NOTES: Kansas State’s Carlbe Ervin had to leave the game in the first half after suffering a cut….
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Kansas State forward Wesley Iwundu (25) shoots in front of Oklahoma forward Ryan Spangler, left, in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016. The Wildcats had lost their first two league games – one by four points in double overtime to West Virginia and another by three points on the road at Texas – and wanted to avoid going 0-3 to begin conference play after posting a 10-2 record against nonconference opponents.
Buddy Hield’s numbers are staggering, but the one he cares most about resides in Oklahoma’s loss column. So a physical letdown would not have been out of the question, especially against an opponent considered to be far inferior to the talent level and experience of this year’s Oklahoma team.
K-State stuck around close with Oklahoma in the opening minutes of the second half, trailing 55-45 with 14:27 to play in the game. Kansas State would not go down easy, however.
The Sooners may have won by more if not for committing 20 turnovers.
The Jayhawks controlled most of the first half, hitting seven 3-pointers and twice taking an 11-point lead. He increased his Big 12-leading scoring average to 26.6, seven points better than the next best Big 12 player, Georges Niang of Iowa State. Dean Wade got hot in the second half and finished with 12 points, Stephen Hurt had 11 points and six rebounds, while D.J. Johnson added 10 points. Barry Brown had 19 points for Kansas State (10-5, 0-3). Oklahoma’s 13-1 now and still in command of a No. 1 seed.
“Given what’s at stake and the stage and all, I don’t know that I’ve been in one better”, Sooners coach Lon Kruger said.
Buddy Hield and the Oklahoma Sooners reminded a sellout crowd at Lloyd Noble Center how good they both are during an 86-76 victory against Kansas State on Saturday.
No time to relax, for sure.
The loss was a rare second in a row for Virginia, matching its loss total of each of the last two years when it won consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference regular season titles.
Oklahoma will next play Oklahoma State in the first Bedlam game of the season on Wednesday at 8:00 pm at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater.
OU set a season high with 23 assists on 35 field goals. He also had eight rebounds and five dimes on Saturday.
Isaiah Cousins’ shooting woes continued for a second straight game.
Buddy Hield has scored 30 or more points six times this season.
K-State coach Bruce Weber said he thought they might catch the Sooners (13-1, 2-1) struggling with mental and physical fatigue from a three-overtime loss at Kansas.
The highly acclaimed nationally televised game, which was tied 13 times and had just as many lead changes, saw Oklahoma pull away with a slim 44-40 advantage at the half. Hield also added eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks to his stat-line. The team’s season low is five turnovers in the home win over Wisconsin in late November.
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In the last two games, Hield is 24 of 37 for 77 points. Three-pointers rained in Lawrence that night, the two teams hitting at rates of 48.5 and 50 percent.
