The Final Score 67-60 | Oklahoma Sooners Earn 20th Win On The Season

At the onset of the game, the Oklahoma Sooners lacked focus allowing the TCU Horned Frogs to earn an eight point halftime lead. Continuing to trail throughout the second half OU finally grabbed the lead with 3:46 left in regulation. Making a final push, the Sooners secured a 67-60 win over the Horned Frogs in Norman.

Three Takeaways

Oklahoma’s Starting Five Among Best Units Nationally

Of course, Buddy Hield continues to star on this roster leading the Big XII in scoring. This afternoon, the junior continued to showcase why he is the best the conference has to offer with a 21 point and 13 rebound outing. However, the other four starters consistently contribute to the effort. On any given night, one of the starting five may experience a slump in one area or another. Fortunately, someone always seems to answer the call stepping up to the challenge. Isaiah Cousins fell one shy of his season average adding 10 points of his own while TaShawn Thomas eclipsed his seasonal mark with 15 points. Ryan Spangler collected 10 of his own to stay on average with Jordan Woodard falling a single point shy of his average with 8 points on the afternoon. As a group, the starting five have consistently carried the load on both ends of the court leading to a third consecutive 20-win season.

Lon Kruger Can Simply Coach

With the game coming to a close, Kruger made a calculated risk. Playing man-to-man defense throughout the second half, the decision was made to switch to a zone coming out of a timeout. Expecting to dribble and drive, Trey Zeigler met a crowd in the paint. The missed jumper forced the Horned Frogs to foul Woodard, an 83.6% free throw shooter, who knocked down both to all but seal the fate of the Frogs.

The Disappearing Act From The Bench

After raving about the effort from the bench and more specifically Frank Booker, the sharp shooter drilled a three pointer early. Looking to continue to run into the post season, the bench quickly became a reliable group for production allowing the starters a quick break. Now things have reverted to normal with the starting five carrying the load and pouring in 64 of the 67 total points. There are two tough matchups remaining on the schedule allowing the bench an opportunity to redeem itself. The Sooners certainly need the likes of Booker, Dinjiyl Walker, and Khadeem Lattin if they hope to win the Big XII regular season.

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Oklahoma Sooners Baseball | Alex Wise Strikes Again To Lead OU To Late Victory

If you like dramatic baseball and haven’t caught any of the series between Oklahoma and BYU then you’ve absolutely missed out. On Thursday night junior Alex Wise scored in the eighth inning, as a pinch runner, to give OU a 7-6 come from behind win. Friday afternoon it was BYU’s Derrick Whitney who delivered a ninth inning home run that allowed the Cougars to snap Oklahoma’s four-game winning streak by a final of 4-3.

On Friday evening it was Wise again, in the eight inning, who scored as a pinch runner to lead the Sooners to a 3-2 win. Three games. Three one-run victories. One game left on Saturday afternoon with Oklahoma having a 2-1 advantage in the series.

For the third consecutive game, BYU struck first when Brennon Lund scored off a Parker Starr single. Oklahoma got one back in the second when Hunter Haley came home on a double-play ball hit by Austin O’Brien. The Sooners took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the sixth on a called balk that allowed Craig Aikin to score from third. Aikin led off the inning with a double and then advanced to third on a Taylor Alspaugh sacrifice bunt.

In the top of the eighth BYU looked to take control of the game again by scoring Andy Isom but an incredible play by right fielder Taylor Alspaugh and the appearance of Jacob Evans on the mound prevented the Cougars from doing any further damage. Alspaugh threw out Lund at home plate, on what would have been the go ahead run, and Evans pitched out of the eighth inning jam and finished the ninth to record his second win of the season.

With the Cougars having scored to tie the game in the top half of the eighth, Wise was now set once again to be the hero in the bottom half. Suffering a broken hand last weekend, Oklahoma’s junior utility guy has been relegated to a pinch runner’s role. All he needed was someone to get on for him and that guy was Robert Tasin who doubled to lead off Oklahoma’s half of the inning. Wise moved from second to third on a sacrifice bunt by Josh Ake and then scored the winning run when Alspaugh reached on a throwing error.

Oklahoma and BYU will play the fourth and final game of their series against BYU on Saturday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 pm.

Notables

* Senior pitcher Jeffrey Curran set career-highs in innings pitched (7.1) and strikeouts (5).

* Junior outfielder Craig Aiken is streaking again. Since seeing his 17-game hitting streak come to an end last weekend, he has responded by recording a hit in each of Oklahoma’s last seven games.

* Friday night’s game was Oklahoma’s fourth consecutive in which they’ve recorded two or more doubles.

* The Sooners have split all three doubleheaders they’ve played this season.

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Oklahoma Sooners MBB | Behind Enemy Lines With Andrew Felts & Frogs O’ War

After a week off, the Oklahoma Sooners are back in action on the hardwood with a legitimate shot at winning the conference. Currently in a three way tie for second place, the Sooners must take the remainder of the season one game at a time. The TCU Horned Frogs are the first obstacle standing between Oklahoma and a potential regular season conference title. To preview the game, I reached out to Andrew Felts of Frogs O’ War. Here is what transpired…

CCM – The Horned Frogs earned their first regular season sweep since joining the Big XII. Is it a sign and that the program is headed in the right direction under third year coach, Trent Johnson?

