Sooners check all the boxes in blowout victory

It’s going to be natural for Sooners basketball fans to want to compare this year’s group to what Porter Moser has had before.

This would have been a sneaky one. Playing without three scholarship players would have made for a dicey evening last season.

Friday? Not so much. OU poured it on early and often and never looked back en route to an 82-43 victory against visiting Mississippi Valley State.

It was simply a game where everything Moser and staff preached during the week was evident on the court to move OU to 2-0 this season.

OU had a 51-23 rebounding advantage, including 20-7 offensively. The Sooners had 17 assists compared to just six for MVS.

It was all working.

“It’s really good. This is a group that takes coaching,” Moser said. “We talked about boxing out, out to in. I thought we didn’t do it very well the first day. We talked about our second-half defense. Even at halftime, we got on them about our second-half defense has to be better. So we wrote out the number — I think it was 36 or 38 — we wrote it on the board, it was 36 field goal percentage.

“We said, ‘Our second-half defense has gotta be better than it was last week.’ And we held them to 28 percent second half. So I love this group hangs on what we’re saying and (it doesn’t just go) through one ear and out the other. They really hang and want to get better. We’ve gotta continue to get better at a lot of things. But I like to see us sharing the ball.”

OU led 50-23 at halftime and never had a concern the rest of the way. The Sooners played without freshmen Kaden Cooper and Jacolb Cole and starting forward Jalon Moore.

OU (2-0) hosts Texas State 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Game 2 Takeaways

*The ball movement was crisp this evening. OU didn’t shoot it very well. But if they continue to play at that pace and effectiveness, it’s going to lead to great things.

“I thought we had a lot of good open 3s,” Moser said. “I was clapping. We moved the ball against the zone. We spaced it, just missed a lot of them. But then we got the rebounds on them. And that’s what you wanna do against a zone.”

*It was the night for the bigs. A quiet night for most of the guards, Sam Godwin and John Hugley both had solid outings.

Godwin finished with a double-double in 12 points and 11 rebounds in just 15 minutes. Hugley came off the bench for nine points and four rebounds.

“I feel like we did a pretty good job on the glass,” Hugley said. “I’ll give a great shoutout to my teammate Sam Godwin. Just a monster on the glass. With Waldo (Rivaldo Soares), their will to just get a second chance and create other second-chance shots for us.”

Soares had 11 points and seven rebounds off the bench.

*Another banner outing for Otega Oweh. He topped his 18-point performance Monday with 20 points, six rebounds and three steals. The word continues to be comfort. He simply looks like he is at ease with the way he’s playing.

“The first thing is his shot,” Moser said. “Man, we’re totally comfortable with him shooting. And he is too. He’s two for two (from 3-point). But he’s just, it’s not like he’s trying to force it. It just came to him, you know?

“And his ball handling is better. His ball handling is better. He did what you’re supposed to do: get better in the offseason. And you’re older, you’re another year where you’re more comfortable and he just, he seems that way. We just gotta keep him going and really just letting it come to him.”

Final word

“Kaden is an ankle sprain, day-by-day. Jalon is a hamstring, day-by-day. Jacolb Cole? You know, once you put them in the game, then that’s it. It’s kind of like Luke Northweather (last year). Once you put him in the game, then his year is done. If you don’t put them in the game, then you can end up redshirting them.” – Moser updates on Cooper, Moore and the redshirt possibility of Cole