Oklahoma basketball: Takeaways from Sooners’ upset win over No. 9 Texas Tech

I’m happy to report that rumors of the impending demise of the 2021-22 men’s Oklahoma basketball team are patently premature.

Oklahoma (14-10, 4-7) stunned some folks with a 70-55 upset win over No. 9 Texas Tech (18-6, 7-4) Wednesday night in Norman. The Sooners cracked a three-game skid and, more important, collected their fourth win over a Top-25 opponent. The loss also snapped a three-game win streak by the Red Raiders.

Here are three takeaways from a huge Oklahoma basketball win:

Umoja Gibson was automatic for OU

In Bedlam last Saturday, Umoja Gibson had just two points and was a nonfactor against Oklahoma State, but the sharp-shooting senior flipped the script against Texas Tech. Gibson was a three-point machine for the Sooners, going 8 of 11 from behind the three-point line and brought some excitement and energy to the Lloyd Noble Center.

At a respectful 6-foot, 1-inch, 169 pounds, Gibson was a force on the defensive side of the ball as well and contributed five rebounds along with his scoring.

"“I saw something different in him this week,” guard Jordan Goldwire said in the postgame interview session. “He was more vocal this week. He was just emphasizing how much we need this win and saw how much, not just him, but our entire team wanted to win this game.”"

Rightfully so, the Sooners needed this win, and they got a huge performance out of their top three-point weapon. Gibson blew away his season average of 12.8 points per game and was forced to play a bigger role for the Sooners on this night. With freshmen guard Bijan Cortes out due concussion protocol, Gibson played more minutes than he would ordinarily, and kept the big guards of Texas Tech in check.

Attacking the defensive glass

In most of their losses this season, the Sooners were losing the rebounding battle and allowing second chance points. Last night, OU out-rebounded Texas Tech 34-26, and cut down the second chance opportunities for the Red Raiders. Junior forward Jalen Hill led the Sooners with seven rebounds, along with three offensive boards

With leading scorer Tanner Groves in foul trouble most of the game, different Sooners had to step up and play bigger roles on the defensive end. Without Groves on the court, the Sooners are undersized, but they made up for that size Wednesday night with aggressive play and good position on missed shots.

"“I thought the guys had a lot of grit,” OU head coach Porter Moser said. “Our guards did a good job cleaning up some rebounds. I thought our bigs boxed out well. We have to rebound to be in games… I’m really pleased with the grit that we rebounded with.”"

It was a great sign to see the Sooners play with a sense of urgency, especially on the defensive glass, where they have struggled dramatically. Despite the Texas Tech size advantage, Oklahoma was able to grind it out on the defensive end.

A Top-10 win that could get the Sooners back on track

Coming into Wednesday night against No. 9 Texas Tech, it felt like a game that would determine the Sooners season. After going on a three-game skid, the Sooners couldn’t afford to lose another Big 12 battle. Now that the Sooners grab another Top-25 win, the narrative changes.

The win over the Red Raiders gives Oklahoma four wins over teams in the Associated Press top 15. That ties the Sooners with one other team for the most top-15 wins in the country this season, which will be an important factor for the NCAA Tournament selection committee to take into consideration.

The Sooners were sitting at a 11-seed in Joe Lunardi’s latest “Bracketology” projections, but the Texas Tech win could shake things up for OU. Oklahoma still has a difficult slate of Big 12 games remaining, starting Saturday afternoon, when they travel to “The Phog” to take on the No. 8- ranked Kansas Jayhawks.

We’ve seen crazier things happen this season in college basketball, so a win at top 10-ranked Kansas would be hugeis convincing for the Sooners. After No. 8 Kansas, the Sooners will host No. 20 Texas, which has won five of its last six games. It’s a touch stretch for Oklahoma, but they have a chance to keep this upset-energy rolling into the back-end of the season.