Andrew Felts – Absolutely. There have been a lot of “firsts” this year, and that is a direct testament to the job that Trent Johnson and his coaching staff are doing to build this program. As you mentioned, the Frogs had their first regular season Big 12 sweep, their first Big 12 winning streak, and their first road Big 12 win, all since late January. Most people associated with the program realized going in that this was going to be a long-term project, so it is nice to start to see some dividends in the third season in the Big 12. With a strong finish to the season, TCU could see a return to the NIT for the first time since 2005. Any postseason play for the Frogs would be another big step in the right direction as far as building for the future is concerned.

CCM – Throughout the season, Texas Christian has found themselves in a handful of close match-ups. Unfortunately, the decision has usual gone against the Horned Frogs. With three games left in the season, what is a weakness the Sooners can exploit on Saturday?

AF – Two pretty consistent trends have emerged in most of TCU’s losses this season. First, in several of the Frogs’ losses, there have been long scoring droughts where opponents are usually able to create some separation. TCU has fought to the end in nearly every Big 12 game this season, but the Frogs sometimes go five, six, or seven minutes without a basket, which allows the opponent to pull away. This same phenomenon occurred in the first meeting between Oklahoma and TCU. It took the Frogs nearly five minutes to score from the field against the Sooners to open the game. What kept TCU in it, at least initially, was Oklahoma’s inability to take advantage of the Frogs’ struggles offensively. I think OU committed five or six turnovers during TCU’s scoring drought, or else the game could have been decided much earlier.

Secondly, in most of TCU’s losses this season, the Frogs have struggled to close out games. Many times, TCU will be within striking distance near the end of the game but will fail to grab and hold on to a lead. I think that a big key for the Sooners will be whether or not they can take advantage if the Frogs fall into one of these ruts, especially late in the game. Playing in front of a home crowd should help, as these offensive struggles are usually punctuated when the Frogs are on the road.

CCM – On each screen, the Oklahoma Sooners like to switch often pairing up a 6-0 PG, Jordan Woodard with a much taller guard. Who on the TCU roster can take advantage of such situations and will they?

AF – The biggest mismatch that can arise from this situation is likely with Trey Zeigler. The 6-5 guard often excels at exploiting mismatches and driving to the basket. He has been on fire lately, scoring in double figures in three of his last four games, including a 20-point night against Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse. The Sooners did a good job of keeping him in check during the first meeting, allowing just four points and four rebounds in limited minutes. Much like in the first game, it will be important for the Frogs as a team to exploit mismatches and really work the ball inside.

CCM – Oklahoma has dropped a single game at home this season. What does TCU need to do in order to keep this one close?

AF – The Sooners have been very good at home this season, while the Frogs have struggled on the road. Two big keys for the Frogs will be whether or not they can keep their confidence levels high, and whether or not they can keep their hot shooting going. As of late, this TCU squad has been riding a confidence high unlike anything we’ve seen this season. Winners of three of the last four, the Frogs are finally putting everything together and team confidence has boosted as a result. On the offensive end, things are finally clicking. In the last four games, the Frogs’ shooting percentage has risen from 37.3% to 47.5% while average points per game have increased from 59.7 to 70.5. To keep things close in Norman, I think the Frogs need to jump out to an early lead to keep their confidence high, as well as shoot around 50% to be able to compete with the Sooners’ offense.

CCM – Give us your score prediction once again.

AF – I really like the way that this TCU team is playing right now. Last weekend, the Frogs gave Kansas all they could handle inside Allen Fieldhouse, and I expect TCU to do the same to the Sooners today. The TCU offense is going to be the key, and if things are clicking, I think the Frogs could pull off a big road upset. I’m going to go out on a limb and take TCU, 70-65. (Why not, right?) I think the potential exists for Oklahoma to overlook TCU with their Big Monday showdown in Ames looming. However, with that being said, the Sooners are a very talented team, and they play great basketball at home, so I would not be surprised if Lon Kruger has his guys ready to go and they come away victorious.

The game tips off tomorrow at 1 PM CST. Make sure you join us here for the game thread as we discuss the on goings of all things Sooners.

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Oklahoma Baseball | Winning Streak Snapped By Ninth Inning Home Run

BYU left fielder Derrick Whitney took all of the air out of what was shaping up to be a second consecutive Oklahoma Baseball comeback in as many days. Approaching the the plate with two away in the top of the ninth of a tie game, Whitney took a 1-1 offering from Oklahoma’s junior righty Keaton Hernandez and sent it over the right field fence for the go ahead run.

After falling behind 3-1 in the top of the fifth, Oklahoma rallied in the bottom of the seventh when Sheldon Neuse and Anthony Hermelyn knocked in Josh Ake and Taylor Alspaugh. Having taken the momentum in the game it appeared as if the Sooners were going to repeat Thursdays come from behind win, until Whitney’s ninth inning swing.

Alec Hansen went seven innings for OU and was responsible for three runs. He fanned eight Cougar batters and gave up six hits. Because of Oklahoma’s seventh inning rally, the loss is credited to Hernandez rather than Hansen.

The 4-3 loss snapped a four-game winning streak for the Sooners that ran back to last weekend’s appearance in the Big 12/Pac 12 Challenge.

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Sooners Rally Over BYU To Win Fourth Straight

The magic was back for Oklahoma in Las Vegas on Thursday night and the Sooners needed every ounce of it in their come from behind win over BYU. In his worst start of the season, Jacob Elliott was rocked for six runs in 4.2 innings. Fortunately he was relieved by Robert Tasin and Jacob Evans who kept the Cougars off the board, and hitless, the rest of the way. Evans picked up the win by striking out five BYU batters over the final two innings of the game.

