by 4-5 minutes of pure failure. Dribble off a leg, sloppy pass for break away slam, get stripped in the back court, badly shot three and my favorite teaser "play great D for 30 seconds, force a bad shot and then give up an offensive rebound for a put back". This is becoming a habit of this team to play just like this (go back and watch Arkansas, tonight, heck even some of Virginia).

All I am saying is it will drive me crazy and if this stuff continues. Its toying with my heart, the blind homer in me wants to believe all is well and this team has figured it out during these spurts. Then bam! I get knocked back onto my tail and I go oh yeah. To quote the guy from waterboy "We suck again"

If this trends continue I can almost certainly say I will go "Scranton Strangler" on somebody near me after one of these heart breaking swoons by this team. Then at my trail I hope my lawyer tries to get me off by pleading "insanity for being an OU basketball fan".

So points of this post.
1. We can't even play a complete half vs a "good team" anymore which is a horrible sign.

2. Don't be near me during OU games this season and if you're at the LNC and you see somebody choking another person you will know why.

Let me save you the misery. It's called turnover. Everytime we get our momentum back, we would get a turnover killing all the momentum just like in football. It's because we don't have a PG.

 

[Max Power]

Let me save you the misery. It's called turnover. Everytime we get our momentum back, we would get a turnover killing all the momentum just like in football. It's because we don't have a PG.

its not always turnovers, it has also been bad shots because the guys seem to think that whenever we are on a 6-0 or 8-2 run that they cant miss and start throwing up garbage. And im not sure who is to blame for those bad decisions, The player for making it or the coach for allowing it to happen game after game.

 

[NickZepp]

I don't know if you can call them spurts. It's too small a period to even be that. I like this team when they try to attack the basket and get to the line. But they don't do it nearly enough. I think we need to start going younger and I would like to see Cameron Clark and Tyler Neal and others attack the basket more. I liked how Cade attacked the basket some too. If he made his FTs he would have had 5 more points or however much it was.

 

[Sooner_In_MI]

2. Don't be near me during OU games this season and if you're at the LNC and you see somebody choking another person you will know why.

Dibs on not sitting by you for the KU game

P.S. if we actually somehow beat Kansas I'm literally doing a dead sprint to midcourt. Dead sprint.

 

[OUsky]

its not always turnovers, it has also been bad shots because the guys seem to think that whenever we are on a 6-0 or 8-2 run that they cant miss and start throwing up garbage. And im not sure who is to blame for those bad decisions, The player for making it or the coach for allowing it to happen game after game.

ding ding ding

 

[AdaSooner]

its not always turnovers, it has also been bad shots because the guys seem to think that whenever we are on a 6-0 or 8-2 run that they cant miss and start throwing up garbage. And im not sure who is to blame for those bad decisions, The player for making it or the coach for allowing it to happen game after game.

You can also add poor shooting when we take good shots. It's hard to win games against any team when your starters are 17 for 50 (34%) from the field and 3 for 19 (16%) from three.

I don't blame Capel for the misses and all of our poor decisions. But he has to do a better job of preparing his players and putting them in a position to succeed. Like Denver said on another thread, I have no idea what we're trying to do on offense? But if someone doesn't figure it out soon, this will be a very long season. If you think Cincy's defensive pressure caused us problems, wait until we get into the Big 12 portion of our season. Mizzou, for example, may beat us by 40 or more in Columbia.

 

[DenverSooner]

Exactly. Arizona, Arkansas, Cinci, and Virginia are all probably bottom half Big XIi teams this season.

It is unfortunately going to get very ugly Big XII play. I truly will not be completely shocked if OU goes 0-16 in conference play. I am certainly not predicting that result but it is not out of the question. The Big XII has 6 top 25 teams and CU, tech and A&M clearly have better guards than OU at this point. If I got good odds I might put $100 pn OU only winning two big XII games. ISU and Neb. Don't forget neb crushed OU last season

 

[NickZepp]

If OU goes 0fer in the conference then Capel is done. You can't keep a coach that does that.

 

[SoonerBabyy]

Dibs on not sitting by you for the KU game

P.S. if we actually somehow beat Kansas I'm literally doing a dead sprint to midcourt. Dead sprint.

holy sh*t me too! you think the 45 yellow shirts might stop us tho?

 

[SoonerBabyy]

You can also add poor shooting when we take good shots. It's hard to win games against any team when your starters are 17 for 50 (34%) from the field and 3 for 19 (16%) from three.

I don't blame Capel for the misses and all of our poor decisions. But he has to do a better job of preparing his players and putting them in a position to succeed. Like Denver said on another thread, I have no idea what we're trying to do on offense? But if someone doesn't figure it out soon, this will be a very long season. If you think Cincy's defensive pressure caused us problems, wait until we get into the Big 12 portion of our season. Mizzou, for example, may beat us by 40 or more in Columbia.

holy crap it was horrible. & thats what i was talking to the guy behind me at the game about.. good shots they just wont fall... & i WISH fitz could hit those easy put back more. it would help alot

 

[OUhoops11]

Playing in spurts is the sign of a very young team gaining experience.

 

[SoonerinNC]

I thought Cincinnati kept us playing under duress most of the game. We just didn't get an offense going that resulted an good open shot. Also they forced a lot of turnovers with their defense.

The pre-season dope on the Bearcats was bottom half of the Big East. I didn't see anything that would prove that wrong.

I fear we are in for a really tough Big 12 season. We should get hot and win a couple we are supposed to lose but I don't see any easy wins.