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OU must take 'ownership' for rebounding woes

Bob Przybyloby:Bob Przybylo•about 9 hours•

BPrzybylo

Brycen Goodine8
Jan 28, 2025; College Station, Texas, USA; Oklahoma Sooners guard Brycen Goodine (2) drives to the basket against Texas A&M Aggies forward Pharrel Payne (21) during the second half at Reed Arena. The Aggies defeated the Sooners 75-68. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

OU head coach Porter Moser has always emphasized finding the positive before you harp on the negative. It’s a balancing act.

But rebounding at Texas A&M? No balance allowed, no positives to be found. It was awful, dreadful, use whatever term you want. The Aggies had a 47-19 edge and 21-2 with offensive rebounds.

Somehow, OU was just down one possession with three minutes left before wilting in a 75-68 loss in College Station.

OU was led in defensive rebounding by Duke Miles and Dayton Forsythe, the two smallest players on the team.

Simply put, that won’t work. Can never happen again.

“I brought our group that’s playing minutes together and asked them the same question,” Moser said. “I gave them each their defensive rebounding percentage number, and we had three starters I think that were at 0. The percentage of minutes played, over how many defensive rebounds they got, we had three starters at 0%. That’s hard. You ask me, like, ‘Tell me how to coach it.’

“We talked like that, but the only thing that can happen is we got to keep having five guys take ownership. I’ll be honest with you, it wasn’t as much the check-outs as it was—it was the trench rebounds. The rebounds in the trenches, where there’s four prying bodies in the paint, and the physicality of them going go get it and the length that they have. It was in-the-trench rebounds that got us.”

Scouting Vanderbilt

Now here come the Commodores. One of the surprises of the basketball season at 16-4 overall and No. 24 in the top 25 poll.

Vandy might not kill you on the boards, but they’re looking to create turnovers and run. See what OU can do 2:30 p.m. Saturday on SEC Network.

“So impressed with Vanderbilt on tape,” Moser said. “They play really fast. They’re third in the nation in forcing turnovers, steals. Steal the ball. In their wins in the SEC, they’ve averaged 16.5, 17 forced turnovers. In their losses, it’s a little bit over 11. So there’s a big difference in teams that take care of the ball. We know they want to run. They execute tremendously. They’ve got great pieces. Got elite shooters. They’ve got some big, rugged point guards. They’ve got two posts that can shoot it and post up.

“Edwards is a jet-quick guard that can really score. A lot of pieces. Very well-coached. They come out, space you. What’s important? Transition D, taking care of the ball. Those are two huge ones. And you can’t lose Nickel. I think Nickel’s on a really good heater. He’s had 12 3s the last three games, shooting over 50 (percent). And I always say this. It’s one thing to shoot the ball. It’s another thing to shoot the ball at this level when everyone in the gym knows you can shoot the ball. Not like he’s going into these games and people are saying, let’s see if he can shoot. He’s quick release, 6-7, moves without the ball, moves with the ball, does a great job. 12 3s in three games, shooting over 50 percent. He’s on a heater.”

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