For Cougars starter Kolton Mahoney it was feast or famine. He kept Oklahoma’s batters at bay through the first half of the game and then gave up runs in chunks. After a four-run top half of the fifth inning by the Cougars, OU struck for two in the bottom half and then exploded for three more in the fifth to tie it up and bounce Mahoney from from the game.

The decisive run came in the bottom of the eighth inning when Alex Wise crossed home plate on a Craig Aikin sacrifice to left field. Wise, playing with a broken hand, entered the game as a pinch runner for Chris Shaw who led off the inning with a double. Wise went to third on a sacrifice bunt by Josh Ake and then became the unsung hero ninety feet later when Aikin pushed him across to complete the rally and a 7-6 Sooner win.

Taylor Alspaugh was huge from the plate for Oklahoma in the game. The senior was 3-of-5 from the plate with three RBI and two runs scored. Aikin and Anthony Hermelyn were the only other Sooners to record multiple hits with two each. BYU shortstop Hayden Nielson was big for the Cougars by going 3-of-4 from the plate with an RBI and 2 runs scored.

Oklahoma’s win continues a streak of four consecutive wins that goes back to last weekend’s Arizona appearance in the Big 12/Pac 12 Challenge.

The Sooners and BYU will play two on Friday with Alec Hansen and Jeffrey Curran pulling starts for OU.

Notables

* The Sooners used their tenth lineup in eleven games.

* Oklahoma pitchers have struck out ten or more batters in each of the last five games.

* OU Baseball is 3-0 against BYU in Las Vegas and 6-1 overall against the Cougars.

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Weekend Baseball Thread | Oklahoma Sooners vs. BYU Cougars

Escaping the inclement winter conditions that are hitting the Oklahoma City Metro Area this weekend, the Oklahoma Sooners moved their weekend series with BYU to Las Vegas. The two teams will play single games on Friday and Saturday and a double-header on Friday.

Weekend Pitching Match-Ups
Game	Oklahoma	BYU
Thursday 3:00 p.m.	RHP-Jake Elliott 2-0, 0.64, 11 Ks	RHP-Kolton Mahoney 0-1, 4.91, 9 Ks
Friday (1) 3:00 p.m.	RHP-Alec Hansen 1-1, 6.75, 16	RHP-Jeff Barker 1-1, 4.09, 8
Friday (2) 6:30 p.m.	LHP-Jeffrey Curran 0-0, 1.29, 5	RHP-Brandon Kinser 0-0, 0.93, 3
Saturday 1:00 p.m.	TBA	RHP-Maverik Buffo 0-0, 3.86, 3

Oklahoma enters the weekend with a 6-4 record after a successful trip to Arizona for a game against the ASU Sun Devils and then the Big 12/Pac 12 Challenge. After dropping their first two games of the trip, Oklahoma ended the weekend with a three-game winning streak.

Kolby Carpenter leads the team in batting at .400 and is the reigning National Player of the Week. He’s gone yard four times and driven in 11 RBI. Craig Aikin is batting .316 and has crossed home plate a team-high twelve times. Jake Elliott continues to make a strong case to be the ace of the team. In two outings he’s built a 2-0 record and an astonishing 0.64 ERA. He’s KO’d 11 batters in 14 innings of work.

BYU comes into the weekend struggling with a 1-7 record on the season. Shortstop Hayden Nielson leads they way in team batting with a .364 average and despite having a 4.91 ERA, righty Kolton Mahoney has fanned 11 batters in two starts this season.

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Oklahoma Baseball | Sooners And BYU Cougars Collide In Las Vegas

Escaping the inclement winter conditions that are hitting the Oklahoma City Metro Area this weekend, the Oklahoma Sooners moved their weekend series with BYU to Las Vegas. The two teams will play single games on Friday and Saturday and a double-header on Friday.

Weekend Pitching Match-Ups
Game	Oklahoma	BYU
Thursday 3:00 p.m.	RHP-Jake Elliott 2-0, 0.64, 11 Ks	RHP-Kolton Mahoney 0-1, 4.91, 9 Ks
Friday (1) 3:00 p.m.	RHP-Alec Hansen 1-1, 6.75, 16	RHP-Jeff Barker 1-1, 4.09, 8
Friday (2) 6:30 p.m.	LHP-Jeffrey Curran 0-0, 1.29, 5	RHP-Brandon Kinser 0-0, 0.93, 3
Saturday 1:00 p.m.	TBA	RHP-Maverik Buffo 0-0, 3.86, 3

Oklahoma enters the weekend with a 6-4 record after a successful trip to Arizona for a game against the ASU Sun Devils and then the Big 12/Pac 12 Challenge. After dropping their first two games of the trip, Oklahoma ended the weekend with a three-game winning streak.

Kolby Carpenter leads the team in batting at .400 and is the reigning National Player of the Week. He’s gone yard four times and driven in 11 RBI. Craig Aikin is batting .316 and has crossed home plate a team-high twelve times. Jake Elliott continues to make a strong case to be the ace of the team. In two outings he’s built a 2-0 record and an astonishing 0.64 ERA. He’s KO’d 11 batters in 14 innings of work.

BYU comes into the weekend struggling with a 1-7 record on the season. Shortstop Hayden Nielson leads they way in team batting with a .364 average and despite having a 4.91 ERA, righty Kolton Mahoney has fanned 11 batters in two starts this season.

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Blogging The Bracket | Where Are The Sooners Projected To Go Dancing?

