Baranczyk fails to learn lessons, Sooners fail to win game they should have (again)
Sooner skipper could only watch as Mississippi State ran away from Oklahoma in the first quarter, leading to another loss
About 10 years ago, for whatever reason, not that I’m complaining, the NCAA introduced a few rule changes to the women’s game.
Before, there’d always been two 20-minute halves, just like the men, now there would be four 10-minute quarters.
Before, the seventh, eight and ninth opponent foul each half yielded one-and-one free-throw opportunities and each violation thereafter two free tosses, now there would be two free tosses every fifth opponent foul and thereafter each quarter.
Also, for fun, called timeouts in the final minute of the fourth quarter or overtime following made opponent baskets or free throws offered the option of a post-stoppage inbound on the other side of mid-court, or, as the great Bob Barry Sr. always called it, “the 10-second line.”
Following the Oklahoma women’s Jan. 2 loss to fifth-ranked Texas and Thursday night loss at Mississippi State, one’s left wondering what the Sooners’ record might be if not for those rule changes.
I’m guessing instead of 10th-ranked OU finding itself 13-3 overall and 1-2 in the SEC, it would instead be 15-1 and 3-0.
How can that be?
Because if Sooner coach Jennie Baranczyk, who appears to be gangbusters on most other details, were to quit saving all of her timeouts for the final minute, just in case her squad might need to begin a possession beyond half-court, she might find better ways to use them and had she done that against the Longhorns and Bulldogs her team probably wins both of those games.
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