Oklahoma post game thread

[dennismenace]

Did I miss it or is everyone in a coma?
Great defensive effort. We did a lot wrong and fouled a ton but I’m really proud of the effort….and result!
And no one expects us to have a chance Sunday so play loose and see what happens.

Sooners coach told his kids to just play as hard as they could down the final stretch. It was a gritty game of effort at the end for both teams. March Madness at its best if not the most beautiful.

 

[ucp990411]

I watched the first half before bed and thought we looked much better than usual, but everyone here is saying we sucked. Did we lay an egg in the 2nd half?

Less than a casual fan?

 

[dennismenace]

For the love of God, learn to inbounds the ball. We need a new play to get the ball in under our own basket.

Diarra really led the team last night. He was huge on both ends. If he didn't get the fouls I think we have an easier time. Mahaney did just enough when he when to the bench.

Other than "the Hail Mary 3/4 court" heaves

 

[NewBlood]

Everything from this point is gravy. Play loose and Sunday and compete. I can live with the result

I think we pull off the upset but if we don’t I’m ok with a L to a non blue blood that should win it all

 

[dennismenace]

Solo Ball keeps getting better in some area every game. Now this summer he has to work on his right hand so he can finish when going to the hoop.

Whoever coached him before he came to UConn did not do the best job. On our high school team if you could not effectively finish with both hands near the rim your playing time was negatively impacted.

Clearly whatever he focuses on improving it seems he gets it accomplished. Hope that is a focus this off season.

It is really amazing that such talented players even in the NBA can go through such contortions with the wrong hand instead of learning the basic. Reminds me of civil war drills for marching where they used to say "hay foot, straw foot" (on their boot) because they couldn't get "right left right left".

 

[alphasigko]

Not sure it’s the same ankle but ailment seems to be bothering him for past few weeks.

Something between his ears.

 

[alphasigko]

Mahaney almost broke his back. I think he was rattled after that.

Yes, and no foul call for getting his legs taken out by one of the Okie players. The refs were horrible in that game. Were they from the BE?

 

[Scoe]

I honestly don’t think the officiating was that bad, compared to BE officiating it was a gift. The refs are going to miss calls in every game it happens. OU drove to the rim more so they were gonna be sent to the line more and the majority were fouls, notice when we did drive to the rim we got calls.

What I liked most was the pace of play, no ego make the call and play on. When they looked at the monitor it was fast no looking at the play 3 times, no 1 minute conversation after the replay like you see amongst BE officials.

Was pretty funny seeing Hurley look at the monitor then ref puts his hand on his shoulder sending the message to back off, Hurley rightfully put his hands up and walked away, that’s an example of good officiating mutual respect right there. No yelling and making it about you over something very minuscule. You could tell Hurley looked very at ease with the officials compared to BE officials, take note Val.

 

[freescooter]

Yes, and no foul call for getting his legs taken out by one of the Okie players. The refs were horrible in that game. Were they from the BE?

The refs were against us. They weren’t from the NBE but it’s a worldwide conspiracy. How can you not know that. I mean except that we foul a lot and Oklahoma plays to draw a lot of fouls so that’s how the game played out, how could you miss the conspiracy? Though you are right that they badly missed the MaHaney one. He got hit twice.

 

[Scoe]

Mahaney played well, but forcing those lobs to Samson were irritating. He has to take the shot when its there stop over thinking.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

You can't play high-low on offense if the "high" player in that pairing won't shoot. Because then you play off of him and deny the paint. And now you've clogged the lane without any discernible benefit. I also don't think our guards really jacked contested 3s. Most of the looks were fairly clean. OU really worked hard to run us off the line, but we didn't make their overplaying pay.

I think Reed and Samson are different enough—and that pairing has been pretty solid in smaller minutes—but if the other team isn't guarding our big on the top of the key and we cannot make them pay, no offensive scheme is ultimately going to get us better looks in the paint or on the line.

