Eric Musselman impressed with OU turnaround
TULSA, Okla. – Inside the OU basketball bubble, it has been easy to see the improvements being made by the Sooners. The last couple of games, though, we’ve been able to hear from the opposing coaches.
Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman wasn’t around for the majority of the second half, being ejected at the first media timeout. OU earned the 79-70 victory to move to 2-1 vs. Arkansas in the Crimson & Cardinal Classic at the BOK Center in Tulsa.
But add him to the list of people impressed with what Porter Moser and company have been able to do. And maybe a name you don’t think about too often, Sam Godwin.
“They’re really well-coached. They play really hard,” Musselman said. “They understand their roles. I’m not in their locker room [but] it looks like they accept their roles. They looked connected. They play really good defense. They’re very physical on the backboards.
“In my opinion, they have… Godwin, his role of being a great complementary piece, he’s one of the best in college basketball at going vertical. He’s one of the best players at not needing the ball in his hands to affect the game, so really, really impressed with him in particular with his demeanor on the court. He, in my opinion, really excels at his role. You’re talking about a guy who had seven points. But I think he’s phenomenal at what he does and what he gives them.”
Godwin has been a surprise for the Sooners. He’s never going to have the offense run through him, but he continues to do the dirty work that is needed. Setting a pick, rolling to the basket, cleaning the glass – Godwin is your man.
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And then there’s two-headed point guard for OU in Milos Uzan and Javian McCollum. They’re ability to control the game, to adapt in a game has been so crucial.
“He’s a combo guard,” said Musselman about McCollum “Plays with confidence. Shot selection, good. Tonight, he drew eight fouls. He had five rebounds. That’s probably more than anybody on my team. Close.
“I think any time a guard rebounds — and I’m only going off tonight; I’m not going off the Providence game or anything — he can shoot the three, he can dribble drive, three-level scorer. Don’t look at him just as a point guard. I think he’s a combo guard. And they have two combo guards, which I think makes them effective — [Milos Uzan] and him. They both can play the point and they both can play off the ball.”
McCollum could absolutely be in line for Big 12 Player of the Week honors Monday. OU didn’t just survive the two-game week of Providence and Arkansas, but might have even more confidence than before.
The Sooners are 9-0, and we’ll see just how high up in the polls they go Monday.
Here are the Sights & Sounds from SoonerScoop video editor Eddie Radosevich.
