You guys will most likely have to carry the fort tonight.
OU vs. Ark-Pine Bluff, 7 p.m., ESPN+
And a reminder, Kaden Cooper announces Saturday afternoon. OU or Bama. I will be digging into that one all day/night Friday.
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Porter Moser
Ark-Pine Bluff?
I watched their TCU game, and I was just super impressed. They were up 20. Elite shooting team. They made 13 threes that game and shot 45 percent against what I think is an extremely good defense in TCU. They're long. I don't think they start anybody under 6-4. And this transfer portal, I think it changes a lot of things in college basketball. All of a sudden teams get some additions, and they did. They do a really nice job spacing the floor. They really space you out. They've got a really good point guard who goes downhill, and I see a team that doesn't have fear. I was just really impressed watching them versus TCU.
Monday reflection?
Overall, the biggest thing is you've got to understand how to close out a game. What's a good possession down the stretch? We forced three threes, in my opinion. That's not even my opinion. That's a fact. They were down the stretch when we didn't need it. You don't need a three when you're up 14 with 25 on the shot clock. That's a thing that it starts with me, teaching and having to understand what we need. Grant was out at certain points. You need good possessions, and you need stops. We had the opposite. We didn't have good possessions, and we didn't get stops. Give the kid (Lamar Wilkerson) credit. He hit four or five threes in that stretch, or overall in the second half. That's what we've got to take away. That loss can't go in vain. You can't get it back, but you can go forward going 'This is why it happened.' We had a 14-point lead and we need good possessions. You don't need three possessions of quick threes in a row. You're up 14 with five or six left. That's the mentality. You want a good possession. We had a good possession, you'll see me in it, where we shot faked, went downhill, went downhill, went downhill, and with nine on the shot clock C.J. took a three at the top of the key and missed it. That was a good possession. That's different than throwing it to our four-man and shooting a 25-footer with 25 on the shot clock. Those are two different possessions. You're not going to make every shot. That's not what a good possession is. A good possession down the stretch is, 'Did you run clock? Did you get something quick in a situation?' That's what we've got to take from that game, especially from that point on down the stretch.
I ask about mood at practice?
The mood? There were a lot of different emotions in there. They were upset. They were hungry to get it going again. I like that this team didn’t want to take the day off, but we had to on Tuesday. I like that they didn’t want to. They were back in there. They were hungry. Mad, hungry and receptive. Receptive to what we talked about
I ask about player-driven leadership?
When you have player-driven leadership, that’s the ultimate culture in your locker room. Our coaches aren’t going to lead. We’re going to teach. We’re going to hold standards. We’re going to come back like it’s one game and can’t get it back, but basketball is a long season. With that kind of positivity about where we’re going forward. But when you have the players driving that, it’s even better. And I was pleased with that. Tanner, Jalen, I thought the guys took accountability and went and practiced with an edge moving forward. It wasn’t this blanket of sadness and despair. It was more of an edge of getting better and what our standards are and what we expect and how do we learn from what just happened.
Finding guys that can play downhill?
You know, I think sometimes when we play, Grant and Bijan together or Grant and Los, it gives you another guy. I think CJ Noland can be that. We talk to CJ...you know, we went downhill. We just didn't make good decisions. We just went downhill and barreled through. We had like four or five charges We had four or five charges. So we're looking for guys to be able to start the domino. The other thing, the other takeaway is they had 21 more shots than us. Analytically, that should be like a 20-point loss. I told our team...if we go red versus white in practice and I tell you the white team you get to take 21 more shots before red takes a thing, then then you guys can start. You'd be like, 'coach, there's no way.'
"They had 21 more shots. Why? 21 turnovers. All of a sudden, we were sped up. We were trying to do it all ourselves. That's not the way we're gonna play. And that's the way we haven't played. So we need some guys downhill, kick it. Do what we do offensively, start the domino. I've said that term a lot. But I think guys that are capable of that. I think Grants, Los and Bijon are very good passers. CJ has got to be a guy that makes good decisions when it gets to the paint.
That's another big comment right there that I'd say. I always tell guys, when I recruit them at guards, everybody wants to play at the next level. And I had a scout tell me about five years ago, he said we evaluate guards of what they do when they get to the paint. Can they make good decisions. Can they make the pass. Can they finish, you know? And we did not do good getting to the paint. We got to the paint and made horrible decisions. Threw up one on three shots. Charges. Missed the open guy. We got to do better going downhill and get good paint decisions."
