Oklahoma’s motto for the season has been about not having any excuses. But the way the Sooners have played in the last couple of months, it’s easier to say they just won’t quit.
The rigorous schedule continues, and all No. 12 OU does is keep rising up to the occasion again and again. This time around in what was easily the game of the season so far, the Sooners did just enough to earn a 91-90 victory at West Virginia on Saturday afternoon in double overtime.
Senior guard Austin Reaves put OU up 91-90 with 26 seconds left, and OU’s defense stood tall despite numerous efforts by WVU to take the lead.
“I was so happy for the guys. West Virginia’s been playing great,” head coach Lon Kruger said. “They’ve been playing with super confidence to go on the road and win ballgames. They’ve been terrific, so for our guys to prepare the way they did this week — I thought they were great in preparation. We had a full week there.
“They worked at it. They were focused. Just happy for the guys. Proud of their effort. That was obviously a game that could’ve gone either way so I’m always happy for them after they compete and battled and do a good job but, like you say, maybe a little bit more so on this occasion.”
WVU’s Derek Culver had his way pretty much throughout the day, but it was a huge block by Kur Kuath with 7 seconds remaining, and then Culver was unable to finish on the final possession after WVU got the ball back by tying up De’Vion Harmon for the possession arrow with 4 seconds left.
Kuath hasn’t seen a lot of time in recent games as the Sooners have found success with Brady Manek at center and the four-guard lineup. And he only played nine of the 50 minutes in Morgantown, but he made his imprint when it mattered most.
“Honestly, I think he's one of the best shot blockers in the country,” Reaves said. “I looked at him when he was coming out of the timeout and I just told him to go get one. And he was like ‘say less.’ To make a play like that is really big for us and really big coming from him.”
It’s someone like Reaves who can make that type of statement to Kuath because it’s his confidence that kept OU in it. Reaves scored 22 of his 28 points in the second half and two overtimes and also had nine rebounds and seven assists.
“He's a great player. I'd give him the ball every time if I could,” Manek said. “He's the one with it.”
Umoja Gibson added 19 points, including making five 3-pointers. Manek pitched in with 11 points and nine rebounds. Elijah Harkless scored 12 points and had nine rebounds before fouling out, while Harmon came up huge in the two overtimes and finished with 13 points.
The win puts OU at 13-5 overall and 8-4 in the Big 12 and in sole possession of second place in the conference behind undefeated Baylor.
Notes
* Gibson wouldn’t mind seeing the Mountaineers a third or fourth time. After scoring 29 points in the first meeting with eight 3-pointers, Gibson made a combined 13 3-pointers in the two games vs. WVU.
“He's got all the confidence in the world in himself,” Reaves said. “And we got the same thing. We believe in him to make plays. Honestly, it's really just that. He's got confidence and we got confidence in him and he was really, really big tonight.”
* Maybe it’s not a surprise anymore for OU to earn big wins. The Sooners were named a No. 3 seed, No. 12 overall when the top 16 seeds for the NCAA Tournament were revealed Saturday morning. WVU came in at No. 10.
OU has swept the Mountaineers and also has wins vs. No. 7 Alabama and No. 15 Texas.
“This group’s made a ton of progress since December, maybe as much as any team we’ve ever had if you want to look over 40 years,” Kruger said. “They’ve been unbelievable at focusing on getting better each week and they’ve done that, especially on the defensive end, at consistently getting better. We’ve still got to be more consistent offensively but we’ll keep working on that.”
* Have you heard this before? Yep, the grind continues. Texas comes to Norman 8 p.m. Tuesday on ESPN. The game has been switched from 6:30 on ESPN+ to 8 p.m. and the national audience.
