Stormin in Norman
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Oklahoma Basketball: Five Takeaways From Sooners’ Texas Tech Swat Fest

By Chip Rouse

Jan 26, 2016; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners guard Buddy Hield (24) drives to the basket in front of Texas Tech Red Raiders guard C.J. Williamson (3) during the second half at Lloyd Noble Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 26, 2016; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners guard Buddy Hield (24) drives to the basket in front of Texas Tech Red Raiders guard C.J. Williamson (3) during the second half at Lloyd Noble Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oklahoma basketball rolled to its 17th win of the season on Tuesday night in its first real laugher in Big 12 conference play.

Playing their first game at Lloyd Noble Center since being voted the No. 1 team in the Associated Press Top 25, the Sooners literally and figuratively swatted away the visitors from Texas Tech. pulling away in the second half for a decisive 91-67 victory.

Jan 26, 2016; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners forward Khadeem Lattin (12) blocks a shot attempt by Texas Tech Red Raiders guard Devaugntah Williams (0) during the first half at Lloyd Noble Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 26, 2016; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners forward Khadeem Lattin (12) blocks a shot attempt by Texas Tech Red Raiders guard Devaugntah Williams (0) during the first half at Lloyd Noble Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

The 24-point winning margin was the largest margin of victory for top-ranked Oklahoma in eight Big 12 games, one shy of the midpoint in conference schedule. Going into the game with the Red Raiders, now 2-6 in conference play and 12-7 overall, the Sooners largest margin of victory in league play had been a pair of 10-point victories, over Kansas State and Oklahoma State.

In a year of seemingly weekly challenges for Oklahoma Sooner men’s basketball, head coach Lon Kruger’s veteran crew next heads to Baton Rouge, La., where freshman sensation Ben Simmons and the 13-7 LSU Tigers await with the chance to knock off the No. 1 team in the nation.

LSU is not ranked, but with all the attention given to expected one-and-done Australian-native Simmons this season and a perfect 11-0 record at home, this would easily be considered a quality win in the Sooners’ body of work this season.

Already in 2015-16, among OU’s 17 wins are four in six games against ranked teams.

But before looking too far ahead at Saturday’s Big 12-SEC Challenge matchup with LSU. here’s a look back at the five main takeaways from Tuesday night’s impressive Sooner win over Texas Tech:

  • Sophomore Khadeem Lattin was the only Oklahoma starter to score fewer than 13 points in the game, but he more than made up for it on the defensive end, swatting away eight Texas Tech shots for a new career high. The 6-9 forward had three other games this season in which he produced six blocked shots. The Big 12 leader in that category, Lattin ranks 14th nationally, averaging close to three blocks per game. Said Texas Tech sophomore forward Justin Gray about the OU shot-blocking master in the Red Raiders’ postgame comments:

"“We beat certain defenders off the dribble, and sometimes it looks like a shot’s open, and you’re ready to go for it – maybe a layup or a jump shot – and he (Lattin) comes out of nowhere and swats it away.”More from OU BasketballOklahoma basketball: OU’s 2023-24 nonconference slate includes North CarolinaOklahoma basketball: Top in-state recruit commits to Sooners for 2024Oklahoma basketball: Sooner men’s 2024 Big 12 schedule revealedOklahoma basketball: Offseason roster – Sooner hoops in the middle of the grindOklahoma basketball: Sooner hooper Austin Reaves inks max contract with the Lakers"

  • For the third consecutive game, Oklahoma was outrebounded by its opponent. The Red Raiders had a 44-40 advantage on the boards, but where the Sooners were decisively beaten was on the offense glass, where the Red Raiders owned an impressive 21-8 advantage. It was also the third straight game in which Oklahoma was beaten pretty badly on the offensive glass.
  • Buddy Hield had his typical high-scoring game, going for 30 points against the Red Raiders on just 12 shots. Five of his eight made field goals were of the three-point variety. It was the seventh game this season in which Hield has scored 30 or more points. No other Big 12 player has more than two 30-point games.
  • The Texas Tech win was head coach Lon Kruger’s 96th win in five seasons at Oklahoma. With one more win he will become the sixth Sooner head coach, out of 13 total, to reach the century mark in wins.
  • Oklahoma made 12 of 23 three-point shots against the Red Raiders. That gives the Sooners 13 games this season with at least 10 treys and ties a school record. Oklahoma has made 45 of 83 three-point attempts over the last three games, which is a new record for that many treys over a three-game span. Buddy Hield and Jordan Woodard have combined for 34 made three-balls in the past three contests and have averaged a combined 58 points in OU’s past three games. The Sooners rank 10th in the country with 212 made three-pointers in 454 attempts, a nation-best 47 percent.
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