Game Links
Game Recap
Tortilla Tossin’ Player of the Game: Jarrett Culver gets back on track, recording a double-double, scoring 23 and grabbing 13 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 4 turnovers. The turnovers were odd, all coming within the first 10 minutes of the second half, but he took over the game with less than 5 minutes left in the game.
Defender of the Game: Tariq Owens and Norense Odiase get this award. Owens seems easy, he was a shot-blocking machine, netting 4 and affecting others, but both Owens and Odiase are so central to the help defense and cutting off drivers to the game.
Multi-Purpose Player of the Game: Moretti scored 12, had 3 steals, 3 assists, 2 boards, and just 1 turnover.
Game Notes:
- Beard mentioned the rebounding and the Sooners had 10 offensive rebounds in the first half, and then limited the Sooners to 6 in the second half. A marked improvement and the Sooners out-rebounded Texas Tech by 7 overall, so that’s something to watch in the game in Norman.
- Really nice to see Brandone Francis get involved defensively and offensively, getting back on defense and blocking that transition layup and then hitting a couple of big three-point shots. Francis finished with 8 points on 4 shots.
- Pretty big turn of events at the end of the first half. With 52 seconds remaining and down 35-27, Culver gets hold running a screen around the basket away from the ball and gets a one-and-one and makes both. OU calls a timeout with 43 seconds remaining and the Sooners rush to take a shot which Tariq Owens immediately swats away. Odiase subs in for Francis. OU gets a shot along the baseline that misses, and then they seemingly grab the rebound, but Moretti takes away from the OU player and Culver holds the ball for the last shot. Culver drills an absolute killer of a baseline jumpshot with time remaining and it is now 35-31.
- Before the flagrant foul on Moretti it looked like Oklahoma was about to take control of the game, going back up by 7 before Moretti’s free throws. OU had made 3 of their 8 second half buckets within the first 5 minutes of the second half and made their 4th go go up 44-39. Your guy, Brandone Francis would hit a corner three-pointer to make it 44-42 and Odiase would make it 45-44 Oklahoma.
- The Sooners would not go away and with 4:35 left in teh game, OU would hit a three-point shot to tie ait at 51 and then Culver would take over.
- We got to see Odiase and Owens get a lot of minutes together and that’s not something we’ve seen very much this year except to start games and the half. I thought they played really well together and with Odiase making 8 points on 3 of 3. If one of those two can be an offensive threat, then that’s pretty significant and that’s why they continued to play together.
- Moretti is starting to really feel it, scoring 12 points and just being an effective scorer with the outside shot and the flips inside.
- Jarrett Culver fixed his free throw issue for this game, making all 7 and the team didn’t miss from the charity stripe, making all 17 attempts. The Sooners weren’t bad, 10 of 14, but obviously not a ton of opportunities at the free throw line.
- The suffocating Texas Tech defense would hold OU to 33% in the first half and 31% in the second half.I mentioned before the game that OU had better offensive efficiency, but Texas Tech had better offensive players and Texas Tech would end up shooting 39% in the first half and 52% in the second half. Having Culver make shots and someone that is a tough offensive matchup is a significant deal.
- Pretty neat deal to see Beard pull the students down for the Matador Song.
- Head coach Chris Beard:
They did really good, they are a patient defense. A lot of people associate patience with offensive basketball but a good defense can be patient too, what I mean by that is they do not foul. It is a big identity of Oklahoma Basketball they do not foul much. You have to work to get possession, so when it gets to be mid to late clock you got to work at them and go at them with the courage to make a play tonight we had some guys. How about Deshawn Corprew with his two baskets in this game, I think really the difference in the game if you look at it that way Deshawn he’s got that courage and Moretti made some plays. Not one of Matt’s better statistical games but one of his best ones in terms of being dialed in.
Highlights