A quick look at the Big 12 basketball standings shows that Kansas, Oklahoma, Iowa State, and West Virginia are all separated by just a single game. That means that the likely possibilities for the Sooners are to finish anywhere from first through sixth in the final conference standings. What this means for OU in the post season is that they could be anywhere from a #2 to a #8 in the NCAA Tournament.

Big 12 Standings

TEAM	CONF	OVERALL
Kansas	11-4	22-6
West Virginia	10-5	22-6
Iowa State	10-5	20-7
Oklahoma	10-5	19-8
Baylor	9-6	21-7
Oklahoma St	7-8	17-10
Kansas St	7-9	14-15
Texas	6-9	17-11
TCU	4-11	17-11
Texas Tech	2-14	12-17

Obviously a #8 seed would mean that Oklahoma dropped their final three regular season games (TCU, at Iowa State, Kansas) and went one-and-done in the conference tournament. The good news is, while possible, that’s the least likely scenario for the Sooners which just goes to show how far Lon Kruger has brought this program in just a few years.

The formula is simple for OU if they win out. Go 3-0 over the final stretch of conference play and the Sooners will travel to Kansas City with at least a share of the conference crown. Lose a game or two, or three, and the formula gets a whole lot more Einstein crazy like.

ESPN’s Bracketology currently has Oklahoma as a #3 seed in the West and taking on Louisiana Tech in Louisville. SB Nation also has the Sooners as a #3 seed in the west but playing Georgia State in Columbus.

Here’s how the two entities have have the rest of the conference projected.

School	ESPN	SB Nation
Baylor	#4 East	#4 South
Iowa St	#3 Midwest	#3 East
Kansas	#2 South	#2 Midwest
Oklahoma	#3 West	#3 West
Texas	#12 Midwest	#8 South
West Virginia	#5 South	#5 Midwest

Personally I think it’s still a bit of a long shot that the Big 12 gets seven teams in. Baylor did themselves a solid by beating Iowa State on the road Wednesday night but just about anyone would be extremely reluctant to place a wager on Texas and Oklahoma State making it. Both of those schools would need to both finish strong and then make a deep run in Kansas City.

As for the Sooners and everyone else? They’re pretty much locks and just playing for seeding.

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Big 12 reportedly raked in a record $225.9 million in 2013-14

In college sports, the rich never do anything but keep getting richer. According to federal tax records uncovered by CBSSports.com‘s Jon Solomon, the Big 12 distributed $225.9 million to its 10 members during the 2013-14 fiscal year. That’s up from a then-record $213 million provided a year ago. The league’s contracts with ESPN and Fox accounted…

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Oklahoma Sooners Football Recruiting / 3 New Offers Go Out for Class of 2016

This has been a busy day for the class of 2016 as multiple new offers were extended this evening. Here is an overview of the eventful night.

1. RB Trayveon Williams 5-9/190 C.E. King High School in Houston, TX.

OFFERS: ASU, Boise St., Colorado, KSU, Minnesota, Mizzou, Nebraska, OkState, SMU, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, TTech, and now the Sooners.

Had A Good Talk With The New Offensive Coordinator & Blessed To Say I Received An Offer From The New Staff
#Sooners http://ift.tt/1BQVAk2

— Trayveon Williams  (@TrayveonW) February 25, 2015

Trayveon would fit the new Sooner offense under Lincoln Riley pefectly.

2. DB Nigel Kott 6-0/170 Madison Central High School in Madison, MS.

OFFERS: Bama, FSU, Louisville, LSU, Miami (Fl), Michigan, Ole Miss, Miss. St., UNC, Tenn, Texas A&M.

Offer from The University of Oklahoma! #Boomer #BoomerSooner #Sooners #SoonerNation http://ift.tt/1BQVysx

— Nigel Knott (@nigelk09) February 25, 2015

3. DB Parrish Cobb 6-1/170 from La Vega High School in Waco, TX

OFFERS: Baylor, SMU, Tulsa, and now the Sooners

Just received offer #6 from OU !
#Sooners #Blessings

— That DB Dude (@PctheDb4) February 25, 2015

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Sam Bradford Headed to the Bills?

Sam Bradford is probably my favorite Sooner of the Bob Stoops era. I still remember him lighting up teams, breaking records, and his full out flip into the endzone against Oklahoma State. When drafted first overall to the St. Louis Rams, I was excited thinking that in time Bradford would be surrounded by an OL and WRs to compete at the highest level. That dream has all but died as Bradford’s career has been haunted by injuries and questionable player personnel acquisitions and draft picks.

I firmly believe that Bradford would be best served by a fresh start, and according to a Yahoo Sports article, that might just be on the verge of happening. The team that is eyeing Bradford appears to be the Buffalo Bills. There are some compelling reasons why this would be a good fit, but also let’s be honest its still Buffalo. The Bills have several things going for them that Bradford never really had in St. Louis.

Here are my reasons why this could be a good fit

1- A quality WR core

Sammy Watkins, Robert Woods and even former Sooner Justin Brown as light years ahead of the weapons Bradford had in St. Louis.

2- A much easier path to the playoffs

The AFC East is a much easier division to play in. The Bills get the Jets and Dolphins twice a year. Yes they have the Patriots, but the NFC West is filled with games against the Cardinals, 49ers, and Seahawks. The Patriots are obviously the Super Bowl champs, but still this is a much easier path to success in Buffalo.

