Oklahoma Sooners
Big 12 (25-7, 12-6)
Oklahoma has had a great season on the shoulders of superstar Buddy Hield. On the year, the 6-4 senior has averaged 25.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.2 steals. Obviously those are huge numbers, but Hield has also been clutch with his shooting. He makes the big plays even when everybody knows he is going to make the big play. And occasionally Coach Lon Kruger can use him as a decoy since there are plenty of other talented players on this team who can take the clutch shot.
Big Wins: 12/7 vs Villanova (78-55), 1/2 Iowa State (87-83), 2/20 at West Virginia (76-62)
Bad Losses: 2/6 at Kansas State (69-80), 2/17 at Texas Tech (63-65), 2/27 at Texas (63-76)
Coach: Lon Kruger
Why They Can Surprise:
Hield steals the headlines, but the Sooners boast a trio of other double-digit scorers. Isaiah Cousins and Jordan Woodard shoot nearly as well as Hield from beyond the arc. Hield has hit 46.4 percent of his attempts from long range, while Cousins connected on 42.5 percent and Woodard 44.4 percent. This is one of the most outstanding three-point shooting teams in the country and those three are the reason why. It is tough to defend a team that has three guys who can step back from the three-point line and still hit half of their shots. Ryan Spangler can hit outside shots too, but he does most of his damage inside of the arc and on the glass. Spangler is the team’s interior presence and he is a very tough rebounder that compliments OU’s great perimeter play. The emergence of sophomore Khadeem Lattin has given the frontcourt more options and helps take the pressure off of Spangler.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Despite the fact that Woodard, Hield and Cousins can all handle the ball, Oklahoma does fall short in the turnover margin department. They do not force that many and, as most fast tempo high scoring offenses do, they commit quite a few turnovers as well. For any team that wants to beat Oklahoma, they need to take advantage of that. Oklahoma also fails to take advantage of the fact that they have big, talented guards who can attack the basket. Too often the Sooners settle for jump shots, which is fine since they usually make those shots, but occasionally their shots are not falling. And that is when Oklahoma needs to remember that they can still put points on the board by getting to the basket and the free-throw line.
Probable Starters:
Jordan Woodard, Junior, Guard, 12.6 ppg, 3.4 apg, 3.0 rpg
Buddy Hield, Senior, Guard, 25.0 ppg, 2.1 apg, 5.6 rpg
Isaiah Cousins, Senior, Guard, 13.0 ppg, 4.5 apg, 4.6 rpg
Khadeem Lattin, Sophomore, Forward, 5.4 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.2 bpg, 1.0 spg
Ryan Spangler, Senior, Forward, 10.8 ppg, 9.4 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Dante Buford, Freshman, Forward, 3.6 ppg, 1.9 rpg
Dinjiyl Walker, Senior, Guard, 3.7 ppg,
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 80.9 (21st in nation, 3rd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 70.3 (136, 8)
Field-Goal Percentage: 45.8 (85, 4)
Field-Goal Defense: 40.3 (38, 2)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 10.6 (4, 1)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 43.0 (2, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 72.7 (62, 4)
Rebound Margin: 2.8 (91, 5)
Assists Per Game: 14.9 (81, 4)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.7 (174, 6)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2015 NCAA Second Round win over Albany
2015 NCAA Third Round win over Dayton
2015 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Michigan State
2014 NCAA Second Round loss to North Dakota State
2013 NCAA Second Round loss to San Diego State
2009 NCAA Round of 64 win over Morgan State
2009 NCAA Round of 32 win over Michigan
2009 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Syracuse
2009 NCAA Regional Final loss to North Carolina
2008 NCAA Round of 64 win over St. Josephs
2008 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Louisville
2006 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Milwaukee
2005 NCAA Round of 64 win over Niagara
2005 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Utah
2003 NCAA Round of 64 win over South Carolina State
2003 NCAA Round of 32 win over California
2003 NCAA Regional semifinal win over Butler
2003 NCAA Regional final loss to Syracuse
*all team stats through 3/6
