ESPN’s broadcast crew made an obvious statement during halftime of Oklahoma’s 83-68 loss to No. 21 Gonzaga on Saturday night that could haunt the Sooners the rest of the season: “They’re not getting any taller and they’re not getting any stronger.”
The Sooners were often pummeled inside the paint last season, especially throughout SEC play, and it was clearly a problem that had to be fixed over the offseason if there was any chance for them to be any better in conference play this season. Although it was just the second game of the season, the Sooners’ performance against Gonzaga revealed they still haven’t solved anything.
Sooners struggle in paint vs Gonzaga
As both teams took the court again after halftime in Spokane, Washington, Gonzaga was already in control with a 49-30 lead thanks to dominating the Sooners down low. The Zags outscored OU 38-4 in the paint during the first half. That count was 58-20 by the end. Gonzaga also out-rebounded the Sooners 46-39.
Derrion Reid was the only one of OU’s big men to score in double-digits with 11 points.
OU’s starting center, Mohamed Wague, who’s listed at 6-foot-10 as the Sooners’ tallest starter, picked up two early fouls, which influenced the Sooners’ weakness down low. Freshman Andreas Holst, listed at 7-foot, is the only player taller than Wague on OU’s roster. Freshman Kai Rogers is also 6-foot-10. Holst didn’t see the court, while Rogers logged just six minutes and didn’t record a stat in his debut.
There’s no denying Gonzaga is legit. Graham Ike could be the best big man the Sooners face all season, and he put up 19 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double.
However, the challenge Gonzaga gave the Sooners will be a twice-weekly occurrence during SEC play. There’s still about two months before the Sooners tip off conference play, but even by then, no one is hitting a growth spurt and Porter Moser isn’t adding anyone new.
It’s obviously not all about height, and some would argue it’s more about the size of the fight than the size of the dog. But against Gonzaga, the Sooners had neither, so they better start putting up a fight before SEC play.