Hield would score points No. 28 and No. 29 on separate trips to the free throw line to make sure the Sooners weren’t the latest victim of an upset in the NCAA tournament.
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Texas A&M is adopting the “it takes a village to raise a child” approach to guarding Oklahoma star Buddy Hield on Thursday night in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, only with the reverse intent of stunting Hield’s development.
Not quite. As VCU cut into Oklahoma’s lead in the second half, Hield ensured the Sooners’ season wouldn’t be ending.
But in Buddy Hield, 22, Oklahoma has a player that is being talked about as the frontrunner for national player of the year.
OU’s defense frustrated VCU shooters early, building a 14-point edge seven minutes into the game. Ben Simmons of LSU and Brandon Ingram of Duke are locks to go first and second, but after that things are very hard to predict. There’s no reason that Hield can’t go as high as number three, depending on his pre-draft workouts. Isaiah Cousins and Jordan Woodard will have to do their share and take some load off Hield if they are to make it through the unsafe Aggies. While they may have hacked out a miraculous comeback last time out at the expense of Northern Iowa, their defense will be a concern for the Sooners. The Sooners, on the other hand, are among the nation’s top 50 led by 6-8 senior Ryan Spangler who averages almost 10 rebounds per game. On the season, they’re just 12-19 against the spread with a 2-8 record in their past 10 games and 8-17 as the favorite.
Even with Hield’s closing flurry, the Rams remained in the game until the end.
Oklahoma and Texas A&M played regularly when both were members of the Big 12.
That Hield managed to score 20 points in the final 8 minutes was an affirmation of his greatness, and of Kruger’s excellence in the specialty of generating opportunities for him. My read is that they will get just enough to win a tight game 66-63. “And you don’t get these moments back every time”. Hield scored 27 points in Oklahoma’s first-round win over Cal State Bakersfield. “I think a lot of people probably put a lot of focus on him, but I think they’ve got some other players”. Billbury could inherit the task of guarding Hield, however, and that could take some of the punch out of his offensive game. Hield Tweeted back: “I AM a problem”. They’ll look for easy baskets inside, as they shot just 34% from beyond the arc this season.
Buddy’s first bucket did not occur until more than 10 minutes of the basketball game had passed, and it required far more than the usual degree of difficulty. OU continued its bonkers marksmanship by canning 55 percent of 3-point attempts as well.
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During a furious Rams rally down the stretch in the second half, the Sooners’ All-American kept answering.
