Comments on: Bedlam basketball debate

By: Doug

Doug — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 19:24:14 +0000

There is a direct relationship between the sucess of OU Athletics and cheating. There is no doubt that OU has a great athletic program, but it has a high price tag. OU is the leader in probation. “Its not cheating until you get caught.”
It seems that OU fans have this entitledment additude where they think every game and every title belongs to them no matter what the sport. They have the additude that have a better program than OSU in every sport. I have heard many of our local sports experts say that OSU has a better overall sports program than OU. I think it is true because we support all sports and nor just footballl. If it was not for Joe C forcing football season ticket holders to also buy basketball season tickets no one would show up to the basketball games. OU even offers to send a bus full of pizza, cokes, and game tickets to the dorms and frat houses but no none will show up. I think OU will always have an attendance problem since the LNC is so far from anything from campus. If was to compare who had the better programs this is how I would rate them;
Football-OU
Mens Basketball-OSU
Women’s Basketball-OU
Soccer-OSU
Wrestling-OSU
Baseball-OSU
Softball-OU
Men’s Golf-OSU
Women’s Golf-OSU
Track and Field-OU
Cross Country-OSU
Men’s Tennis-OSU
Women’s Tennis-OSU

By: Doug

Doug — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 18:19:50 +0000

One of the big differences between OU Football and OSU Basketball is after OU won their National Titles in the 70′s and 80′s they were always shortly out on Probation. There is a reason why OU leads the country in Probation. It can be directly associated with their sucess. “Its not cheating until you get caught” should be the motto.

By: skyvue

skyvue — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:39:36 +0000

The difference between OU’s “ancient” success in football and OSU’s even older success in basketball is that OU has gone on to win four other national titles since the 1950s — two in the 1970s, one in the 1980s, and one this decade — so they don’t rely strictly — or even primarily — on those titles for their football legitimacy.

Take away those 1950′s titles, and OU is still undeniably one of the greatest football programs in the country.

OSU, on the other hand, has won no — zero, zip, nada — hoops titles in the six decades since they took home those two trophies, yet they rely almost entirely upon those titles for their claims of basketball supremacy.

The truth is this: You take away those two sixty-year-old titles, and they’re not even in OU’s league in basketball, while you can take away OU’s first three football champsionships, and the Sooners are still among the national elite.

Put another way: If OU had never won another football title after their first three championships but they continued to tout those titles to anyone who would listen, insisting, as most Pokes fans (and certain columnists) do, that they are still a prominent national program because of those dusty trophies and the atmosphere at Memorial Stadium, most observers would be torn between mocking and pitying the delusional Sooner faithful.

But that’s exactly where things stand with OSU basketball. We’re asked to give them credit for the success they enjoyed sixty years ago, as if the ensuing decades had never happened.

Princeton was once a dominant football power — should they still be credited for their gridiron success of yore?

As for comparing the head-to-head Bedlam hoops results to Texas’ lead over OU in football, you’ve got it wrong: Texas’ lead in the Red River Rivalry was built entirely before World War II — the series is virtually even since then.

But OU’s lead over OSU was built both before Henry Iba’s arrival in Stillwater and since his departure after the 1970 season.

Here are the facts: Prior to Iba’s first win over the Sooners in 1935, OU led in Bedlam basketball by a laughable count of 44-9. Yes, that was a long time ago, but it’s not the whole story.

Since Iba’s final defeat of the Sooners in 1970, OU leads the head-to-head results, 55-31.

In fact, the only period during which OSU can claim dominance over OU was during Iba’s tenure. In the decades before and after his time in Stillwater, OU has beaten OSU by a wide margin head-to-head.

Granted, the Iba years were grand ones for OSU (though the ’60s were rather dire), but it’s all they have. Prior to Iba’s arrival, the Sooners’ performance on the Bedlam hard court resembled their football dominance of the Cowboys, and after Iba’s departure, they began to dominate the series again. Twenty-four more wins over 39 seasons ain’t hay.