Oklahoma (18-2) rallied from a 14-point second-half deficit behind 32 points by senior Buddy Hield, who had 32 points including eigtht three pointers.
Advertisement
The Wildcats built an eight-point lead midway through the second half before Kansas switched to a zone defense and mounted a comeback.
But LSU is tough at home, suffering only one loss this season at the Pete Maravich Center. Leonard Fournette dropped in.
“Buddy is not a one-man band”, LSU coach Johnny Jones said.
Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield took over while LSU’s Ben Simmons disappeared late but it was two other Sooners who came up big in the closing seconds.
Cousins finished with a respectable 18 points, but Hield stole the show Saturday and cemented his status as the Player of the Year front-runner, finishing with 32 points-including 21 in the Sooners’ resilient second half.
Hield, the 2015 Big 12 Player of the Year, is a senior and averages 25.9 points and 5.8 rebounds a game, and he loves the 3-pointer, shooting it at 52 percent clip on the season.
In LSU’s highest profile game to date, Simmons had 10 points and 14 rebounds against Kentucky. On the final possession for the Sooners, Hield went to set a screen for Cousins, but the star slipped it.
Hield averages 33.9 minutes a game.
LSU 6-6 junior guard Tim Quarterman will have the closest view of Hield.
Hield answersed with another three pointer before Cousins scored the final four points for Oklahoma. One of them gave Oklahoma a 73-72 edge after Blakeney hit a 3 of his own for a 72-70 lead at the 2:16 mark. 477 of its shots from the floor. But he was in traffic and missed as time expired. There appeared to be contact on the play, but no foul was called.
#15 Miami 69 North Carolina State 85: The Hurricanes were upset by one of the worst teams in the ACC, with The Wolfpack picking up only their second conference win of the season.
LSU didn’t go quietly. Cups flew from the student section.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of LSU’s last 7 games. Cousins, who hit the game winning shot, finished with 18 points and Ryan Spangler had 16 points and 10 rebounds.
The Sooners are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 vs. SEC opponents however, just 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games overall. Some of that was his fault for not taking over the game.
Quarterman led LSU with 18 points, and Victor followed with 15.
Hield finished 11-of-22 from the field – including 8-of-15 on 3-pointers. It’s been a problem for Oklahoma since its loss to Iowa State, and while Simmons didn’t completely command the game or blow up the box score, he was a huge factor in contesting shots along the perimeter and attacking the rim.
The other Tigers got a little tentative throwing the ball into Simmons because of some turnovers on those plays earlier in the half. He took the moment and took three shots over the final 2:51. We ought to find out a whole lot in this one.
“Yes sir, it was loud”, he said.
“I haven’t had the chance to go back and watch it, but I thought he went in there in traffic. It was a good atmosphere”. “We’re learning. It was a great opportunity to play a great team like this”.
“John makes me look like a young guy”, Hornsby said with a laugh. “Fournette’s a good player”.
But everybody will be watching Simmons (Me in this case) and Hield (Him in this case).
Advertisement
“I have no problem with the job”, Quarterman said. “I was kind of focusing on the game”. He snares almost thirteen of them per game.