There are several reasons why this could end bad for Sam

1- Weather

QB’s in Buffalo have to have elite arm strength as outdoor games in Buffalo in December can be brutal on QB’s with even the strongest of arms.

2- Rex Ryan

He is meh as a head coach as far as I’m concerned. His foot obsession is also really weird. I don’t know if he is the answer to a team that has been mired in mediocrity and hasn’t made the playoffs since the 1999 season.

All of that being said, Bradford could find himself in a really good situation in Buffalo. A fresh start could be the best thing for him. He is also no slouch on the field when healthy. The last time he was healthy for a full season he ended the year with over 3700 yards passing, 21 TDs 13 INTs, and a QB rating of 82.6

Here’s to hoping that Bradford gets a fresh start even if it is in Buffalo.

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Oklahoma Sooners Football Recruiting / Sooners Offer 2016 LB Pernell Jefferson

The Sooners need for linebacker in the class of 2016 is big. While already having one commitment in Jon-Michael Terry, the Sooners have continued to evaluate and offer prospects for the class of 2016. That evaluation led to the offer of linebacker Pernell Jefferson. Pernell tweeted out the offer.

#Blessed to be Offered by Oklahoma Sooners http://ift.tt/1zDGbOr

— #32 Problems (@PDJ32) February 24, 2015

Jefferson plays for Warren East Senior High School in New Orleans, LA. He possesses great size 6-3/230 and he has some great film.

Pernell has offers from Miss St., Mizzou, TCU, Tulane, and now the Sooners. He was also the teammate of class of 2015 LB Arthur McGinnis.

It will be interesting to see if Jefferson wants to play with his teammate as the Sooner offer now gives him that chance. Should Pernell find himself apart of the class of 2016, he would fit in nicely at OLB.

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Oklahoma Baseball Notes | Carpenter Claims National And Conference Honors – Wise Out With Broken Hand

Kolby Carpenter’s big week earned him some honors both locally and nationally. On Monday the Big 12 Conference named him the Player of the Week and Collegiate Baseball News dubbed him as the National Player of the Week.

In Oklahoma’s five games last week he batted .471, scored seven times, drove in 9 runs, hit three home runs while also recording a double and a triple. I guess you could say that the kid was busy. Carpenter makes it back-to-back weeks for the Sooners having a conference Player of the Week. Pitcher Jake Elliott was recognized last week for his performance on opening day against Notre Dame.

In a bit of bad news for the Sooners, junior outfielder Alex Wise will miss six to eight weeks after suffering a broken left hand. The injury occurred against the Washington Huskies when he was hit by a pitch. Wise has scored eight runs this season and driven in five.

Oklahoma’s Tuesday game at Dallas Baptist has been postponed due to the winter storm. The Sooners are scheduled to host BYU for a four game series that is set to start on Thursday.

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Oklahoma Sooners Football / Jordan Phillips Combine and Draft Overview

Jordan Phillips time at OU was shortened by reoccurring back injuries and declaring for the NFL draft after his redshirt junior season. At time he was unblockable and then he would often disappear for games at a time. That being said he could in the right situation (3-4 defense) and with a run of good health become a dominant force in the NFL. Here is his combine overview and draft prediction.

HT: 6-5

WT: 329

ARM LENGTH: 34 3/4″

HANDS: 9 3/8″

40 YARD DASH: 5.17 seconds

BENCH PRESS: 28 reps

VERTICAL: 30″

BROAD JUMP: 8’9″

3 CONE DRILL: 7.88 seconds

20 YARD SHUTTLE: 4.68 seconds

McShay says you have to be comfortable with Jordan Phillips. Mentioned his weight being an issue.

— Dan Kadar (@MockingTheDraft) February 23, 2015

WATCH: @OU_Football‘s Jordan Phillips (T-#5 interior DL via Mayock) runs 5.17 40 http://t.co/wodSct0ldS #NFLCombine http://ift.tt/1a9pbK1

— NFL (@nfl) February 22, 2015

Also check out this article from the Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel for several scouts take on Jordan Phillips (you will need to scroll down a bit to find it).

Phillips will in my opinion be a huge boom or bust player. He has all the potential in the world to anchor a 3-4 defense at nose guard for a decade,  but he will need to continue to improve and put in the work necessary to see his NFL career live up to his potential. He would fit in nicely with the Browns at pick number 43.

DRAFT PREDICTIONS:

RICH: 2nd Round

MATT: 2nd Round

DONNIE- 2nd Round

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Oklahoma Sooners Move Up One Spot To No. 16 In Latest AP Poll

While the major story line around college basketball continues to center around the legitimate possibility of the Kentucky Wildcats running the table, a few other teams are peaking. One of those programs happens to be the Oklahoma Sooners who recently found a bit of bench scoring, a much needed aspect of the game if the gang hopes to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.

After a tough loss last week on the road, Oklahoma responded with two wins including a 71-69 win victory over the Texas Longhorns. Sweeping both rivals during the regular season, the Sooners now hold the No. 16 national ranking. With three games to go, the potential to jump inside the top ten remains. Can OU continue to climb the ladder?

