Oklahoma Basketball: Notable Numbers as Win Streak Hits Eight
By Chip Rouse
Numbers tell the story of eight Oklahoma basketball wins and a No. 3 ranking nationally.
Somebody forgot to tell the Sooner men’s basketball team – or wisely chose not to – that they are playing for a football school.
Perish the thought. These guys who play on hardwood and with a round ball are really good. Oklahoma on Saturday encountered its most competitive game since the season-opening win over Memphis. In its six previous games since registering a six-point win at Memphis, the Sooners have posted an average victory margin of close to 30 points.
Dec 19, 2015; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners guard Buddy Hield (24) shoots the ball against Creighton Bluejays center Geoffrey Groselle (41) during the first half at Lloyd Noble Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Buddy Hield’s 33-point performance led OU to yet another double-digit win, a 13-point advantage over visiting Creighton on Saturday, but the final score was not indicative of how close the game was throughout a good part of the second half.
On a Saturday on which two top-10 teams fell, the Sooners showed their poise and experience in fighting off adversity. OU responded to the pressures of a close game down the stretch, going on a 16-4 run at a critical late stage in the contest when Creighton had narrowed the Oklahoma lead to three points.
Some notable numbers from Oklahoma’s win over Creighton and the first month of college basketball action in what is shaping up as the Sooners’ best in five seasons under head coach Lon Kruger:
3 – Oklahoma has had at least three players score in double figures in every game this season. On Saturday, Hield led all scorers with a career-high 33 points. Jordan Woodard had 15 and Isaiah Cousins tallied 10.
3 – The Sooners lead the Big 12 in three-point field-goal percentage, hitting 48 percent of their attempted treys, and they are second in three-point defense, limiting opponents to 27 percent from behind the three-point line.
6 – A key reason for OU’s strong start to the 2015-16 season is the team’s strong play on defense. The Sooners lead the Big 12 in blocked shots, averaging almost six per game.
6 – Oklahoma outrebounded Creighton 46-41 on Saturday. The Sooners have outrebounded six of their eight opponents this season.
9 – Buddy Hield is making a conscious effort this season not to settle for as many three-point shots in a game as in past seasons. He did make 3 of 6 from long range on Saturday, but 9 of his 12 buckets in the game were of the two-point variety.
10 – Buddy Hield has moved into 10th place on the Oklahoma all-time scoring list with 1,554 points.
11 – The Sooners had 11 blocked shots against Creighton. Six of those were by 6-9 sophomore Khadeem Lattin.
15 – Ryan Spangler pulled down 15 rebounds for Oklahoma in Saturday’s game. the 6-8 senior has at least 10 boards in seven of the Sooners’ eight games.
21 – OU sits last in the Big 12 in turnover margin (-0.75), but the Sooners forced 12 Creighton turnovers in Saturday’s victory and converted them into 21 points on the offensive end.
23.5 – Buddy Hield’s Big 12-leading scoring average this season. Last season’s Big 12 scoring champion ranks ninth nationally.
30 – Buddy Hield is the first Sooner since Blake Griffin in 2008-09 to have back-to-back games with 30 or more points. Hield has five 30-point performances in his career.