Saturday night's game between in-state rivals Oklahoma and Oklahoma State was not your typical Bedlam series matchup.
The Sooners, ranked 13th in the latest Associated Press poll and likely to climb even higher when the new poll comes out on Monday, dominated the game from the opening tip and had the game well in hand early in the second half in cruising to an 80-65 victory in front of an OU-friendly crowd in Oklahoma City.
Senior center/forward Sam Godwin had the game of his career, leading the Oklahoma attack with 20 points and 14 rebounds along with three steals and two blocked shots on defense. All five Sooner starters scored in double figures with true freshman Jeremiah Fears adding 17, Kobe Elvis 15, Jalon Moore 11 and Duke Miles 10. Only Godwin and Malone were part of the OU roster a year ago.
It was Oklahoma's 10th straight win to start the season, matching its start last season when the Sooners went 20-12 overall. The Sooners were the first ranked team Oklahoma State has played this season. The Cowboys dropped to 7-3 with the loss.
Oklahoma led 43-27 at the half and continued to widen the gap in the second half. The Sooners' largest lead in the game was 27 points, coming with 3:30 to go in the contest.
The Sooner men are next in action on Wednesday against Michigan in the Jumpman Invitational in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Wolverines are 8-2 this season with their two losses coming against Wake Forest in the season opener and to Arkansas last week in the Jimmy V Classic. Both losses were by two points.
1. Senior Sam Godwin took charge in leading the Sooners to the win
Godwin enjoyed his best performance in three seasons at Oklahoma, completing a double-double with a game- and career-best 20 points and 14 rebounds. His previous career high in points was 17 last season against Houston. The 6-foot-10 Sooner big man entered the game against Oklahoma State averaging 5.2 points per game.
A native of Ada, Oklahoma, Godwin said playing at the Paycom Center in OKC was surreal.
"I've been watching (Oklahoma City) Thunder games my whole life, sitting up in the bleachers," he said after the game. "So just to be on the court playing, it was really special to me, so I gave it all I had."
Godwin entered the interview room after the game toting the Bedlam trophy, an item he had become quite familiar with this past year. Godwin had stolen the trophy and taken it home with him after the Oklahoma win in overtime in Stillwater last season thinking that would be the final game in the Bedlam basketball series for some time into the future. He had been displaying it prominently in his home. Now the prized rivalry trophy was back in Godwin's hand and with the Sooners for at least another year.
The Bedlam trophy has returned to Sam Godwin’s fireplace, he shared on his Instagram. pic.twitter.com/w2GmW9XEYQ
— Brody Lusk (@BrodyLusk) December 15, 2024
2. OU beats Cowboys at their own game
Oklahoma State head coach Steve Lutz likes to play an up-tempo style and create offense from suffocating defense, but on this night at least, it was Oklahoma giving the Cowboys a taste of their own medicine. The Sooners forced 16 Oklahoma State turnovers in the game, 10 coming in the first half, leading to 21points. By contrast, the Cowboys scored just nine points off of a dozen OU turnovers.
3. Oklahoma's elite defensive play puts clamps on OSU offense
The Sooners held Oklahoma State to 39% shooting for the game and just 25.9% in a dismal first half. It was the second-worst shooting game of the season for the Cowboys, who came into the game shooting 46% as a team and averaging right at 80 points per game.