AP Top 25

Rank	Team	Record	Pts	Last
1	Kentucky Wildcats (65)	27-0	1625	1
2	Virginia Cavaliers	25-1	1526	2
3	Gonzaga Bulldogs	28-1	1471	3
4	Duke Blue Devils	24-3	1448	4
5	Wisconsin Badgers	25-2	1390	5
6	Villanova Wildcats	25-2	1306	6
7	Arizona Wildcats	24-3	1228	7
8	Kansas Jayhawks	22-5	1111	8
9	Notre Dame Fighting Irish	24-4	1109	9
10	Northern Iowa Panthers	26-2	1032	11
11	Wichita State Shockers	25-3	930	13
12	Iowa State Cyclones	20-6	887	14
13	Utah Utes	21-5	876	9
14	Maryland Terrapins	22-5	695	16
15	North Carolina Tar Heels	19-8	655	15
16	Oklahoma Sooners	19-8	622	17
17	Louisville Cardinals	21-6	613	12
18	Arkansas Razorbacks	22-5	564	18
19	Baylor Bears	20-7	473	20
20	West Virginia Mountaineers	21-6	453	23
21	SMU Mustangs	22-5	357	21
22	Virginia Commonwealth Rams	21-6	182	25
23	Butler Bulldogs	19-8	165	19
24	San Diego State Aztecs	22-6	117	27
25	Providence Friars	19-8	72	28
Others Receiving Votes: Georgetown 58, Michigan St. 56, Murray St. 42, Oklahoma St. 25, Ohio St. 12, Murray St. 20, Valparaiso 10, Texas A&M 8, Rhode Island 3, S.F. Austin 2, Texas 1, Oregon 1

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Oklahoma Sooners Football / Tyrus Thompson Combine and Draft Overview

Tyrus Thompson had every opportunity to improve his draft stock at the combine. Here is our 4th installment overviewing every draft eligible player for the Sooners. Tyrus anchored the left side of the offensive line for the Sooners for what seemed like a decade. He decided to not run the 40 yard dash at the combine in order to make sure he was as healthy as possible when he runs. He will most assuredly run at OU’s pro day. Here is an overview of his combine workouts and our draft projections for him.

HT: 6-5

WT: 324

ARMS: 34 7/8″

HANDS: 10 1/4″

BENCH PRESS: 29 reps

VERTICAL: 29″

BROAD JUMP: 8’1″

20 YARD SHUTTLE: 4.92 seconds

Tyrus Thompson with 34 7/8’s” arms knocking out 29 bench reps? And he dropped down to 324 lbs? Great start for the big OT prospect

— Alex Brown (@OS_AlexBrown) February 19, 2015

@johnowning I wouldn’t call myself a big fan, but I wound up grading him higher than the RT -who i still like as a great 4th round option

— Alex Brown (@OS_AlexBrown) February 19, 2015

DRAFT PREDICTIONS:

RICH: 6th

MATT: 6th

DONNIE: 5th

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Seventh Inning Rally Leads Sooners To Third Consecutive Win

Sunday was a special day for Oklahoma junior Kolby Carpenter. As the Sooners were trying to closeout a winning week of baseball in Arizona it was Carpenter who literally provided the punch OU desperately needed.

Trailing 3-1 going into the seventh inning, the Sooners were on the verge of a rally. A one-out single (and then advancing to second on a throwing error) by Anthony Hermelyn give Oklahoma momentum. Austin O’Brien then knocked him home to cut the Utes lead to a single run at 3-2. Finally it was Carpenter’s time to shine and that’s exactly what he did. The 6-0/175 native of Waco, TX sent a 2-0 pitch over the wall in left-center to push the Sooners out front by what would ultimately be the final score of 4-3.

It was Carpenter’s second long ball of the day and third in the last four games. He also tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the second with a shot that was pretty much placed in the exact same spot as his seventh inning bomb.

“Carpenter has been our most consistent player since day one and offensively he was awesome today,” Oklahoma head coach Pete Hughes said after the game.

Not lost in the heroics of Carpenter was another solid outing from the mound by Oklahoma’s pitching staff. Starter Corey Copping was responsible for all three of Utah’s runs. The Utes scored one run in the first and the other two in the third. Copping gave way in the fourth to Robert Tasin who pitched five innings of shutout ball and allowed just two hits while fanning six batters. Jacob Evans closed the game out by pitching the ninth.

Oklahoma’s ends with a 3-1 record in the Big 12/Pac 12 Challenge and a 3-2 overall record in Arizona. The also wrap up a brutal stretch of the season where they’ve played ten games in ten days. Recording a 6-4 record during that time, the Sooners are currently riding a three-game winning streak.

OU may be done in the desert but they still have one more stop before completing the trip home. The Sooners are scheduled to play at Dallas Baptist on Tuesday night before hosting BYU for a four-game series that is set to begin on Thursday.

Notables

* Sunday was Oklahoma’s ninth different lineup in ten games.

* An error on starting pitcher Corey Copping (pick-off attempt) snapped a four-game error free streak for the Sooners.

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Oklahoma Sooners Football / Adam Shead Combine and Draft Overview

Sorry for the delay in getting these out. Sometimes the job that pays the bills has to take precedence. That being said here is our 3rd installment giving an overview each draft eligible player for the Sooners. This article will look at Adam Shead.

HT: 6-4

WT: 338

40 YARD DASH: 5.74 seconds

ARM LENGTH: 33 3/4″

HANDS: 10 3/8″

BENCH PRESS: 26 reps

Add #OU Guard Adam Shead to names of players that have met/plan to meet with the #Redskins at the combine. Underrated player.

— Emmanual Benton (@Manny_PPI) February 19, 2015

@Spencer_NFL Agreed. I liked his film a good bit though.

— Joe Marino (@TheJoeMarino) February 20, 2015

Shead’s career at OU was one that was seemingly always plagued by injuries. At time when healthy he was one of the best linemen in the Big 12. Sadly this level of play wasn’t always that case because of back and other nagging injuries.

