Porter Moser's men continue to look different, better, eight games into season
Sooners undeterred by slow start against Yellow Jackets
Author’s Note: As many columns as I write, I still enjoy dropping down into simple game mode, where pulling great and season-bending truths out of a contest are not necessarily required. Tuesday night was such a night as my old newspaper sent me out to cover coach Porter Moser’s Sooner men against Georgia Tech inside Lloyd Noble Center. Below is that story, but first a couple of things.
For aspiring sports writers, this was an 8 p.m. tip, my deadline was 11 p.m. and in these days of not much or very hurried copy editing, it’s important I leave myself time to proof my own work. Though the game ended around 10:15 p.m. I was nonetheless proofing what became a 612-word story — without quotes; no time to get them — by 10:43 p.m. Thankfully, by 10 p.m., the story of the game appeared clear and I might have been 250 words into my story by the time it ended, only casually watching the last 5 minutes or so of the game.
Also, though I didn’t have time to talk to Moser or the players, it was important to me to still present a full story that took longer than a minute to read, in addition to catching the reader up with the season to date. Because football continues to take precedence, despite regular season’s end, hoops can get lost in the mix. Thus, for those who get to this story, I want it to be complete.
Finally, though, to me, it’s a game story, not a game column, I still gave it a real narrative, touching on my sense of the story of the season thus far. Though not a column, I didn’t want to shortchange readers the entirety of my insight.
All of that said, enjoy what the Sooners did last night, tonight.
Thanks for reading.
Maybe coach Porter Moser’s fourth Oklahoma men’s basketball team just knows how to win.
Though his first and third Sooner squadrons began their campaigns quite promisingly, too, perhaps this one will be the different one.
Eight games into the season, you can certainly make a case.
Tuesday night, inside Lloyd Noble Center, though OU was ripe for a letdown, it prevailed 76-61 over Georgia Tech instead.
The Sooners (8-0) had just won three straight over the Thanksgiving break, eventually topping Louisville to claim the Battle 4 Atlantis in Paradise Island, Bahamas.
Monday it was rewarded with the No. 21 spot in the Associated Press Top 25, entering the poll for the first time since exiting it on Feb. 19 last season.
As it happened, the Sooners did indeed let down, allowing three straight layups to begin the game and a 3-pointer on the Yellow Jackets’ fifth possession that quickly put them behind six points. And after a run of eight possessions that produced just a single point, OU trailed 15-6 seven minutes and change into the first half.
No problem.
The Sooners began to play defense, hit a few shots, stabilized the contest and climbed within 34-30 by the half. A 15-3 post-intermission surge put OU on top 45-37 and Georgia Tech (4-4) was never closer than five points again.
Two quick fouls limited Sooner freshman wunderkind Jeremiah Fears to just eight first-half minutes in which the 18-year-old missed all four of his shots, an assist, turnover and two made free throws his only numbers.
His fingerprints, however, were all over the second half, particularly during the stretch that put OU on top for good.
His steal and layup were OU’s first points of the second half following three straight empty possessions.
The Sooners’ next time down the court Fears' offensive rebound of Jalon Moore’s missed 3-pointer led to two foul shots, both of which he made.
The next trip, following one of Fears’ three defensive rebounds, it was his pass that led to Kobe Elvis’ assist of a Duke Miles 3 that put OU in the lead.
The next trip yielded a Jalon Moore transition layup and the next a Fears hoop-and-harm natural three-point play that put the Sooners on top 42-36.
Fears finished with a game-high 18 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals. He never picked up his third foul.
Highlighting what might be different about this band of Sooners, Fears was hardly the only one making waves.
Moore, who entered averaging a team-high 18.4 points, finished with 15, including 9 of 10 free throws.
Kobe Elvis, who brought the crowd to life with two different create-your-own-space step-back 3-pointers, added 12 points.
Duke Miles and, off the bench, Brycen Goodine, each added 11, combining to hit 5 of 10 from beyond the 3-point arc.
OU’s slow start from the field conspired to hold its field-goal percentage down at 38.5 percent (20 of 52) while Georgia Tech canned 41.5 percent (22 of 53).
The Sooners made up the difference and more at the free-throw line, converting 26 of 30 attempts.
Over its last five games, OU’s made 82.7 percent (105 of 127) of its charities.
A season-low seven turnovers didn’t hurt the Sooner cause either.
Georgia Tech’s biggest lead was 17-6 12:40 before the half.
The Yellow Jackets got 16 points from Jaeden Mustaf, who began the game on the bench. Lance Terry added 14 points and Duncan Powell 11.
After a run of better opponents, OU meets Alcorn inside Sooner basketball’s original home, McCasland Field House, at 7 p.m. Saturday.
A week after that, it’s Bedlam in Oklahoma City.
It’s a familiar start for Moser’s Sooners.
Perhaps this time, it’s different.
Moser has stumbled into a wealth of talent via the portal, lacking only a true big man to make it perfect. Despite all the good shooters, playing four guards is going to lead to some huge deficits in rebounding, as happened against Arizona and Louisville last week. The 25+ rebound differential against Louisville very nearly cost us the game. My fear concerning this group of scorers is the old "too many cooks" proverb. OTOH with this roster, even if Fears or others are cold, we have others to pick up the slack. Jalon Moore is going to have an amazing season! Now, if moser can figure out a strategy for breaking a press, we may just go a long way this year.