Texas Tech 72, Oklahoma 71: Postgame thoughts and observations
Tiny Gallon looked like, for a bit, he finally figured out teams have trouble guarding him when he makes strong moves to the basket. Dexter Pittman stopped him pretty consistently on the block on Saturday, but you’re not going to find many Dexter Pittman’s in college basketball.
Darko Cohadarevic, I assure you, is no Dexter Pittman.
“I think he’s close to 300 pounds, and guys like that, you’ve just got to try to contain him, not let him spin to the baseline and rely on your teammates to help,” Cohadarevic said. “Guys like that, you’ve just got to play him with an entire team, not just one-on-one. Because one-on-one, it’s really hard to stop him.”
Tiny should paste that on his locker and look at it every day. His numbers weren’t great (13 points, 5 rebounds) but I don’t think he made one move on the block in the second half that wasn’t aggressive and toward the goal. The most impressive came with just under five minutes left, when he made a nifty up-and-under move past Darko on the baseline and dunked it to bring the Sooners within four.
More of that will serve Mr. Gallon well.
* Speaking of Darko, he might have had the quote of the night, recounting his show of remorse to an official after picking up his third foul in the first half.
Asked if he was upset about the call, Darko said:
“Yes, but it was a foul. After I came down a little bit, I realized I did hook him. And I went up to the ref at the beginning of the second half and I said, ‘Good job. That was a good call.’ Some things like that happen in a game.”
Remember when Tim Duncan did that? Remember when any player ever did that? Me neither.
Maybe they do things differently in Serbia, where Darko is from, but I couldn’t help but smile when he said that.
And for all the complaining about fouls by the fans and others, Darko fouled out and Robert Lewandowski (Note: Pat Knight, please recruit big men with easier names to type) had four fouls. Oklahoma didn’t have anyone with more than three and the Red Raiders were whistled for one more team foul. That’s not to say the officials didn’t miss a few calls, but it’s not like it was heavily slanted one way.
* Willie Warren looked pretty good, especially on a gimpy ankle. For much of the game, he showed some of the slashing ability that landed him on draft boards to begin with. One more drive probably wouldn’t have hurt, instead of taking a three down one with under 10 seconds to play. That said, he hadn’t been getting foul calls on drives for most of the night and the ref probably would have swallowed his whistle in that situation. But my guess? If he had been getting calls earlier in the game, he would have attacked the goal one more time.
“It’s getting a lot better,” Warren said of the ankle. “Our trainer has been doing a great job having me wake up every morning, coming in and getting treatment two or three times a day. And it’s a day-to-day process. I’m not quite 100 percent, but that’s what I’m aiming for.”
* I’m a little surprised Oklahoma didn’t lose their legs with a short bench. They’ve struggled late in the past few games with a full lineup, cramping up and letting opponents creep back into games. But Tuesday, they actually played their best basketball in the last six minutes or so. Only seven players took the floor for Oklahoma.
* Warren seemed hopeful of a trip to the NCAAs after the game, but I’m not buying anymore. I said this a few weeks ago, but Oklahoma needs to go 10-6 and win a couple games in the Big 12 Tournament to make the dance.
To do that now, they’ll have to finish 6-1. The rest of their conference slate includes games at Kansas, at Texas, at home against Kansas State, and their next two games are at Oklahoma State and Colorado. I would be beyond shocked if they lost just one of those.
Better save up some energy for mid-March. If Oklahoma is dancing, they’ll need an improbable run over four days in Kansas City.
A couple things that didn’t make the notebook in the paper:
* Cade Davis reportedly played with bronchitis. A couple others noticed he played maybe a step slow, but I didn’t see it. He looked solid for all 38 minutes, other than not being able to knock down a shot.
* Tony Crocker had the seventh double-double of his career, with 16 points and 11 rebounds. With that performance, he became just the second Sooner to ever record 1,000 points, 500 boards and 150 3-pointers.
Arbitrary numbers? Sure. But impressive nonetheless. Ryan Minor is the only other OU player to duplicate it.
A couple stray quotes:
Tommy Mason-Griffin, on his missed game-winner:
“Now that I look back at it, I wish I would’ve gotten another dribble or two.”
Jeff Capel, on Willie Warren:
“He played well, except for the six turnovers. He has to get better there and that’s something he’d had a problem with in Big 12 play. He certainly did some good things offensively for us.”
Willie Warren hopes to be 100 percent by Saturday
Willie Warren first hurt his ankle on Jan. 21, two days before a loss to Texas Tech.
He sat out that game and the next, a win over Iowa State. He returned in a loss to Nebraska and played 16 minutes in Saturday’s win over Texas.
Before Monday’s practice, he gave an update on the sprained right ankle.
Before Saturday, I would assume you’ve never played that hurt before in your life, right?
Willie Warren: Nah, besides my back injury. My ankle injury is a little different than my back, I need my ankles to cut and move around, run full-speed. I’d say it’s one of the toughest things, playing with my back injury I had when I was younger, I’d say is the most painful?
