After all the crazy upsets in the first three days of the NCAA Tournament, Oklahoma was hoping and believing that it could provide the biggest one of them all vs. No. 1 overall seed Gonzaga.
The Sooners ran with the undefeated Bulldogs for a while, but eventually hit some bumps in the road and saw their season come to a close in an 87-71 loss to the Zags on Monday afternoon at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
OU was able to get as high as No. 7 in the country and ends the historic COVID-19 season at 16-11.
After being down by as many as 19 points on multiple occasions in the second half, the Sooners showed their heart and chipped in. Eventually, OU was able to get it down to a nine-point deficit at 77-68 and 79-70 but could never get any closer.
“I thought after the second half -- after the first 20 minutes, I thought we bounced back a little bit,” head coach Lon Kruger said. “Gonzaga is good. They're really good. They cut hard, move the ball well. Mark (Few) does a terrific job. A lot of guys that play unselfishly and play the game the right way, and I thought we got a little better feel for the pace of things in the second half and cut into it a little bit, couldn't quite get back to make them too nervous.
“But proud for our guys. Our guys had a great year. They battled, worked hard, and couldn't be prouder of a group.”
OU knew full well the only way to compete with the No. 1 seed was to try to score with them. The Sooners did just that, racing out to a 12-4 lead and only trailing 33-30 with just over five minutes to play in the first half.
The Bulldogs took over, though, to take a 46-34 lead to halftime.
Part of the reason for Gonzaga being able to stretch the advantage was the foul trouble for OU senior star Austin Reaves. He came out on fire, scoring a quick 10 points before picking up that second foul with 10:28 left in the first half and Gonzaga up just 23-21.
If that was Reaves’ final game, he went out with a bang. He finished with 27 points on 11-for-17 shooting with two assists and two steals.
“It's hard to see right now, but a couple days from now, we'll – I don't even know if it'll be a couple days,” Reaves said. “We'll still probably be mad. But down the road you'll look back and you'll be like, damn, we really did some special things. It's all about the relationships that you get to create with a lot of different guys.
“But right now you've got a bitter taste in your mouth, but one of these days we'll look back and be like, we had a good year.”
Reaves had no comment on whether he will return to OU for another season. Like all seniors, he has that option because of the change in eligibility rules by COVID-19. For him, it’s about staying in the moment.
“I really stay in the moment. Don't really think about tomorrow,” Reaves said. “Just stay in the day and try to make the best of that day. I haven't made any decisions about that. I hadn't thought about it. That's about it.”
Reaves wasn’t the only senior to go out in a strong way. Alondes Williams scored 15 points, while Kur Kuath had five blocks and four assists. Williams hasn’t made any decision, while Kuath had already stated he will leave OU to play professionally.
There’s never going to be another season like the one OU just completed. From testing for COVID-19 three times a week to missing players to living in a bubble for the NCAAs, it was one sacrifice after another.
“So you look back and you're just proud of the year that it has been,” Reaves said. “It's been a different year, of course. But it'll be a year that everybody looks back and remembers.
“You couldn't be a regular college student. For the people that are social and stuff like that, it was a different year… So really just cherishing all those moments, all the little things that came from this year, honestly.”
Kruger alluded to perhaps Brady Manek’s career being over as well, but later clarified that he has not had those conversations with any of the seniors just yet but will in the days and weeks to come just like every other player.
Manek finished with three points and five rebounds.
