NORMAN — With his squad trailing by 20 points last week against Texas, OU head coach Porter Moser was imply looking for a spark.
He turned to freshman guard Dayton Forsythe, who had been out of the rotation through the first four games of conference play. Forsythe played like his hair was on fire, bringing real energy and effort. He dove for loose balls. He crashed the glass hard looking for rebounds.
The counting stats weren't eye-catching: 0 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist. But in a game the Sooners lost by four points, and trailed by as much as 23, it wasn't a surprise that he finished with a plus-minus of 14 in just 10 minutes.
"He’s definitely been a big X-factor for us," OU veteran guard Kobe Elvis said. "I don’t think a lot of people understand the value he has. I think sometimes he doesn’t understand the value he brings to the game. He doesn’t know what he doesn’t know because he’s young. Comes in and plays so hard. Crashing the boards, making shots, making good reads.
"He plays extremely hard. It’s contagious. It affects me, the rest of the guys coming off the bench and the starters coming back in. Hey, I need to play as hard as him."
That game was evidence that the Oklahoma native isn't just a freshman who can't play in the SEC. Moser tested that theory in the following game against South Carolina.
Forsythe entered the game midway through the first half and immediately drilled a midrange jumper. Late in the second half, with the Sooners pulling away in the midst of a huge run, Duke Miles found Forsythe for a transition 3-pointer.
With no hesitation, Forsythe pulled it from deep and nailed it to punctuate a 15-0 run and help give the Sooners a much-needed win in conference play.
Forsythe finished with five points, two rebounds and an assist, proving that he can do more than just provide energy.
"They all know Dayton’s energy," Moser said. "Last game he brought us energy. For him to knock that down, it was just like, it’s fun to see how excited they are for him because of how hard he plays."
It's just a pair of games, but Forsythe has been showing he's ready to play now. He saw consistent minutes during non-conference play and showed flashes of being a solid back-up point guard. He's shooting 42% from 3 this season and he has the best assist-to-turnover ratio on the team, logging 16 assists and just four turnovers.
But the final jump was about proving he could contribute in conference play. The last two games showed he can.
"Coming off the bench, I feel like it's our job to come in and bring energy, play super hard, and let the chips fall where they may," Forsythe said on Saturday. "... Just doing whatever we can to help the team is my mentality."
Despite the win on South Carolina, there's still real urgency for the Sooners. They sit with a 14-4 overall record and a 1-4 record in conference play. ESPN's Joe Lunardi projects the Sooners as a 10-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Saturday's game against the Arkansas Razorbacks (7:30 p.m. ESPN2), who are currently winless in the SEC, are must-wins as the Sooners fight to stay afloat in the race for the postseason.
If the last two games are any indication, Forsythe will likely be a real part of the rotation on Saturday and moving forward.
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