Oklahoma basketball: Three-pointers from Bedlam bummer
By Chip Rouse
Round I of Bedlam goes to Oklahoma State over its hated rival, the men’s Oklahoma basketball team.
The Sooners didn’t have an answer for Oklahoma State’s sensational freshman Cade Cunningham, and the Cowboys outlasted their rivals from Norman, 94-90 in overtime.
Cunningham scored a career-high 40 points and added 11 rebounds in leading Oklahoma State (16-6, 9-6) to just its second win at Oklahoma in the last 10 seasons.
Cunningham put the Cowboys on his shoulders down the stretch on Saturday. His three-pointer gave Oklahoma State its first lead of the second half at 53-51. He scored 15 of the Cowboys final 22 points in regulation and made eight of eight free throws in overtime to seal the win.
The Cowboys also got 15 points each from senior Bryce Williams and Avery Anderson III.
Oklahoma State is now 4-0 this season in overtime games, including two this week, and has won four games in a row and six of the last eight. .
De’Vion Harmon led Oklahoma, now 14-7 overall and 9-6 in the Big 12, with 22 points. He had 14 in the opening half. Senior point guard Austin Reaves added 22.
The Cowboys took advantage of an uncharacteristic 15 Sooner turnovers, which led to 22 Oklahoma State points.
Oklahoma entered the week as the nation’s 7th-ranked team in the Associated Press poll. With back-to-back losses this week, the Sooners are sure to drop down, possibly as far as the second half of the second ten.
These same two teams meet again on Monday night in Stillwater. A loss in the rematch could knock Oklahoma completely out of the top 25.
Three takeaways from round one of the 2021 Sooner State basketball showdown:
The Cowboys’ best player had his best college game
What can you say about the out-of-this world performance by the Oklahoma State freshman superstar Cade Cunningham. He was virtually unstoppable over the final 10 minutes of the second half and into overtime. Twenty-seven of his game- and career-high 40 points came during that span.
In addition to his stellar offensive output, Cunningham showed that he isn’t just a scoring machine. His 11 rebounds gave him a double-double and he also contributed three steals, two blocks and an assist. He seemed to always be around the ball, whether on offense or defense.
The way Cunningham played in the second half of the game, I’m not sure he couldn’t have beaten the Sooners by himself.
Rebounding margin was double digits in favor of Oklahoma State
One of the most glaring statistical disparities in the game was in team rebounding. Oklahoma State outrebounded Oklahoma 48 to 29. And the deficit in offensive rebounds was 13 to 7 in favor of the Cowboys. This high a statistical advantage leads to too many second-chance opportunities on the offensive end. This definitely hurt the Sooners late in the game when they needed to get defensive stops.
Oklahoma State scored 18 points on second-chance opportunities to just nine by Oklahoma.
Perhaps the biggest missed opportunity came with 24 seconds left in overtime and Oklahoma State leading by two points. OSU’s Bryce Williams missed a three-point attempt and Kalib Boone was able to outmuscle the Oklahoma defenders for the rebound. The Sooners were forced to foul, and that led to a pair of free throws that increased the Cowboy lead to four. That effectively ended the game.
Brady Manek showed some offensive spark with clutch shooting late
With under two minutes to go in the game, Brady Manek, who has been in a shooting slump since he came back from missing a couple of games in early January with COVID issues, scored a pair of layups to draw OU even on the scoreboard both times. Then in overtime, he stuck a dagger from deep to five the Sooners the lead, 83-82, with just under three minutes remaining.
Before his late-game heroics, Manek had just one point. He finished with eight points and five rebounds. Perhaps this is a sign that the four-year Sooner starter is getting his confidence back. Oklahoma surely needs his contribution to get OU back on a winning track with the postseason looming.