The Oklahoma Sooners overachieved during the 2013-2014 regular season. They fell flat in March in both their conference and national tournaments. What does this season hold for the Sooners?
2013-14 Recap
The Sooners were the kind of team that relied on their offense and their ability to be in the right positions on defense. Oklahoma was not an especially physical team, and it was not an especially overwhelming team in terms of its athleticism and an ability to play above the rim.
This was not a collection of superstars. It was built on ball movement, positioning, and shooting. If shots didn’t fall or if the opponent got hot, Oklahoma was in trouble. This is what happened to the Sooners as soon as the postseason began.
After finishing second in the Big 12 and overachieving in conference play, the Sooners went to the Big 12 Tournament and fell behind seventh-seeded Baylor by 21 before losing by five. Oklahoma watched Baylor shoot 50 percent from the field.
The Sooners were outgunned from the start and merely made their loss a little more respectable with a late rally that came up short. In the NCAA tournament, Oklahoma also lost its first game, bowing to North Dakota State in overtime. The Bison shot 53 percent from the field against the Sooners. Oklahoma stayed close because of 18 offensive rebounds and 12 made threes, but the Sooners couldn’t finish plays near the rim. Their bench made just three shots in 45 combined minutes from four players.
Over the course of the season, it was clear what made Oklahoma really good: The Sooners made their threes. Oklahoma hit 38 percent of its threes, third-best in a high-scoring Big 12 and in the top 50 of the whole country. Oklahoma was not really all that special in any other statistical area. The Sooners were no better than fifth in the 10-team Big 12 in any aspect of field goal percentage defense. They were fifth in rebounds per game and rebounding percentage, sixth in blocked shots. The three-ball rescued this team, and that’s why it will have to be better on defense if it’s to improve this upcoming season.
Offseason Changes
The Sooners’ offseason is pleasantly low on changes. One negative change is the loss to Je’lon Hornbeak, who ran into problems and transferred to Monmouth. Hornbeak averaged only 5.0 points per game, but he was supposed to grow into a much better player this season. That’s a deficit for OU. The Sooners also lose Cameron Clark, a guard who attempted a lot of shots and averaged 15.6 points and 5.5 rebounds for the team last season.
However, while OU loses two players, the Sooners are loving the fact that four of their five starters return: Ryan Spangler, Isaiah Cousins, Buddy Hield, and Jordan Woodard. Frank Booker and D.J. Bennett are back to bolster the rotation, and four freshmen are now on the roster. Coach Lon Kruger will be focused on making sure his returning starters develop, but if he can get anything from even one or two of his freshmen, he’ll have a very good team.
Projected Finish
The Sooners will still be weak on defense, but they should score a ton of points. This kind of profile should lend itself to a season very similar to 2013-2014. The difference is that OU’s experience should enable the Sooners to avoid a first-game loss in March Madness.
Pick: Fourth In Big 12, Round of 32 In The NCAA Tournament