How’d you gut your way through that Saturday?
Warren: You know, I just had to do a lot of thinking. Cade (Davis) put his body on the line when he was sick, Crock (Tony Crocker) tried to against Missouri, and he came back again after he got himself injured and we both missed Iowa State. So, it was just something I had to do for my team, and we really needed that win.
So is it just pain on cuts?
Warren: Sprinting, that’s really the main thing. In a halfcourt game, I feel like I’m pretty good. I’m a little worried about exploding off it and coming down on it, because it’s just so fresh, but sprinting is just the main problem I’m having. It’s really hard for me to sprint. It won’t let me sprint.
How close will you be to 100 percent for Tuesday night?
Tomorrow would be pushing it, but we’re looking forward to being 100 percent on Saturday.
This is the worst one I’ve had. I’ve never had an ankle injury that’s kept me from sprinting as long as some kind of tendon he’s talking about on the inside of my ankle that just needs to get back stretched out because it got so tight from doing all the rehab.
Chat with David Ubben at 11 a.m.
Former Sooner raiding Oklahoma
Defensive tackle Calvin Barnett, a player Rivals.com tabbed as the best in Oklahoma, spurned Oklahoma State on signing day for Arkansas.
His recruiter? Former Oklahoma quarterback Garrick McGee, now the offensive coordinator for the Razorbacks under Bobby Petrino. McGee, a graduate of high school football powerhouse Booker T. Washington in Tulsa, helped the Hogs grab give of the top 35 recruits in Oklahoma. The five were as many as Arkansas signed from in-state.
From the Arkansas News:
“One of the things when I first got the job that was important to me was to try to get Garrick down here,” Petrino said Wednesday. “He can walk in there and basically knows just about everybody in the city of Tulsa and that certainly helps.”
McGee also corralled former OU commit Jarrett Lake, a linebacker from Jenks in Tulsa. If his comments on Wednesday are any indication, his impact in the Sooner State could only widen.
“I’m going to try to branch out this year and get into Oklahoma City,” McGee said. “Get on the other side of the state and get us some kids from that side of the state.”
Blake Griffin Night set for Tuesday
Oklahoma will host “Blake Griffin Night” during Tuesday’s game against Texas Tech at the Lloyd Noble Center.
The first 4,000 fans will receive a Blake Griffin poster, and the first 2,000 fans will receive a scratch card. Of the 2,000, 100 will feature Griffin’s logo and give the recipient access to a private, postgame meet-and-greet with Griffin.
Each fan at the meet-and-greet will receive an autograph, a photo, and a Blake Griffin hat. Here’s a video of Griffin talking about designing his new hat.
At halftime, Griffin will be presented with the NCAA Sportsmanship Award and serve as honorary shot coach for a fan who will attempt a half-court shot for $10,000.
Griffin won every major national player of the year award as a sophomore in 2008-09, averaging 22.7 points and 14.4 rebounds, which led the nation. He was selected No. 1 overall by the Los Angeles Clippers in June’s NBA Draft.
Griffin played during the preseason, but has missed all of this season with a knee injury.
Sooners host Florida State on Sept. 11
Florida State released their 2010 schedule on Thursday, putting a date on their trip to Norman to face the Sooners.
The Seminoles and Sooners will play at Owen Field on Sept. 11, a week before Jimbo Fisher hosts Brigham Young in his first season as head coach.
Oklahoma has yet to announce the dates of its 2010 non-conference schedule, but it will also host Air Force and Utah State. The Sooners lone road game before conference play will be a trip to Cincinnati to face the Bearcats.
Here’s how the conference schedule looks for 2010:
Oct. 2 – Texas (Dallas)
Oct. 9 – OFF
Oct. 16 – Iowa State
Oct. 23 – at Missouri
Oct. 30 – Colorado
Nov. 6 – at Texas A&M
Nov. 13 – Texas Tech
Nov. 20- at Baylor
Nov. 26 or 27 – at OSU
Sam Bradford pays the Gatorade Lab a visit
Former Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford paid the Gatorade Performance Lab at the Super Bowl a visit earlier this week and got to test out all kinds of futuristic-looking fitness equipment.
All photos courtesy of Gatorade. Click any photo for a higher resolution version.
What Sam is not doing: Waking from a four-month cryo-sleep after midseason shoulder surgery.
What Sam is doing: Taking a turn in the Bod Pod, which analyzes body composition.
What Sam is not doing: Being measured for the helmet on his space suit.
What Sam is doing: Getting fitted with the equipment for a caloric expenditure test, which does exactly what you think. It measures how many calories the body loses during exercise.
What Sam is not doing: Being force fed Gatorade’s new G Series, which is three different drinks for before, during and after competition.
What Sam is doing: Taking part in a caloric expenditure test.
For more photos and a brief video, head to Sam Bradford’s page on Gatorade’s Web site.
Brennan Clay a key recruiter
While Brennan Clay has the physical tools necessary of becoming a big-time running back at Oklahoma, his value to the Sooners goes beyond that.
