OU sends seniors out in style, gets the big win it had to have, 96-84

The bubble watch for OU basketball will go into the weekend. In a game OU had to have, the Sooners showed up with their best first half of the season.

From there? Just keep punching back when Missouri was trying to make a run. Freshman Jeremiah Fears finally closed the door for the Sooners in a 96-84 victory against the visiting Tigers on Wednesday night on senior night for OU.

Fears was nails down the stretch. Missouri tried to pressure OU time and time again in the final 10 minutes, but Fears had the answer. He closed with 31 points with five assists and four rebounds. Add in just one turnover and drawing 10 fouls. Remarkable stuff when OU needed it most.

He had to because his bigs? They’re ailing. Jalon Moore gutted out a performance on a sore knee. He scored 11 points with seven rebounds but was clearly struggling.

Center Sam Godwin was off to a ridiculously good start before a knee injury sidelined him. Godwin already had 12 points in 11 minutes before having to be carried off after a fall. He spent the second half in sweats on the bench.

So it was a gutty effort, and OU gave itself a lot of breathing room. The Sooners were next level in the first half. OU shot 69 percent, 20-of-29 from the field on its way to a 50-burger in the second half.

OU led by as many as 18 points in the second half before the Tigers scratched their way back into it. It never got within a two-possession game as OU handled the moment much better than it has in the past.

“You got to have that resistance pulling back when the other team’s pulling, and we have that,” Moser said. “We’ve regained that, that resistance, that persistence when things don’t go our way. That’s life, and that’s why every day I keep coming in practice with these guys, ‘You got to have energy, belief, even after gut punches.’

“We put a Quad 1 in the bank, and now I’m really happy for the guys. I’m happy for the guys that was their last home court right there. Now we got to go chase Texas tomorrow, but I want those guys to enjoy it right now. We’re going to get right back at it and chase it for Saturday.”

With Moore and Godwin ailing, Mo Wague came up with his biggest performance of the season. Wague had 12 points and five rebounds in 18 minutes.

Another Quad 1 victory, a fifth conference victory. Bubble teams are trying to make their surge, and OU had to make sure it didn’t get left behind.

Onto Texas.

Godwin update

“I just left Sam,” head coach Porter Moser said. “And we’ll see. Got an MRI tomorrow. We’ll see. Just hugged him. I said Missouri starts out so fast. Back-to-back games getting gut-punched. Your start energized everybody. The confidence he had to start us off again. I think he was 5-of-5, so he’s made 21 of his last 22 shots. He’s playing the best basketball of his career in the last four games. let’s hope for the best. we’ll see. Just left him in the training room. MRI is tomorrow.”

Up next

The bubble watch heads to Austin. In a must-win for both, it’s OU and Texas one more time. Both teams came up with huge victories to begin this week. Head coach Porter Moser has still never defeated the Longhorns, including a 77-73 loss at the LNC earlier this season. It’s as easy as win-and-in? Not sure, but, obviously, it wouldn’t hurt.