This is the Sooner Pocket's first post about an OU athletic team other than the football team. Both the men's and women's teams are in year three under new regimes, and this year is very promising for both teams. Let's talk about the men's team, what they've done so far, and what they have coming up this week.
Photo Credit to OU Daily.
What We Saw This Week
Oklahoma men's basketball started strong this week. After a disappointing second half of last year's season, the Sooners have started 2-0. Their first win was an 89-59 victory over Central Michigan, and their second was an 82-43 victory over Mississippi Valley State. Shots from beyond the arc were a major problem for OU last season—an inability to make three-pointers cost us in several major games. Through the first two games of the season, while our three-point shooting could be better, we have not had the same issues we had last season. Watching this team, the Sooners seem to be a very physical team this year. They've been going after rebounds with intensity and driving down the court with purpose. As the Big 12 is a gauntlet in college basketball, seeing how physical the team is gives hope that we can compete with some of these better teams in the paint and keep them from controlling the game.
Statistical Leaders To This Point
Points: Otega Oweh, 38 total points, 19 PPG, 66% on field goals, 100% on three-pointers.
Rebounds: Otega Oweh, 14 total rebounds, seven per game.
Assists: Milos Uzan, 14 total assists, 3.5 per game.
Steals: Otega Oweh, six total steals, three per game.
Blocks: Sam Godwin, two total blocks, one per game.
What To Expect This Week
OU plays two games this week: Texas State and UT Rio Grande Valley. Both teams are expected to be easy victories for the Sooners. Porter Moser has always built his teams around strong defense, and Oklahoma is looking to make a defensive statement in out-of-conference play this month. Some of the better teams over the past couple of years, especially the Baylor team that won the national championship a couple of years ago, did so with stellar defense. While these teams we're facing this week won't provide too much of a challenge to our defense, it would still be nice to see the OU defense dominate the teams we should dominate. On top of that, given these teams don't boast the strongest defenses, it would be nice to see the offense get a lot of practice shooting from beyond the arc. When we go up against the high-powered teams the Big 12 has to offer year in and year out, we need to be prepared to score 80 points per game at least if we want to have a chance at winning the conference.
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