DRAFT PREDICTIONS (Again Feel Free to Let Us Know How Off We Are)

RICH- 4th Round

MATT- 5th Round

DONNIE- 6th Round

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The College Football Oscars go to…

Oh, you thought awards season was over for college football? Well, yeah, it is, but that does not mean we cannot have a little more fun during what is typically a slow time, right? In honor of the Academy Awards tonight, here are some selections for College Football Academy Awards. Feel free to share your…

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Sooners Beat Tech 79-75 In Overtime | Let’s Go Beyond The Box Score

You want drama? Well Oklahoma’s men’s basketball team will give it to you. The theory that there is no safe place to play on the road in the Big 12 was proven to be a fact on Saturday when the Sooners clawed out a 79-75 win over Texas Tech in Lubbock. Here are a few things that you may, or may not, have noticed during the game.

* Texas Tech outscored Oklahoma 6-0 over the final 1:13 of regulation to send the game into overtime.

* Lon Kruger said after the game that this was the first time in his career when fouling, while up by three in the final seconds, didn’t work for him.

* Saturday was the first time that Oklahoma has won in overtime under Lon Kruger.

* This was Oklahoma’s second consecutive single-digit win. The Sooners only had one prior to beating Texas 71-69 on Tuesday night.

* The Red Raiders shot 59.1% from the floor which is the highest shooting percentage of any Oklahoma opponent this season.

* Texas Tech’s fourty-four field goal attempts were the fewest of any Oklahoma opponent this season.

* Isaiah Cousins scored a season-high 22 points.

* Cousins is shooting .452 from three-point range on the season which is the highest percentage in the conference.

* Frank Booker played a season-high 26 minutes and produced a career-high 17 points.

* 13 of TaShawn Thomas‘ 15 points came in the second half.

* Buddy Hield’s 8-point performance breaks a 20-game streak of double-figure scoring.

* The Sooners outscored Texas Tech 22-2 in points off the bench.

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Second Consecutive Strong Start From The Mound Lifts Sooners To Back-to-Back Wins

Oklahoma may have found another piece of the puzzle in Arizona on Saturday and it allowed them to accomplish something they haven’t done since the opening weekend…win back-to-back games.

Fresh off Jake Elliott’s strong performance against Washington on Friday afternoon, Alec Hansen delivered a masterpiece of his own on Saturday. Oklahoma’s 6-7/235 sophomore mowed down twelve of the twenty batters that he faced in five innings of works and limited Oregon State to just two runs during that time. During those five innings Oklahoma’s offense produced six runs and allowed Hansen to even his season record to 1-1.

Craig Aikin and Anthony Hermelyn each scored twice with Hermelyn also going 2-for-3 from the plate. Kolby Carpenter knocked in two RBI, which was a team-high, but six other Sooner batters also knocked in a run on the afternoon.

The Sooners held a 6-2 lead at the end of the fifth but added their final three runs of the day in the next inning. The Beavers would rally to score four runs against Oklahoma’s relief pitchers, during the seventh and eighth innings, but sophomore Sheldon Neuse came in with two away in the eighth and kept Oregon State to just a singe hit over the last 1.1 innings.

OU skipper Pete Hughes was ejected from the game in the seventh inning when the umpire crew deemed that he had made two trips to the mound to visit relief pitcher Jacob Evans. Hughes adamantly argued the decision and was tossed while Evans had to step off the mound without having thrown a pitch.

Oklahoma is now 5-4 on the season and won back-to-back games for the first time since beating Notre Dame and Southern Illinois-Edwardsville on the 13th and 14th of this month. They will play against Utah at 1:00 on Sunday afternoon in their final game of the Big 12/Pac 12 Challenge.

Notables

* Oklahoma used their eighth different line up in nine games.

* Hansen’s 12 strikeouts were the most by a Sooner since Jonathan Gray struck out 11 against Coastal Carolina at the 2013 NCAA Blacksburg Regional.

* Seventeen combined strikeouts by the Sooner pitching staff is the most since 18 against Texas Tech in April of 2011.

* The Sooners have not committed an error in their four games played in Arizona this week.

* OU batters hit four triples in the game against Oregon State

* Oklahoma has a 6-3 record all-time against the Beavers.

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Oklahoma Sooners Outlast Texas Tech Red Raiders In 79-75 Overtime Win

Late in regulation, Toddrick Gotcher stepped up to the charity stripe. Missing the mark, teammate Isaiah Manderson secured the rebound while finding Gotcher once again for the game tying 3-point shot to take it to overtime. However, Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield would knock down consecutive three point attempts to give the Sooners the lead before edging out the Red Raiders 79-75.

The lack of production from Hield (2 points in regulation) thanks to foul trouble during the course of the game forced Oklahoma to find a scorer off the bench. Fortunately, Frank Booker answered the call with a career high 17-point outing. The sophomore sharp shooter lived up to the billing by knocking down 50% of his attempts from beyond the arc.

Isaiah Cousins led the way with 22 points once again showcasing why he may very well be the most underrated player in the league. Adding his name to the list of Sooners to score in double digits, TaShawn Thomas added 15 of his own to go alongside seven rebounds.

On the afternoon, the Red Raiders out-rebounded their opponent by a margin of 27-24. Combine that stat with the fact that Tech shot 52.6% from the floor while outscoring Oklahoma in the paint and it’s difficult to see how this team could have lost on paper. However, Keenan Evans and the gang simply couldn’t pull out the overtime win. Now riding a five game losing streak, Evans poured in 17 points in the effort to compliment Gotcher’s 18 point performance.

