Coming off of a big win last night against Iowa in the Big 12 First Round, Oklahoma Basketball came out flat against the Kansas Jayhawks. No energy was shown from the team, which resulted in a 20 point deficit heading into the locker room. As the team had time to reflect on what transpired in the first half, the Sooners walked back on the floor with a different mindset, their attack mode was what led to a near comeback win over Kansas.
Defense
The Sooners walked into the second half looking to make stops. On each possession, there was more focus and communication on that side of the floor. Playing in their zone coverage, Oklahoma was able to get into the passing lanes and deflect steals. As the Sooners changed momentum on the defensive end, the Jayhawks’ lead would eventually be cut to 12 with 16 minutes remaining in regulation.
Second Chance points
Crashing the boards was another key to Oklahoma’s comeback. As the defensive end led to more opportunities, the Sooners took advantage of missed and got a lot of putback layups and dunks.
Players in Elijah Harkless, Austin Reeves, and the rest of the team took pride in boxing out for the second effort. Through a stretch of the second half, Kansas got very comfortable and began to sleep under the basket. Thanks to the Sooners’ resilience, the team took advantage of the situation.
Brady Manek coming alive
One of the biggest things in the second half was the shot-making of Brady Manek. As Manek struggled for most of the first half, he was able to get clean looks in the first half. His perimeter scoring forced the Jayhawks to force double teams. Manek did a phenomenal job of taking advantage of the double team by kicking the ball out to open teammates for better possessions. Manek would finish the game with 19 points and six rebounds on the evening.
The Sooners were very close to completing their comeback against Kansas. If it weren’t the heroic last five minutes by Ochai Agbaji, it’s more likely that the Sooners would make their way to the Conference Semifinal. Oklahoma may have not completed the win, but it was a magnificent second-half run to put themselves back in a position to win.