Bedlam: Round One
It’ll be interesting to watch the rest of the season for Oklahoma basketball because it’s not like March is when a do-or-die attitude is going to come around.
The Sooners have had to have that mindset right from the jump with Big 12 play and nothing is going to change that the rest of the way.
OU (11-6 overall, 2-3 Big 12) now gets ready for Round 1 of Bedlam at Oklahoma State at 8 p.m. Wednesday on ESPNU.
Bragging rights are nice ‘n all, but the Sooners need to start banking home some quality wins. And any win on the road in the Big 12 qualifies, no questions asked.
“That’s a huge picture,” head coach Porter Moser said. “The rivalry’s great and everything, I know the fan base and everything. But in terms of really trying to set yourself up, we’re both trying to get good wins to advance, get wins to put in the bank for our resume, to advance in the conference standings.
“So there’s a lot at stake. There’s obviously the Bedlam and the rivalry between the fan bases, but also each individual team is trying to posture and position themselves to get a better resume.”
It doesn’t make the home losses to Texas or Iowa State any easier to accept, but the way the Longhorns and Cyclones have played since does let you know OU is in that picture.
The Sooners are 2-1 since that start, and a win in Stillwater would be a heck of a way to get to .500 in conference play, with No. 21 Baylor coming to Norman on Saturday.
A running joke has been all you need to do is turn it on after the final media timeout. There will be under four minutes left, and it’s going to be a one-possession game.
Rinse and repeat.
Well, all kidding aside, you can learn a lot from that, said Moser.
“What it has helped with is the attention to detail on the little things,” Moser said. “Everything matters. A missed check-out on a free throw in the first half matters. You have to shrink your mental mistakes. You have to execute. You can really drive home the importance of the little stuff. There is no scooting around it. They’re all close games. Everything matters.
“That’s what we have pounded home in our ‘get better’ tapes and watching it and what we can do better. Whether it’s either end, offensive execution and taking care of the ball, defensive coverages. There is very small margin of error in this league. What it does for your team is it helps you pound home that this matters. Our guys have been very receptive.”
First Bedlam for Godwin
It’s going to be the initial Bedlam for a number of Sooners, but it might hit a little different for OU’s Sam Godwin. An Ada native who played at Southmoore High and dreamed about being a Sooner, this will be his first chance to show what he can do.
“Obviously means a lot being an Oklahoma kid,” Godwin said. It’s like a 100-year-old rivalry. I understand what its all about. You don’t want to lose to the guys in orange so I think we’re going to go out there and play as hard as we can. Try and get the win.”
Godwin has been crucial for OU coming off the bench, especially when Tanner Groves has been in foul trouble. Godwin said he thrives in road environments, and he’s no doubt going to face one of the better ones at Gallagher-Iba Arena on Wednesday.
Too early for bubble watch? Or is it?
No, seriously, it sounds nuts to already be looking at the NCAA tournament field, but you have to when you have the schedule of the Sooners.
OU seems to be right on, dare we say it, the bubble at the moment. Most believing Moser’s group is either among the last four in or first four out.
As it stands this week, OU has 10 ranked games remaining (five home, five away). Incredible chances to improve the resume but also to fade away because you can take advantage of those chances.
OU has Baylor, Kansas, TCU, Kansas State and Alabama at home and goes to Iowa State, Texas, KSU, TCU and Baylor.
OU sits at No. 45 in the NET rankings. The Sooners have been hovering around the 40-50 range for the last month or so. Strangely enough, as frustrating as it was to watch the 77-76 win vs. West Virginia on Saturday, it’s by far OU’s best win from a rankings standpoint.
WVU is No. 30 in the rankings. OU’s next best win is Florida at No. 50, which is another reason why the ranked opportunities are so huge in the next 6-7 weeks.