Fun.
Joy.
It’s been missing the last couple of weeks for Oklahoma basketball. After a rough three-game losing streak, highlighted by a miserable outing at TCU, very few expected Saturday afternoon to be the moment where it all came back for the Sooners.
OU played its best game of the season and maybe the best game under second-year head coach Porter Moser in absolutely dismantling No. 2 Alabama from start to finish in a 93-69 victory in front of a raucous Lloyd Noble Center crowd.
The 93-69 victory is OU’s first win against a top-2-ranked AP team since the 2002 Sooners beat No. 1-ranked Kansas in the Big 12 championship. It’s also the largest margin of victory ever for OU against a top-2 team and the largest margin of victory for an unranked team against a top-2 team.
For a team looking, searching for anything to point toward to get the season back on track, yes, that will work.
“You asked me what my message was I think yesterday and I’m like, ‘we’ve got to move on.’ It was uncharacteristic of us with the fight and just really happy for the guys to show the resilience,” Moser said. “I think they were sick of me every game going, ‘man. We’re right there. Let’s go.’ And I thought they played the right way.”
So many games the drama comes down to the final five minutes, the only drama that remained in this one was would there be a court storming?
That answer was yes, as OU students and fans rushed the court as the clock hit zero.
“I thought the crowd was unbelievable. I sat there when the crowd rushed the floor — my younger self might have ran out in the middle of it,” Moser said. “And I just said there and said, ‘this was the vision.’ This kind of excitement with the student body, I thought they were awesome. They were there early.
“Best crowd I’ve had since I’ve been here. And I thought just really happy for the guys to bounce back from that to do this. That’s character. That’s resiliency. That’s togetherness.”
Said senior Tanner Groves, “The court-storming was so much fun, it was incredible.”
Alabama is full of talented freshmen, but it was the seniors for the Sooners who set the tone right from the jump and never looked back.
Point guard Grant Sherfield, who hadn’t scored in the second half of the last three games, had a season-high 30 points (18 in the first half, 12 in the second half).
Senior Jalen Hill did a little bit of everything as usual on his way to 26 points and eight rebounds. Groves set the tone early with three blocks and added 14 points and 12 rebounds.
OU shot 68 percent from the field in the first half for a 50-33 lead, and the Crimson Tide gave a couple of punches to come back, but OU responded every single time.
Tip-ins
*Hill’s offense has been at a high level since entering Big 12 play, but he continues to show every game what a defensive star he is.
His ability to guard all five positions, no matter what, has been massive for OU over the years. All Hill had Saturday was freshman phenom Brandon Miller and locked him down to the tune of 11 points.
“He’s physical and moves his feet and just gritty,” Moser said. “He takes such pride in it. He doesn’t take plays off. He’s on top of the scout. He’s a smart defensive player. He soaks in the scouting report. He gets ahead of the play. He combines high IQ with toughness and grit, defensively.”
*OU needed to bounce back, but nobody needed it more than Sherfield. Recent struggles never affected the team’s belief in him.
That had been the message all week, and it paid off.
“It’s really these guys next to me,” said Sherfield, pointing to Hill and Groves. “They’re just constantly in my ear. I want to say Tanner pulled up to my crib yesterday, and Jalen, and they were just telling me, ‘Be yourself and go out there and play. I just listened to them. So I credit these guys for sure.”
*Up next is round two of Bedlam. OU (12-9 overall) hosts Oklahoma State 8 p.m. Wednesday. The Cowboys won the first matchup less than two weeks ago.