Reed and Johnson can both hit a free throw range shot, as evidenced by the fact that they are both decent free throw shooters. They also happen to be 2 of our 6 best players, but let's throw more Stewart Magical Mystery Tour on the court and hope he pulls his head out of his butt one of these games, or hope our point guard, currently residing in the body of a 55-year-old man, can handle 35 minutes a game. Are those your two suggestions?

Defending a bad strategy by focusing on a detail of another strategy is a sign that you know you are wrong.

 

[Icehawk]

I think we played pretty well actually, if McNeeley wasn’t emulating Karaban’s slump we would have won by 10 more, easily, and everyone would have said it was a great game. Lots of fouls (no surprise) but no one fouled out either. Fears is a beast but for the most part our D was on the better end of what we’ve seen.

Let’s go UConn!!!

 

[WhereistheDove?]

Reed and Johnson can both hit a free throw range shot, as evidenced by the fact that they are both decent free throw shooters. They also happen to be 2 of our 6 best players, but let's throw more Stewart Magical Mystery Tour on the court and hope he pulls his head out of his butt one of these games, or hope our point guard, currently residing in the body of a 55-year-old man, can handle 35 minutes a game. Are those your two suggestions?

Defending a bad strategy by focusing on a detail of another strategy is a sign that you know you are wrong.

Our bigs finished with four fouls a piece and Karaban/Stewart couldn’t even keep their four in front of them. Forget offensively, I have no idea how you think that would work defensively. We would have been playing Karaban at the five for half the game after both Reed and Samson fouled out.

 

[VA Blue Dog]

Taking a ball inbouds should not be a 50/50 proposition.
Have a player come off a double or even a triple screen to get the ball.
It looks like we have four players all playing one an one to get the ball.
The offense is getting good open shots just not making them.
Ball and Stewart excepted.
McNeeley looks tired. His shots are short and he's getting rejected on his drives.
I thjink he's trying to do too much and using up all his strength.

 

[Marat]

Taking a ball inbouds should not be a 50/50 proposition.
Have a player come off a double or even a triple screen to get the ball.
It looks like we have four players all playing one an one to get the ball.
The offense is getting good open shots just not making them.
Ball and Stewart excepted.
McNeeley looks tired. His shots are short and he's getting rejected on his drives.
I thjink he's trying to do too much and using up all his strength.

That OU zone defense under their basket when we were inbounding was effective. I don't remember seeing another team do that vs UConn this year? Am i wrong?

 

[Hunt for 7]

Then the other big prospect in this night session was McNeeley. Finishing is obviously an issue. Didn't make shots tonight. He gets a ton of grenades where he has to fire up late shots in the clock. Some things to work through for him for sure, wish we'd see him with a great PG.

https://x.com/Sam_Vecenie/status/1903298671418151367

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Love Diarra, but would've love to see Newton or Castle with 3 shooters like Ball, McNeeley and Karaban. I think each one them would've shot well over 40% from three.

I could just see Tristen firing one of those over the head swing passes after driving into the elbow then looking off the defender and firing the ball to the open defender.

Mahaney is playing better but watching him trying to execute a pick and roll lob is painful. The defender does not respect that he will attack the basket then he looks down Samson the whole way. As soon as he releases the pass the defender is ready and boom a turnover.

Not trying to really bash Mahaney because right now I would rather see him take an open three more than any player other Ball. He does still tend to make his open threes. Yes AK hit one big one but he was still throwing up bricks in the the first 3/4 of the game.

But as I have mentioned he is the key to winning for us.

If you look at the season there are three things that happened that could not. The HC cost us a game with his ego in the first big game of the year. Liam got hurt. Alex turned into a shell of himself. All three had huge consequences.

We can blame a lot of things but for me those three items were the ones that impacted this team’s chemistry the most.

In that Memphis game we were playing ok and Memphis had a ton of talent but when he lost it I think it scarred the team much more than has been stated. Ten Alex with the concussion and play after returning followed by the Liam injury. Bad things come in three those three hurt our chances greatly.

Confidence is a very fragile thing for a 18,19 or 20 year old young men. It’s too bad because if we beat Memphis we may have had a chance to go 3-0 or 2-1 in HI. If Alex was the same player that when he launched a big three you could count on it going in way more than it being a brick. And McNeeley, I continue to believe that sometime after his return he tweaked that ankle. He was ok to play but he has not been the same player.

