Oklahoma recorded it’s biggest upset of the season in Kansas City on Thursday evening when it downed #3 Baylor in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament. That makes five wins over Top 25 opponents this season and an 18-14 record. So the question of the hour is, was that enough? Are wins over Florida, Arkansas, Iowa State, Texas Tech, and now Baylor enough to punch a ticket to the NCAA Tournament? I certainly think it is but I’m obviously not an expert. However, several of the “blue checkmark folks” are saying that it’s looking pretty positive as well.
ESPN Guru looks at things from a distance and while he’s not ready to say that Oklahoma is in, he certainly admits that they’re a lot closer than they were before.
Game Defining Moment
At the 12:12 mark of the second half Baylor and Oklahoma were deadlocked at 46-46. Over the next two minutes and sixteen seconds the Sooners would go on a 9-0 run that culminated with a dunk from Marvin Johnson. The Bears will pull to within a basket a couple of times before the final buzzer but that 9-0 Oklahoma run was ultimately insurmountable.
The Hero
The Sooners are used to having a guy with the last name of Groves leading them on the floor. However, this time around it was Jacob Groves paving the way to victory rather than Tanner. The younger of the Groves brothers paced the team with 15 points and 9 rebounds, all of which were defensive. Twelve of his fifteen points came in the second half.
The Problem Child
Senior guard James Akinjo did everything that he could to continue Baylor’s winning streak over Oklahoma. The California native scored a game high 16 points and grabbed six rebounds.
Up Next
The Sooners will play Texas Tech in the semifinal round of the Big 12 Tournament at 8:30 on Friday night.
Follow us on Twitter: @SportsHeartland