I thought OU would beat both South Carolina and Texas A&M. I did not think OU would rout A&M though. OU is on fire right now. This team is hardly recognizable from the team which was 11-12, 1-9 in the SEC in late January.
The Sooners are now No. 47 in the NCAA Net ranking and 19-14 overall. To consider where Porter Moser’s Sooners were to where they are currently as one of the hottest teams in the country coming down the stretch run. OU has won six straight and eight of their last ten SEC games.
I have them ahead of both Texas and Auburn coming into tonight’s game versus No. 17 Arkansas. That would mean I have them as the 7th team in the SEC at this moment. I have no idea if Joe Lunardi agrees with me or not. I have no idea if OU has to win tonight to make the NCAA Tournament either.
OU and Arkansas played a very tough to the wire game in Norman early in the SEC schedule before OU’s rotation got back a healthy Dayton Forsythe and a Jadon Jones who by then still wasn’t acclimated to the difference from playing the West Coact Athletic Conference as compared to the very physical SEC. Those two players as No. 7 and No. 8 in the rotation tonight in my mind are one of the two primary keys tonight.
The No. 1 key though is for the OU defense to get in front of one of the best guards in the country in Darius Acuff who as a true freshman is projected as a high lottery pick in this summer’s NBA draft. John Calipari’s team murdered OU with points in the paint in the Hogs’ narrow win in Norman.
This guy is the key to me for OU to win tonight. Porter’s team cannot allow this guy to repeatedly get to the rim. As far as Arkansas’s frontline…I think they’re ordinary. So for me…OU has a chance to win this game if they can ‘somewhat control’ Darius Acuff on the pick and roll coming around the top of the lane.
I’m proud of the Sooners’. Very proud… as I know Porter is as well.
Congrats as well to Shai for passing Wilt in the Thunder’s win over the Boston Celtics. Oklahoma City as a city is beyond fortunate to have this young man representing their city.
Mike J