Those high ankle sprains can really be tricky you feel good when you first come back then tweak it and if that happens they linger. Just look at NFL receivers who other than running backs need to have the lateral quickness that bb players do, when they come back from these injuries it is a coin flip on how they will perform.

I am a LA Ram fan, and I watched Cooper Kupp deal with a high ankle sprain (s) same thing happened the year he had a high ankle sprain his first two games back he was the old Kupp then he tweaked it on an out route to score TD. The one where you really have to sell a cut to the middle of the field before cutting back to the goal line pylon.

 

[SL Husky]

Ugly game, but OU is OUT.

 

[hardcorehusky]

Last night was the perfect time to move Alex to the 5 for a few possessions. Oklahoma would not have adjusted and he would have been wide open with the sagging center. It would have forced Moser's hand defensively and probably opened up the whole offense.

 

[Hunt for 7]

That OU zone defense under their basket when we were inbounding was effective. I don't remember seeing another team do that vs UConn this year? Am i wrong?

Not that I can recall but playing zone on those under the basket in bounds plays used to be a standard then as the players got better that strategy disappeared.

 

[Hunt for 7]

Reed and Johnson can both hit a free throw range shot, as evidenced by the fact that they are both decent free throw shooters. They also happen to be 2 of our 6 best players, but let's throw more Stewart Magical Mystery Tour on the court and hope he pulls his head out of his butt one of these games, or hope our point guard, currently residing in the body of a 55-year-old man, can handle 35 minutes a game. Are those your two suggestions?

Defending a bad strategy by focusing on a detail of another strategy is a sign that you know you are wrong.

I will just offer this. Sanogo started taking that shot two years ago, it was late in the year but it really messed how teams defended us. I think Reed especially has to take a few of those wide open 17-19ft jumpers. If he makes the first or second then just looks at the basket it would really help our offense be less predictable.

 

[Hunt for 7]

Less than a casual fan?

Have no reason why he would think any of us who suffer through every possession would take the time to answer the question of a fan who could just go to sleep at halftime of a game where we are about to tie an all time ncaa tourney record for most consecutive wins. Why would he care this morning…..less than casual is an under statement…..don’t think this even meets the bar as less casual.

 

[PNolanFan]

I honestly thought that the refs were fine, in tournament play i hope we can adjust to going to the rim more. Against Florida points in the paint and at the line need to be won by us. Team has to remember that the refs in the tournament have not been personally victimized by hurley in the past

 

[Spaceman213J]

I was happy to see Stewart give some big minutes in the second half. He was awful in the first half.
My only complaint with the refs is that it seems like grabbing cutters seems to be okay now and shoving the ball handler is okay, too. But its happening in every game. Where is the freedom of movement.
It's tough and a pleasure to watch Hassan. It tough knowing what kind of defender he can be when he is fully healthy and still to watch him leave everything on the floor is inspiring.
Need more from McNeeley obviously to have a chance vs Florida & will need the big men to stay on the floor.
Karaban did what he does at the end of the game last night when he was needed the most.
Finally, last night showed that Solo has the ability to play defense and it also showed what is stopping him. He has to go 100% at both ends, and when he does and did last night he made some plays. Also, there was one play on a hedge by the big guy and he literally skipped back to the screener who had cut and received a pass for a wide open dunk. If he can cut those plays out, he can be an All-American next year.

 

[Mots010]

The game was absolutely in doubt, and they didn't play their A/A- game either.

Another way to look at it is that the 14th place team, 6-12 in conference, just gave the third place Big East team all it could handle.

I mean, the game was not really in doubt in the last 2 min. Robert Morris lost to bama by 9 points. I don’t think that’s indicative of the quality of team Alabama is, or the quality of the SEC. These tourney games can be toss ups.

 

[RedStickHusky]

This is really all it's about. Live to play another gameView attachment 108021

"I don't read the bracket; the bracket reads me."