After committing to OU out of San Diego last June, Clay went to work luring a pair of other high school stars from the area, safety Tony Jefferson (Chula Vista, Calif.) and wide receiver Kenny Stills (Carlsbad, Calif.) to Norman.
“Guys of that caliber aren’t going to make a decision on what one kid says,” said Clay’s high school coach, Sergio Diaz. “But I would say he played a major part in them considering OU an option.”
Before this class, OU had not done much recruiting in the state of California. Through Bob Stoops’ first 11 recruiting classes, the Sooners signed just three Californians total.
Thanks in part to Clay, OU was able to get in the door with Jefferson and Stills, who are two of the top prospects in this Sooner signing class.
“Kids, they attend camps, combines, take visits at the same time. Relationships are developed,” said ESPN recruiting analyst Tom Luginbill. “When someone commits before the others do and has a sense of what the program has, I think he can relay to the others somewhat of an objective viewpoint.
“So I don’t think there’s any doubt that he played a part in OU getting Jefferson and Stills.”
Said Stoops, “Brennan helped us out.”
-JT
Sam Bradford ‘focused on shoulder’ not NFL destination
He’s focused on his healing shoulder not his future NFL home. And he’s “move past” being the quarterback at Oklahoma.
That’s what former OU’s Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford said during his Super Bowl interview rounds in South Florida. Bradford appeared Tuesday on the Dan Patrick Show and the Jim Rome Show. Here’s an excerpt of his conversation with Dan Patrick. You can listen to the entire interview at danpatrick.com:
Dan Patrick: How are you health wise?
Sam Bradford: Pretty good, the shoulder feels great. I throw three days a week and doctor says it looks great. I am ahead of schedule.
Patrick: Is the shoulder injury re-occurring?
Bradford: No, it should not be. They went in and reconstructed the AC joint and after the rehab is finished my shoulder should be stronger than it was before.
Patrick: If there was a national title game for Oklahoma would you have played?
Bradford: Probably not. I had surgery halfway through the season. There is no way I could have made that game.
Patrick: If you could throw it right now how far could you throw?
Bradford: I don’t know. Right now I am on a throwing program. My last throwing session was throwing 30 balls for 50 yards.
Patrick: What’s it like when you watch those mock drafts and you see your name. It doesn’t take long when it gets to your name. Are you checking out real estate is any areas?
Bradford: No, I am not checking out real estate. I try to not pay to much attention to it. I am just focused on my shoulder.
Patrick: When you go into those interviews what do you think is the first thing they are going to ask you?
Bradford: I don’t know. I got a question this morning someone told that I would probably be asked and it was if I could be a tree what kind of tree would I be.
Patrick: Are you competitive?
Bradford: Extremely. I probably could have beaten you in H-O-R-S-E. The challenge hasn’t been issued so now isn’t the time.
Patrick: You played high school basketball. Were you good?
Bradford: I did. I was pretty good.
Patrick: Could of you have played college?
Bradford: I think so, maybe not at Oklahoma,
Patrick: And you played with Blake Griffin?
Bradford: I did, that was not high school but AAU ball.
Patrick: Do you still feel like you are still the Oklahoma quarterback?
Bradford: No, I have kind of moved past that.
Patrick: If you look at the other quarterbacks if it was Tebow or Colt McCoy, how can you not nit-pick what they do when it comes to comparing you to other quarterbacks around the country?
Bradford: I think we all have our own playing styles and everyone is different. My dad taught me that you never compete with anyone else you always compete with yourself. I have always tried to do just that and focus on bettering myself.
Patrick: Why do you think you should be the No. 1 quarterback taken?
Bradford: I think I am extremely accurate and extremely competitive. I don’t think you are going to meet anyone who works harder than me.
Patrick: I hear you are working for Gatorade. What exactly are you doing?
Bradford: Today we were down to the Gatorade testing facility. They put us through some tests to monitor our breathing on a stationary bike for a new Gatorade drink called the G-Series. There is three new drinks being tested; one for before, one for during, and one for after the workouts.
Patrick: Could you beat up Jimmy Clausen?
Bradford: Ha-ha. No comment.
Patrick: I heard great things while at a Oklahoma State football game. People telling me how great your father and grandfather are. You should feel proud that people even at Oklahoma State say good things about you.
Bradford: (No response).
Patrick: Welcome to Buffalo…. No you are going to the Redskins, you’re you okay with that?
Bradford: We’ll see.
Bradford says he’ll be 100 percent for Pro Day
Sam Bradford stopped by the Dan Patrick Show this morning and gave a brief update on his recovery from shoulder surgery last fall.
He said the shoulder is still healing, but he should be 100 percent by OU’s Pro Day and that the injured portion of his shoulder could be stronger than before when everything is fully healed.
“We’re on a throwing program and my last throwing session consisted of 50 balls at 30 yards,” Bradford said. “And those were ropes; those felt good.”
