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Lon Kruger: ‘There’s a Lot of Stuff to Do, and a Long Way to Go’

By Chip Rouse

Dec 3, 2016; Madison, WI, USA; Oklahoma Sooners head coach Lon Kruger discusses a call with a referee during the game with the Wisconsin Badgers at the Kohl Center. Wisconsin defeated Oklahoma 90-70. Mandatory Credit: Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 3, 2016; Madison, WI, USA; Oklahoma Sooners head coach Lon Kruger discusses a call with a referee during the game with the Wisconsin Badgers at the Kohl Center. Wisconsin defeated Oklahoma 90-70. Mandatory Credit: Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oklahoma has been a good first-half team so far this college basketball season, but the Sooners have had trouble finishing off what they started. Head coach Lon Kruger knows this is one of the many things his young team needs to improve on in the process of getting better.

Apr 2, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Oklahoma Sooners head coach Lon Kruger talks to his team during the second half against the Villanova Wildcats in the 2016 NCAA Men
Apr 2, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Oklahoma Sooners head coach Lon Kruger talks to his team during the second half against the Villanova Wildcats in the 2016 NCAA Men /

The Sooners let a 39-37 halftime lead get away early in the second half on Saturday against Wichita State and left themselves a hill to steep to climb at the end in a 76-73 loss to the Shockers.

Oklahoma has led at halftime in eight of its nine games this season. Only in game five, against Abilene Christian, a game the Sooners ultimately prevailed in, 72-64, were they behind at the intermission.

Kruger acknowledges that OU is learning and growing with each and every outing, and nine games into the 2016-17 season that has resulted in a 6-3 record. Just two games remain before the start of the conference season, which will bring a whole different share of ups and downs, with six teams, not including the Sooners, currently projected to make it into the NCAA postseason party.

The Sooners have a home date with Memphis, who will be playing at OU for the first time ever, on Saturday, and on Wednesday, Dec. 21, they go east to Connecticut to take on Auburn in a Basketball Hall of Fame’s Birthday of Basketball doubleheader. The latter game will serve as an interesting first act to the Sugar Bowl football showdown between the same two schools twelve days after that.

“We’ve got to get back to work by just taking the good and learning from the less than good to keep getting better,” Kruger said in his postgame interview following the loss to Wichita State.

About the Sooners’ play on Saturday, the OU head coach said: “We had a couple of stretches where we had trouble getting some good looks…We were attacking in pretty good shape, but not really at a pace where we could finish comfortably or make good decisions at the end.

“I think every game we have seen improvements individually,” Kruger added. “We’ve seen guys stepping up a little more aggressively and more confidently. We’ve got to keep playing. it’s not going to happen overnight. We’d like for it to, but we’ve got work to do.

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