Despite Grant Sherfield's Big Game, Oklahoma Came Up Short at Villanova
After six straight wins, Oklahoma’s luck ran dry on Saturday.
The Sooners had a chance to win a big road game down the stretch, but couldn’t convert free throws and timely jumpers, falling to Villanova 70-66 in Philadelphia. The Wildcats crowd fueled the team down the stretch.
Once again, Grant Sherfield shouldered the load offensively for Oklahoma. He poured in 21 points on 6-of-8 from downtown, including four assists and four rebounds. Sherfield’s self-creation has done wonders for this Oklahoma offense.
Both Jacob and Tanner Groves had 14 points on the afternoon. The pair combined for 10 rebounds and eight assists.
Bijan Cortes was an instant spark off the bench for Oklahoma and stayed in the game down the stretch. He contributed six points, four assists and two rebounds running the point guard spot.
The Sooners got off to fast start thanks to Groves’ knockdown 3-point shooting. Oklahoma’s inside-out action opened the door for wide open catch-and-shoot opportunities. Sherfield hopped in on the action too, drilling a pull-up from distance to give OU a 15-7 lead with 14:41 left in the first half.
After Cortes added a 3-pointer to give Oklahoma a 20-9 lead with 13:18 left until halftime, the offense went cold. OU didn’t record a point for over eight minutes. The Sooners cooled off from downtown and turnovers prevented the guards from starting the break.
Villanova’s big run was capped off by a Mark Armstrong 3-pointer with 5:42 remaining in the half, cutting Oklahoma’s lead to 20-19.
One key factor to the Wildcats strong close to the first half was freshman phenom Cam Whitmore. Whitmore, who has been nursing a thumb injury over the last few weeks, made his Villanova debut against the Sooners and added seven points off the bench in the first half. He was a consensus five-star prospect, and the prize-recruit of Kyle Neptune’s first recruiting class.
After the freshman’s seven-point flurry, Sherfield weathered the storm with his third triple of the first half, extending Oklahoma’s lead back to eight. With 2:36 until halftime, the Sooners led 32-24.
Villanova took advantage of Oklahoma sputtering down the stretch and used the final few possessions to stay within striking distance. At halftime, the Sooners led 32-30.
Cortes sparked an early second half run with a corner 3-pointer and a pin-point lob to Tanner Groves for an emphatic slam. Oklahoma led 42-40 with 16:10 left in the half.
Caleb Daniels drilled two 3-pointers and a pair of free throws to give Villanova and offensive spark to match Oklahoma’s hot start. The Sooners’ offense stalled, especially after Cortes picked up his third foul. With 13:17 left in the game, the Wildcats took a 47-45 lead.
Oklahoma’s veteran leadership came up big, as the Sooners stayed calm during Villanova’s run. The Groves brothers knocked down timely baskets, and Sherfield shouldered the load down the stretch once again. The Nevada transfer drilled a huge step back 3-pointer to help the Sooners regain the lead 52-51 with 9:14 left.
From there, it was a back-and-forth battle with big time shots on both sides.
Sherfield drilled another step back 3-point jumper with 6:41 remaining to give Oklahoma a 59-53 lead and a chance to put the Wildcats away. Villanova had an answer for every Sooners scoring-run, though.
After Chris Archidiacono found the bottom of the net from 3-point range, the Wildcats were back within a point, trailing 59-58 with 4:55 in the second half.
Oklahoma stayed within striking distance, but both Tanner Groves and Jalen Hill missed the back-end of one-and-one opportunities, and with 58 seconds left Daniels splashed a 3-pointer that ended up being Villanova’s biggest shot of the night. Daniels' 3-pointer gave the Wildcats a four point lead and extended his point total to 22 on the day.
When all hope seemed lost, Sherfield connected on a contested, impossible 3-point shot from the left win, making it a 68-66 game. After Villanova missed the second of two free throws, the Sooners suddenly had a chance.
After a chaotic sequence in the half court, Sherfield suddenly had an open look at the basket. After a couple dribbles, Sherfield’s rise-and-fire open 3-point attempt was no good. Oklahoma came up just short.
Next up, the Sooners return home to Norman to take on Kansas City on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
