What a great basketball game this turned out to be on Wednesday night inside Lloyd Noble Arena. The Sooners fresh off their impressive win over top ten Texas last week encored that win with a stunning upset win over No. 2 Kansas State by a score of 66-63.
This game had everything you would want in a game featuring the two teams atop the Big 12 standings.
OU came to play and the lead never stretched too far apart in this game as each team would answer a spurt with a spurt of their own.
This was my third time to watch the Lady Sooners this season and I’ve been impressed every time I’ve watched them play.
Coach Jennie B has this team team playing a very fast, very tough, very opportunistic style of play which is fun to watch. This group does not kill themselves with sustained boneheaded gaffes. These Sooners play with a very high BBIQ…very high. Coach B only had to use one timeout the entire game in that regard to settle down some turnover issues.
They’re not an uber big team, but they can fly, shoot the three ball, and play surprisingly good team defense given their size limitations. It’s a team with a nice mixture of youth and vet saavy which has gotten incrementally better each game.
I believe this marks the first time since 2004 the Lady Sooners have beaten two top ten teams in a season. I may need to recheck that one though in the Sheri Coale era.
It was a good crowd… very much into the game. A high BBIQ crowd. There was no nonsene after the game with the crowd doing the SEC, SEC chants like the Aggies did mockingly in Stillwater when they were gifted their recent Bedlam football win.
Just two teams who played a great game and have mutual respect for one another.
My favorite two players on the team are Sklar Vann who’s what I would describe as a power hybrid guard who can do her work with equal effectiveness inside or outside. She was my No. 1 player of the game and the Big 12’s player of the week last week. Very heady player who BTW was a Deer Creek girls’ super star before heading to the Sooners.
And my second favorite player would be the O State transfer Lexey Keys who is what I would decribe describe as the fastest player on the team who creates constant havoc with her hustle and can shoot the three ball pretty well.
I ran into her in the tunnel after the Cincy game and told her how much she reminds me of the Sooners legend Mookie Blalock off that Sooner 1988 national runnerup team. She just kind of smiled. I’m not sure if she knows who Mookie Blalock was or she just thought I was some crazy older guy talking nonsensical shit.
But last night after the buzzer, I ran into her again since I was sitting on the floor minus the fake ESPN hoodie, wearing my best Sooner hoops longsleeve pullover instead. We caught each other’s eye and I gave her a thumbs up the victory smile. She smiled back.
Just so we are clear…in 1988 Mookie Blaylock set the all-time NCAA Tournament record with 45 steals in the tournament.
Next up for the Sooners is Bedlam where I’m certain Lexey will be booed as a traitor. It it what it is. Play tough, Lexey.
Somewhere in the postgame celebration, I lost my driver’s license… I think I’ll go sun a bit and then work out before I get my new driver’s license later today.
Maybe I should write something about the Thunder tomorrow since we’re at the mid-point of their season and they’re in second place in the Northwest Division just like I said they would be. I’m proud of the Thunder. They’re now maybe my third or fourth NBA team….so I need to start giving them a littl love on here from time to time. If the Texas Rangers can win a World Series and the Las Vegas Golden Knights can win a Stanley Cup…who knows. Maybe the Thunder are on a miracle collision course of some sort if they improve thir roster just a bit at the trade deadline.
Life is good.
MJ