Buddy Hield and Jordan Woodward did most of the heavy lifting for Lon Kruger’s team, combining for 39 points, but it may have been the collective effort of the Sooners on the glass that sealed the deal.
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Because of that, the Sooners are one win away from returning to the Final Four for the first time in 14 seasons.
The Oklahoma Sooners face the Texas A&M Aggies in the Sweet 16 basketball game on Thursday, at 7:37 PM ET, at Honda Center, Anaheim, California.
Locally, Hield and Miller were teammates for the Jack Hayward Wildcats under coach Ivan Butler before they finished their high school careers in the United States. “I just wish we would have played better in this game because we definitely are capable of playing better than we played”, Kennedy said. “They’re switching defense, man-to-man and keeping guys out of the lane, force you to shoot threes and if you’re not making shots it makes it tough for you to score”. We were just taking advantage of opportunities. “They came out prepared and ready to go, and the shots that we usually make weren’t falling”.
Oklahoma lost to North Carolina in the South Regional final in 2009. A Final Four appearance for the Sooners wouldn’t surprise Kennedy, who was willing to predict even more success for Oklahoma.
ANAHEIM, Calif. – The clutch 3-pointers and quick layups drew the bulk of the attention during Texas A&M’s rally from a 12-point deficit in the final 44 seconds of regulation Sunday in its (eventual) double-overtime victory over Northern Iowa in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
The Sooners have faced one SEC opponent this season – LSU.
The third-seeded Aggies closed the Oklahoma lead to 11 just five minutes into the second half while Northern Iowa’s second-round collapse weighed heavily on Sooner faithful. The Sooners outscored the Aggies, 13-2, off turnovers.
Woodard had two 3-pointers and Hield scored six points during the run, including a 3-pointer with 1:46 left in the half. There was a moment – 19 seconds before halftime to be exact – when it was rather evident (if it had not already been) that little was going to go wrong for Oklahoma. They emerged from the break to make their first six shots and steadily take control behind senior forward Ellis, who made 10 of 17 from the field.
Behind the shooting of Buddy Hield, many are wondering if Kruger can get that much-anticipated first national championship. Texas or Oklahoma? Let us know who you think will win below! Meanwhile, Texas A&M hit only 34 percent overall and was 6-of-28 from 3-point range (21.4%).
However, it was Texas A&M that looked strong early on as the Aggies grabbed a 13-6 lead on the strength of two three-pointers from Jalen Jones. Hield wasn’t as effective as normal from behind the arc, making just two of seven. “The glass is your friend, ” Woodard said with a smile. Really, really good guy. No big deal. Jordan Woodard compensated with 22 points, while freshman guard Christian James had 12 and forwards Ryan Spangler and Khadeem Lattin had 10 each.
Jones had 11 for the Aggies while Danuel House scored 10.
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Elgin Cook had 16 points and nine rebounds for the top-seeded Ducks (31-6), who will meet Oklahoma on Saturday.
