Oklahoma looks to start anew against Iowa State in the Big 12 Tournament
As tournament time arrives, the No. 25-ranked Oklahoma Sooners are afforded the opportunity to leave the past two weeks in the rearview mirror.
Losers of four straight, OU (14-9 overall, 9-8 Big 12) just have to focus one game at a time, and up first up in the Big 12 Tournament from Kansas City are the 10-seeded Iowa State Cyclones (2-21, 0-18).
One of the three teams the Sooners swept in the regular season, the winless Cyclones were a handful for Oklahoma in both of their previous meetings.
After only beating ISU 79-72 in Norman, the Cyclones gave the Sooners a second half scare in Ames before OU settled in top prevail 66-56 toward the end of February.
“I definitely feel like they got better, they definitely got strength in numbers because they had COVID issues that kind of hit them hard,” guard Elijah Harkless said in a video press conference on Monday. “All their guys are getting back and playing with confidence not, so you know they’re definitely a scary opponent that we definitely got to handle business against.”
Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger said he expects scrappy games during the conference tournament as almost every game will be the third matchup between teams this season.
“Everyone’s more familiar for sure and usually what comes with that is a bit more of a grind it out type of game because everyone’s kind of established what they are by this point,” Kruger said. “There really aren’t any secrets to it. It’s a matter of winning individual battles and making shots when you have the opportunity and trying to make it tough on the other team to make shots.”
When it comes to individual battles, the Sooners enter Wednesday with the best player on the floor.
Senior guard Austin Reaves was named a First Team All-Big 12 selection on Monday, Reaves led Oklahoma in points (17.5), rebounds (5.7) and assists per game (4.9).
In the two regular season matchups against Iowa State, Reaves got most of what he wanted, combining to score 36 points while shooting 45 percent from the field.
Winning the American Athletic Conference title with Wichita State as a freshman, Reaves knows what it takes to win in a tournament setting.
“I think it comes down to heart and who wants it more,” he said. “At the bottom of the line you just got to give everything you’ve got to win a game and I think that’s what it comes down to at this point.
“Just grind out wins, that’s how you win in March. A lot of games aren’t going to be pretty, but the tougher team, the more physical team usually wins those battles.”
Austin Reaves
Ty Russell / OU Athletics
At times this year, Oklahoma has shown the grit needed to grind out any win, especially on defense.
But to grind out a win, the Sooners have to be able to close down the stretch, something they haven’t done since they beat West Virginia in double overtime in Morgantown.
To help carry the load, OU will need their supporting cast to play to the levels they’ve shown they are capable of all season.
Sophomore guard De’Vion Harmon averaged 13.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game this season, and he was recognized as an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honoree.
Fellow guard Umoja Gibson also has provided offensive firepower this year, knocking down 43 percent of his 3-pointers during the regular season. Gibson has already hurt Iowa State once this year, scoring 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting in the first matchup between the two teams in Norman.
Heading into the tournament, Alondes Williams could be rounding into midseason form as well.
Alondes Williams
Pool photo / Luke Lu
In the season finale against Texas, Williams logged 29 minutes, getting better as the game wore on. Williams scored 10 of his 13 points against the Longhorns in the second half, helping the Sooners regain a foothold in the paint.
“Great to see that out of Alondes, I thought he gave us a big lift,” Kruger said. “Great to see Alondes doing that, and we need that to continue.”
The start to OU’s tournament run against Iowa State tips off at approximately 8:30 p.m. Wednesday evening from the T-Mobile Arena in Kansas City, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.
“Iowa State’s a great team, you know, they haven’t had the satisfaction of winning,” Harkless said. “Just as easy as they lost those games, they could have easily won those games.
“We’ve got to take them just as serious as we would take anybody.”
