But the fatal blow came on the Sooners’ final act of an otherworldly first half, when Oklahoma’s smiling assassin, Buddy Hield, launched an NBA-distance 3-pointer over the heads of Oregon’s Elgin Cook and Jordan Bell. The Sooners made 9-of-14 shots from 3-point range in the first half and had a dominating 23-10 rebounding edge, turning 11 offensive rebounds into 15 second-chance points. Three of them were just totally outrageous, including this one from way behind the arc as time was running down at the end of the period. With the clock running down in the first half, Hield set his feet and launched a shot from near the logo at half court that tickled the twine to give the Sooners an insurmountable halftime advantage. The senior swished his first three 3-pointers along with exciting the crowd with a put back slam to get the Sooners rolling.
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Hield absolutely went off on Saturday, scoring 37 points in Oklahoma’s win over Oregon. Kobe also checked out Duke’s Brandon Ingram scoring 24 points in Duke’s loss to OR, where he took pictures with Hield as well. The senior wasn’t done, as Cousins hit deep 3-pointer seconds later to put the Sooners ahead by 19.
“As a kid, you dream of having games like this”, Hield said, per the Associated Press (via ESPN.com).
The Sooners await the victor of Kansas-Villanova in Saturday’s other Elite Eight game, but whichever team wins will certainly have its hands full trying to contain tournament-version Hield. Before the game, Dillon Brooks, Oregon’s leading scorer this year, marveled at Hield’s ability to score, saying, “He’s got confidence, and he’s got the ultimate green light”. As hard as it is to believe, the day before the game, Hield made a rather stunning, candid admission when he spoke about how he didn’t think he would be able sleep the night before the game because of all the nervous energy and the gravity of the moment with a Final Four berth at stake.
“I thought he had a phenomenal game”, OR coach Dana Altman said.
OR won a school-record 31 games while claiming the Pac-12 regular-season and tournament titles. But now they’ve got a special spot with four other teams. “Every time I felt like we were getting ready to do something, he would jump up and make a shot”. He made it in 1994 with Florida, but hadn’t been back. OR looked jittery, as evidenced by seven turnovers in the first 12 minutes for a team that’s usually cautious with the ball. This is OU’s first trip to the National Semifinals since 2002. The Sooners limited the Ducks to 39 percent shooting from the field, and OR only connected on 4 of 21 from 3-point territory.
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Oklahoma travels to the Final Four in Houston.
