Stormin in Norman
Fansided

Oklahoma Basketball: Five Best Sooner Games in 2016-17 Season

By Chip Rouse

Feb 25, 2017; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners guard Rashard Odomes (1) drives to the basket in front of Kansas State Wildcats guard Kamau Stokes (3) during the second half at Lloyd Noble Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 25, 2017; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners guard Rashard Odomes (1) drives to the basket in front of Kansas State Wildcats guard Kamau Stokes (3) during the second half at Lloyd Noble Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 30, 2017; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys guard Phil Forte III (13) looks to pass the ball by Oklahoma Sooners guard Rashard Odomes (1) during the first half at Lloyd Noble Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 30, 2017; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys guard Phil Forte III (13) looks to pass the ball by Oklahoma Sooners guard Rashard Odomes (1) during the first half at Lloyd Noble Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

February 18 – Oklahoma State 96, Oklahoma 92

Bedlam with in-state rival Oklahoma State is ALWAYS a BIG deal, in any sport and regardless of the season records. The Cowboys’ broke a 12-game losing streak in Norman, winning the first game with OU this season in dramatic fashion on a three-point shot by senior Phil Forte with 11 seconds remaining in the game and OU leading by a single point. The shot by Forte capped a thrilling comeback for the Cowboys from being five points down with under 30 seconds to go.

Oklahoma State had lost its first six Big 12 games this season, but by the time the Cowboys hosted the Sooners in Stillwater, OSU had won six of its last seven conference games and was looking top .500 in league play with a home victory over Oklahoma.

The Sooners opened the game in Stillwater as if they were going to have nothing to do with a season sweep by their longtime Bedlam rivals. After all, coming into this season, OU had won nine of the past 10 games between the two schools.

Oklahoma opened up a 14-point first-half lead to silence the Cowboy crowd at legendary Gallagher-Iba Arena and was up by nine at the break. The Sooners held the upper hand for the better half of the second stanza, shooting 54 percent to complement their 57-percent accuracy in the opening half.

The Sooners led by 13 points with 8:41 to go in the game and looked to be in control. That was before Oklahoma State locked things down defensively and began hitting shots the Cowboys were missing earlier in the game.

OSU point guard Juwan Evans, who scored 24 points in the Cowboys’ win in Norman, took over the game in the final five minutes, during which time the Sooners failed to score a field goal (sounds disturbingly familiar). Evans scored 16 of his 27 points in the second half in leading OSU to a comeback 96-92 win over Oklahoma.

The OU meltdown in the final five minutes wasted a career-high 29 points and 10 rebounds by Sooner sophomore Rashard Odomes.

It was a game in which the Sooners were superior in just about every phase of the game except  in the critical time of the game when it counted the most.

Coach Lon Kruger summed up the loss after the game with the familiar refrain he has gone to for most of the season:

"“They (Oklahoma State) finished plays the last couple of minutes where we didn’t. We’ve got to do a better job of finishing things out,” he added. Next: Jan. 18 - Oklahoma 89, West Virginia 87"

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