I agree with the assessments that OU’s 30-point loss to Louisville was embarrassing. But I don’t know what Jeff Capel and the Sooners were supposed to do to avoid it.
OU was no match for Louisville. It was a horrible matchup. Maybe the only worse matchup would be Tennessee. The ‘Ville and the Vols play full-court pressure defense, sort of old style basketball from the ’80s you don’t see much anymore. And it’s a style that the Sooners are incapable of handling.
OU has a serviceable point guard in Austin Johnson, but only at a particular pace. Turn up the heat, and Johnson is vulnerable at a faster tempo. OU’s other guards are not great ballhandlers; David Godbold, Tony Crocker, Cade Davis. All have their strengths, but ballhandling is not among them.
OU had 16 turnovers, but it seemed like 36. And OU had just 15 field goals. That’s more turnovers than baskets. Louisville’s press cost the Sooners more than possessions. It cost them productivity. The Sooners were hurried into poor shots. Blake Griffin got only six shots and didn’t go to the foul line. Louisville is tall and athletic and caused great havoc.
Capel really had no answers. I have none for him. This is what Billy Tubbs’ old teams used to do to opponents. Totally disarm them. Fact is, that’s what Tubbs’ team did to Louisville back in 1988, 20 years ago to the day in the same city, Birmingham.
Watching Villanova reach the Sweet 16 with point guard Scottie Reynolds, you know what OU missed out on when Reynolds got out of his letter of intent. An attacking point guard can make a team pay for pressing.
The Sooners had guard play that can’t fight back against the press. You’ve got to get easy baskets against pressure defense, else you’ll never see the pressure relent. The Sooners got few easy baskets.
March 24th, 2008 at 9:37 am
austin johnson is a serviceable point guard? ummm….no. he is a serviceable 2 guard, especially when other teams double and triple blake griffin. ou has no one who can handle the ball. no one. why can’t they recruit a point guard (or a legitimate 2 guard) to come play with that quality frontline? if scottie reynolds came to ou instead of running to nova, ou would be an elite 8 team. no joke. as it is, that team has no one capable of creating for themselves or others, no one capable of protecting the ball and they got exposed.
March 24th, 2008 at 11:19 am
As I told you before, the Big 12 would not have any teams in the elite 8, (maybe Kansas, I said) (sound a lot like trabor?). If you watched baketball all year from different parts of the Country, you could see this coming. OU and the others are not very good.
As Pat Jones said, there is Kansas and Texas and the rest belong in the NIT.
OSU , sad to say,did not belong in either of the tournaments.
March 24th, 2008 at 4:36 pm
OU isn’t an elite team by any stretch, but this year was an improvement and I’m optimistic about where Capel is taking the team (assuming he’s being honest about staying).
March 25th, 2008 at 11:17 am
From the very first full court press Louisville put on OU, the guys acted like they had never seen a full court press before. Do you suppose they never practiced for such a thing? We practiced for that years ago, when I played at a little class “C” Okla. country school. Something is missing. OU has a ton of talent on the court and sometimes look like a high school team. What about that So. Carolina job???
March 26th, 2008 at 7:49 am
Berry-
A great comparison to what Billy & the Boys used to do to opponents. Its difficult to imagine any coach bringing men’s basketball back to the status it obtained during the Tubbs era.
I don’t know if you’ve weighed-in on the Capel coaching situation to-date, so do hope to see your thoughts on the South Carolina situation.
I just don’t see where Capel has earned a big advance to his contract. I don’t blame him for seeking $1.5M versus his paltry salary of $750K. In fact, I just don’t know how he and his wife can survive living in Norman on those wages… you know… with the price of gas and all.
Regardless of what S.C. might think his future value to be, I would prefer the Sooners take a stand. In large part out of respect to what their other coaches have accomplished. Stoops has earned his due. Capel is still all about potential.
I think once he demonstrates significant success- he should receive significant increase in salary. Until that time, he should live by the terms of the contract.
This might be old-fashioned, but again, I thought Capel was an old-fashioned values kind of a coach. Or maybe that doesn’t include his personal life? I dunno- it all seems ridiculous to me.
Does everybody have to have a price?