Oklahoma earned a week off before playing TCU next Saturday.

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Oklahoma Sooners Football / Daryl Williams’ Combine and Draft Overview

Here is our second installment of our series taking a look at each Sooner player eligible for the NFL draft. In this post we turn to Daryl Williams.

HT: 6-6

WT: 329

40 YARD DASH: 5.34 seconds

BENCH PRESS: 27 reps

VERTICAL: 26″

BROAD JUMP: 8’1″

20 YARD SHUTTLE: 5.15 seconds

An OT as big/powerful as Daryl Williams shouldn’t be able to run 1.75 10-yard split. I’d be fine w/ him in Round 1. Panthers at 25 logical.

— Chris Trapasso (@ChrisTrapasso) February 20, 2015

Really like how Daryl Williams “attacks” DLs w/o lunging/getting off balance as pass protector. Should instantly be bull in run game in NFL.

— Chris Trapasso (@ChrisTrapasso) February 19, 2015

Daryl Williams, OT, Oklahoma:  6’5”, 327 pounds, 35″ arms, and 9 3/4″ hands. Stud football player. Checking boxes so far.

— Joe Marino (@TheJoeMarino) February 18, 2015

Daryl Williams, OT, Oklahoma: Underrated football player. Tenacious blocker, good feet and movement. Physical & aggressive. Strong punch.

— Joe Marino (@TheJoeMarino) February 15, 2015

#OU OT Daryl Williams might be the most underrated OL in the draft. Plug him in at Right Tackle and let him roadgrade.

— Mike Loyko (@NEPD_Loyko) February 15, 2015

DRAFT PREDICTION: (Feel Free to Let Us Know How Off We Are)

RICH- 2nd

MATT- 2nd

DONNIE- 2nd

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Oklahoma Sooners Football / Blake Bell’s Day at the Combine

We are beginning a series of post giving an overview of each Sooner player that is eligible for the NFL Draft. This overview will include height, weights, 40 times, vertical jumps, etc… and what round each guy at CCM believes they will be selected in the upcoming draft. Today we begin with Blake Bell.

Blake Bell had the ability just like any athlete to enhance or hurt his draft stock in Indianapolis today and by all accounts he showed well. Here are his combine numbers as well as some analysts thoughts on him. We also threw in a funny pic of Blake for good measure along with our draft predictions.

HT: 6-6

WT: 252lbs

HANDS: 10″

ARM LENGTH: 33 1/8″

40 YARD DASH: 4.80 seconds, which was 5th best.

BENCH PRESS: 14 reps, which was 14th best.

VERTICAL: 33″ which was tied for 6th best.

BROAD JUMP: 9’8″ which was 6th best.

20 YARD SHUTTLE: 4.32 seconds, which was 2nd best.

60 YARD SHUTTLE: 11.81 seconds, which was 2nd best.

Here is what several people who cover the draft were saying about Bell on the day.

Blake Bell is raw, but he’s an impressive athlete with super sweet footwork. And he improved a ton from Week 1 to Week 12.

— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) February 20, 2015

Dropped last pass on his second run but overall, impressive set of gauntlets for #Oklahoma TE Blake Bell. Hands a question for converted QB.

— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) February 20, 2015

We also thought this pic of Blake was great! (Although he doesn’t look like he is enjoying himself).

Faces of the 40: TE Edition #NFLCombine http://ift.tt/1MGERDo

— NFL (@nfl) February 21, 2015

DRAFT PREDICTIONS (Feel Free to Let Us Know How Off We Are)

RICH- 5th Round

MATT- 5th Round

DONNIE- 6th Round

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Oklahoma Sooners Football Recruiting / A Louisiana Trifecta in 2016?

Louisiana has been good to the Sooners throughout Bob Stoops tenure (except in the Sugar Bowl against LSU). The coaches constantly remind us (to the point it has almost become annoying) that the Sooners beat the Crimson Tide just a little over a year ago.

It has also been good to the Sooners over the years with recruiting. From Frank Alexander and Rufus Alexander, to Nic Harris and Chris Brown the bayou has been a place where the Sooners have turned to find big time players. This year is no different as the Sooners have offered three players from the same team in Shreveport, LA. They comprise easily one of the best high school secondaries in the nation and all three could one day find themselves in Norman continuing to play together. Here are the players and where things stand with each.

1. Andraez Williams 6-1/160

Offers: Bama, ASU, Baylor, LSU, Ole Miss, Miss St., A&M, Wake Forest, Utah and the Sooners.

2. Rodarius Williams 5-11/165 (Yes they are brothers)

Offers: ASU, Baylor, Miss St., Utah, and the Sooners

3. Chanse Sylvie 6-0/180

Offers: Baylor, Miss St., Nebraska, Northwestern, TCU, TTech, Tulsa, and the Sooners

It will be interesting to follow the recruitment of these three. Many consider the Sooners the favorite for Sylvie (barring an offer from LSU) and one would think that the Williams brothers would want to play together at the next level. All three players are still picking up offers regularly, but there are currently 3 teams that would give them the opportunity to play together at the next level: Baylor, Miss St. and the Sooners. Lots could change and these kinds of things don’t always work out, but the Sooners could legitimately all but finish their defensive back recruiting from one school in Louisiana for the class of 2016.

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