OU basketball answering the bell every single time
OU basketball went through the wringer in the last week. Now? Well, hopefully it’s time to have some fun.
The undefeated Sooners are back in Norman, but we’re not going to Lloyd Noble Center. Nope, it’s back to McCasland Field House for the students-only game.
OU (8-0) is hosting Alcorn State 7 p.m. Saturday.
Head coach Porter Moser wanted to bring the student atmosphere into a game more than ever before. OU had fun in the McCasland game last year and hopes to do the same this time around.
The OU home crowd vs. Georgia Tech on Tuesday? Best one of the season. Time to duplicate that enthusiasm the rest of the way.
“It was great. For the people that were in there, you made a difference,” Moser said. “I just want to thank them. It wasn’t sold out, but I can’t wait… we’ve had it sold out, and it just makes a difference. The people that were there tonight, they made a difference. We need to have a home court advantage.
“We need to be a hard place to win at. I’ve gone into the grind in this league, in the Big 12, when it was there. The SEC is shattering records for where it’s at. I thought there were moments where it really made a difference.”
OU is seeking its second straight 9-0 start to the season.
Taking care of the rock
One big reason for the hot start? The guards are living up to their billing. Moser and staff spent a lot of time figuring out how it should navigate the transfer portal.
Top 10
- 1New
Commish shreds portal
Marshall bowl opt-out spotlights issue
- 2
Predicting AP Poll
Chaotic Saturday will shake up rankings
- 3
Michael Van Buren to LSU
Miss. State QB commits
- 4Hot
Final Heisman votes totals
Closest result since 2009
- 5
Alabama to Georgia?
Tide transfer QB visiting Athens
Get the On3 Top 10 to your inbox every morning
Mentally tough guards, who are strong with the ball. Who take care of it, limiting turnovers. You are seeing that with transfer additions Kobe Elvis and Duke Miles.
“It’s just huge to be that disciplined with your ball security,” Moser said. “It’s one of the reasons analytically we’ve been talking about Duke and Kobe. We said they were efficient guys. People are taking care of the ball.
“It’s been a mantra of ours, that we wanna win the turnover battle. Analytically, it’s one of the most important stats in the game. If you’re losing that battle big, it’s just way more times they can get the ball on the rim. The guys have bought into it.”
OU had a mere seven turnovers against Tech. Zero combined between Miles and Elvis.
Final word
“You don’t know until you start getting tested how resilient you are, you know? Every game was close these last four games and we found ways. They were resilient. They took punches, they came back, they came out of timeouts. And I’m liking the resiliency of this group and the finding ways to win. I mean, all four of these games, everyone of ’em was a ‘last minute of the game, game’s still on the line.’ And they found ways to win, and it’s been different guys. Different guys are playing well. We want to try to get deeper. If we feel like we can get eight or nine guys really impacting the game, we feel like we’re deeper. But I love the resolve and the resiliency that we’ve found out going through this stretch.” – said Moser about what he’s learned in the last week
